The digital revolution which started somewhere 70 years ago has brought greater interconnectedness, easier communication and the exposure to information which wouldn’t have been earlier conceivable. It has not only penetrated every aspect of our lives but also revolutionized how business is done. It is almost an expectation from managers of tomorrow to be equipped with adequate capabilities to be able to lead and manage the digital transformation journey.
IMD MBA is known for grooming business leaders of the future who can navigate organizations through complex changes. To complement the general management training that we have received through the year, our class of 90 is now immersed in a week-long digital lab, starting today. The week will expose us to technologies such as Agile management methodologies, algorithms, Scrum Master techniques, Python programming language, machine learning, data visualization to name a few.
Day 1 of the Digital Lab was inaugurated by Professor Amit Joshi and Prof Howard Yu who introduced us to the agenda of the week. One of the objectives of the lab is to develop a mindset which can enable us to move away from a traditional stack to a full stack agile/entrepreneurial way of working which is designed to let one fail cheap and fast and reiterate.
The day was divided into two types of learning outcomes: Agile methodologies and Python training. A group of external coaches trained us for the first half on values and principles which govern agile software development and basics of Scrum, helping us get a Scrum Master Certificate by the end of the training. Throughout the day, the coaches used a very experiential method of teaching through role plays, speed dating technique to discuss concepts and understanding & interactive visual aids to acquaint us with scenarios where agile works and does not work. At the end of the session, we walked out with a good understanding of roles of different participants in Scrum, the concept of Sprint, different Scrum activities, with “Inspect and Adapt” as the main philosophy of Scrum.
The second part of the day started with an introduction to Data Analysis and Machine Learning using Python. The course is structured to prepare us for roles to manage Digital projects in the future. It is designed with a hands-on approach and aims to help us learn the application of programming skills in different business contexts. Today, we focused on the basics of Python and developed familiarity with syntax using an interactive online course supported by a team of experts throughout to answer any questions and challenge our knowledge.
Till next time!
– Neharika
