Gartner’s ability to pinpoint the technology trends that shape our world is second to none.  Yet again, they have delivered a top ten list that illustrates the complexity of the world we live in and how technology plays a role.  This year’s list focused in on the impact of widespread automation and the combination of software tools being adopted to make it possible.   

For those who haven’t been keeping track, the next phase of automation has begun – and it has significant implications not only for the individual worker and company, but also for the world economy.  As the labor scarcity continues, more and more investors will turn to automation technologies to boost productivity.  Bain & Co. anticipates that the rapid automation could displace labor at a rate 2 to 3 times faster than ever seen before.   The exact impact of automation is unknown but both Bain & Gartner agree that architecting for agility has become more important than ever.  In the 20’s business leaders will be dealing with the convergence of demographic shifts (aging workforce) combined with rapid economic growth via hyperautomation that has serious macroeconomic implications.   

Business leaders will need to look beyond traditional planning, target setting, and organizational structures in order to compete in the roaring 20’s.  Luckily, Gartner also has a suggestion for the types of technology that will empower business leaders to do just that.   While hyperautomation sounds like RPA at a glance, task automation is really a first step in automating the mundane, repetitive work being executed by the less educated workforce.   The next step in achieving the promises inherent in automation requires responsive models in order to not only automate, but understand, analyze and predict next best actions.  As the Gartner Top 10 Trends document notes, “A key thing to recognize is that the organization is becoming more model-driven, and the ability to manage the interconnected nature and complex versioning of these models is an important competency. To derive the full benefits of hyperautomation, organizations need an overarching view across their functional and process silos. Indeed, developing more and more sophisticated models is akin to developing a digital twin of an organization (DTO).”  

In other words, the value of hyperautomation is achievable for visionaries willing to make use of a complementary set of technology components, including but not limited to platforms that support RPA, iBPMS, and the creation of a DTO.  (Want to learn more about how the Mavim software can support you to create a Digital Twin of your Organization? Click here to learn more.)   But hyperautomation isn't the only trend that will transform the digital landscape in the roaring 20s. Here is Gartner's top ten list:   

1. Hyperautomation – the combination of multiple software tools to deliver work  

2. Multiexperience – the ability to communicate with users across many human senses  

3. Democratization – providing people access to technical or business expertise via a radically simplified user experience  

4. Human Augmentation – the enhancement of human capabilities and capacity through technology and science  

5. Transparency and Traceability – a range of attitudes, actions and technologies designed to address regulatory requirements  

6. The Empowered Edge -  When information processing and content collection and delivery are placed closer to the sources, repositories and consumers of this information  

7. Distributed Cloud -  Distribution of public cloud services to different locations outside the cloud providers’ data centers while continuing to assume responsibility for operations and governance   

8. Autonomous Things -  physical devices that use AI to automate functions previously performed by humans  

9. Practical Blockchain -  making distributed ledger technology scaleable for enterprise level implementations   

10. AI Security – leveraging AI to protect and enhance the security threats posed by hyperautomation and AI powered systems