Executive Programs and Workshops

We have designed and developed a number of programs designed to change the way professionals approach their business technology responsibilities. There are a number of programs we currently offer designed to stimulate thinking about some tough issues and exciting opportunities. All of our programs are customized:  we make sure that program content maps on to the requirements of our clients, on to the vertical industry in question and on to the corporate culture, leadership and technology infrastructure and architecture at hand.

We’ve learned that it’s essential that the business technology team – both sides of the aisle – understand technology trends, business models, how to interact with each other, how to conduct due diligence and even how to develop a business technology “road show.” We’ve also learned that well-conceived and well-delivered learning programs can help enormously. In fact, they are essential. The need for a common language, a common understanding and a managed expectation is real and continuous.

The programs can be given in several modes: face-to-face, podcasts, Webinars and Webcasts, among other combinations of media. The face-to-face versions last from one to three days; some just lasting for several hours. Each of the programs ends with an assignment for the participants. The programs require participants to make recommendations, suggestions and in some cases specific project plans. The goal is to engage participants in the learning process.

We have designed and delivered a number of programs that we believe constitute an integrated (generic, waiting to be customized) learning six-pack. Note that while the programs can stand alone they are ideally delivered in the order suggested below:

The first program – The Business Technology Optimization Program – sets the stage for common language, understanding and shared, managed expectations. The theme of this program is that it’s possible – easy, in fact – to derive business value from technology investments, in much the same way we derive value from investments in marketing, finance and manufacturing. Business value is defined along two vectors: saving money or making money. The former metric is about optimizing the acquisition, deployment and support of technology to the business. The latter is about investing in technology that enables up-selling, cross-selling, new market penetration, customer service and all of the activity that touches customers, sales, marketing, among other “make money” opportunities. This program is targeted primarily at technology professionals but has been modified for additional participants (including marketing, communications, finance and human resources [HR]).

The Business Technology Optimization Program is the anchor program in the six pack. It’s the program that delivers the most value. Why? Because it’s designed to change the way people think about how technology can enable business models and processes. It is especially targeted at technology professionals and changing the way they think about impact and success. It stresses the importance of operational and strategic technology and the role that each plays in business performance. If you can only do one program, this is the one.

The second program – The Technology for Non-Technology Executives –  is for the technology-challenged (non-technology manager and executive). It describes applications, data bases, networks, security, metrics, business process management (BPM), business intelligence (BI) and even Web 2.0 in language that is understandable to non-technologists. This is a real challenge, but describing technologies in business terms is always appreciated and empowers non-technology executives with enough knowledge to understand the complexity, challenge and potential of technology. The Technology for Non-Technology Executives is the second most important program in the six pack because it’s designed to change the way that non-technologists think about business technology. If you had to do only two programs, this one and the Business Technology Optimization program are the ones you want.

The third program – The Best Practices in Business Technology Management Program – drops a level of abstraction and discusses the details around running IT like a business. The focus is on measurement, organization, management, leadership, performance metrics and frameworks like ITIL and COBIT. The goal of this program is to describe the management tools and techniques that will yield the most cost-effective technology investments. The program gets specific about how to acquire, deploy and support technology according to a set of explicit, quantitative metrics. The program also integrates the best practices around the newest technology delivery models; for example, how should service level agreements (SLAs) be written for software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery? This program is obviously targeted at technology professionals but can also be targeted at financial professionals at the company because often these professionals are responsible for measuring the costs and benefits of technology investments.

The fourth program – Internal Business Technology Consulting – focuses on the consulting process. The idea here is that regardless of whether technology professionals work for Accenture or Sears they need to practice good consulting skills. The emphasis in this program is on the consulting process, necessary consulting knowledge and the range of consulting skills that all professionals need to master to be effective. This is a unique program designed to make internal technology professionals as effective as their external consulting peers by identifying the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively communicate, negotiate, lead and manage. In short, the program tries to extract from the best external consultants the knowledge and skills that make them partners with their clients. In fact, the notion of “client” is emphasized in the program where internal business partners are profiled and “engagement models” are developed for internal use.

The fifth program – Technology Trends that Matter –   focuses on emerging technologies . How many technologies are over-hyped? Not ready for mainstream deployment? Still in the prototype stage? The program separates the mature from the conceptual and prototypical. It also identifies the technologies most likely to impact specific vertical industries. The objective of this program is to create a list of technologies that should be piloted to determine their actual potential. The program identifies specific technologies – like Web 2.0 and BI technologies – that companies should pilot, as well as technologies that should not be on their high potential list. The program acts as a filter between corporate requirements and current and emerging technologies essentially protecting buyers from technologies that sound better than they are.

The final program – Technology Due Diligence – presents a due diligence framework and then presents case studies that illustrate how specific criteria can be used to vet technology investment opportunities. The program is adaptable to CIOs, CTOs, COOs, CFOs and CEOs who want to make sure that their technology investments are well vetted before they write huge checks – often for many years. Should a new communications network be developed? Should a data warehouse be built? Should an ERP application be used to consolidate disparate software applications? Due diligence is a real process that identifies, weights and scores technology investment options through the application of a set of specific investment criteria.

What is the six-pack ultimately trying to do?

We developed the programs to improve understanding. Technologists and non-technologists need to understand technology’s changing role, potential, challenges, costs and risks. The sum of all technology knowledge – we are told by the information technology gurus – is doubling every couple of years. Staying current with at least the business/technology/management macro trends is essential to optimizing the business technology relationship.

We’re also trying to develop a common language for discussing technology and evaluating alternative technology directions. The program for non-technology executives is an extremely important program in the six-pack because it tries to bring non-technologists into the technology discussion through a level-setting of knowledge, best practices and expectations.

The six-pack is also intended to “market” technology. The internal consulting program is designed around processes, knowledge and skills that when taken together make the application, communication and marketing of technology much more effective in many organizations. This is not to say that we encourage “spin” but rather that without good communication, sales and marketing – as with any product or service – technology will be relatively ineffective. Investing in a technology “road show” and traveling throughout the company presenting that show is a necessary messaging strategy for all organizations, not just the technology organization.

It must be said that the more we try to widen and deepen the understanding of technology and technology management, the better technology’s impact will be. The six-pack is designed to cover as many bases as possible in an effort to enhance the role that technology plays in the definition and delivery of business models and processes. An investment in all or part of the six pack might go a long way.

The Acentio Group also offers programs in Vendor Management, Outsourcing, Innovation and People Management.

Other Workshop offerings include:

M&A Workshops

A significant body of research indicates that more than 50% of all mergers and acquisitions fail to achieve their goals. A study by KPMG “…found that 83% of corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) fail to enhance shareholder value”. M&A is seen as a critical component of fueling corporate growth and enterprises are willing to take on the risks of M&A – assuming they can beat the odds. Much of the focus of the executives is on “getting the deal done” and the resulting impact on revenues, budgets and staffing levels. However, when the majority of M&A fail to create shareholder value, tension arises between the board and the executive team which jeopardizes future M&A deals.

Why do M&A fail? “It's very clear to us that the overwhelming reason that an M&A fails is something loosely called 'culture.' And culture means failure of leadership, failure of integration, communication failures, failure to populate the new organization with sufficient talent.” Clay Deutsch, McKinsey & Co.

For companies engaged in M&A activity, the Acentio Group can dramatically increase the potential to create shareholder value by creating the requisite cultures in the pre-merged and post-merged organizations to deliver a return on your M&A investment.

The Acentio Group has developed a series of M&A workshops which will enable executives and management from both companies involved in the merger to position the companies for success. Through a progression of pre-merger and post-merger workshops, we explore the culture of each organization and help executives and management purposefully create a new culture for the merged company. Values and people are respected and positioned appropriately for the desired outcome, ensuring that the merged company meets its performance goals without disruption – delivering on its promise to investors.

An outline for Workshops are available upon request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .