Advertise on podcast: Switched On with Paul Modderman and James Wood

Want to learn more? Check out these related blog posts from James: Is Microsoft Fabric Right for You? A Practical Guide for Power BI Customers | Bowdark Unused Data Is Killing Your Business Performance | Bowdark

Buying business software is about more than features, demos, and subscription prices. In this episode of Switched On, Kevin Endres and James Wood discuss some of the less obvious factors organizations should consider before making a software purchase, from fit/gap analysis and integration capabilities to data access, security, extensibility, compliance, and hidden costs. Whether you're evaluating a major ERP platform or a smaller SaaS solution, the goal is simple: know what questions to ask before you sign.

What We Cover Why AI tools like GitHub Copilot and Claude Code are real productivity accelerators and how Bowdark is actively using them The 70/30 split: why only about 30% of a technology project involves writing code What human-centered design actually looks like in practice and why it can't be automated away A real client example where a "detailed requirements doc" turned out to be a list of unanswered questions Why AI is a powerful tool in skilled hands and a risk in the wrong ones The right frame: AI is additive, not replacement

Many organizations enter transformation initiatives with genuine commitment — and still go nowhere. In this episode, we dig into why so many leaders find themselves ready to move but stuck in place, and what it actually takes to break through organizational gridlock. We explore one of the most common and costly mistakes in transformation: treating it like a side project layered on top of everyone's day job. Real transformation requires a dedicated team capable of leading an end-to-end effort — from research and design through build and rollout. Buying technology, it turns out, is not the same as building capability. The data backs this up. A recent McKinsey study found that 70% of large-scale digital transformation efforts fail due to lack of resource availability and insufficient investment in the right foundations. CIO.com reports that 67% of transformation projects are delayed because of skill shortages — particularly in AI, cloud, and modern data technologies. And according to Gartner, a leading reason these efforts stall is the absence of internal expertise and change leadership required to actually execute. We unpack what those gaps look like in practice, why change leadership is so consistently underestimated, and what the difference is between executive sponsorship on paper versus real ownership in the work. We also get practical — what does a leadership team do today if they feel stuck? How do you balance quick wins with long-term sustainability? And what should progress actually look like in the first 90 days of a well-run transformation? If your organization knows it needs to change but can't seem to make it move, this episode is for you.

This episode dives into the transformative world of Microsoft Fabric with Microsoft MVP and "Data God" Chris Wagner. Whether you’re a data enthusiast, a business leader, or a technology professional, this episode will give you an insider's look at how Microsoft’s latest data platform is reshaping the way organizations manage, analyze, and act on their data. 🗂️ What’s in Store: The Origin Story How Microsoft Fabric evolved into the unified platform it is today.Key milestones in its development and the strategic vision behind it.What Sets Fabric Apart A breakdown of Fabric’s unique features, including its unified architecture.Comparisons to traditional data platforms and what makes Fabric a game-changer.Notable Capabilities From Data Factory to Power BI and beyond, explore Fabric’s ecosystem.Highlighting powerful tools like Data Activator, Lakehouse, and Real-Time Analytics.How these capabilities empower teams to innovate at scale.Building a Data Culture Why building a data culture matters for modern organizations.Practical steps on how Fabric enables everyone in your organization to access, analyze, and act on data securely.Real-world examples of businesses transforming their decision-making with Fabric.✨ Key Takeaways: Microsoft Fabric is more than just a data platform; it’s a revolution in how data is managed and used.Unified tools and seamless integration make it easier than ever to build end-to-end data pipelines.Fabric fosters collaboration and puts the power of data-driven insights in the hands of every user, from analysts to executives.🔗 Show Resources: Chris Wagner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wagnerchris/Chris Wagner's KratosBI YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisWagnerDatagodMicrosoft Fabric Home Page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabricBowdark Fabric Services: https://www.bowdark.com/services/spark/microsoft-fabric

We flip the script and interview ourselves. James puts interesting questions to Paul about generative AI and the UX possibilities that are starting to open up. Sometimes Paul wanders off to uncharted territory.

We're in the age of Copilots. Discussion focuses a lot around Microsoft - but the implication is clear: they're everywhere, and they're just getting started.

James and Paul pontificate on their experiences working in, with, and under business-led IT, shadow IT, and corporate IT. What's the best way forward, for IT orgs to have real impact on business outcomes?

We talk about the Copilot Studio demo and other possibilities. "Everything you categorized in your head as 'I can't do that,' pull it out and rethink it. It might be possible now."

Alan Chai, Microsoft Power Apps MVP and Head of Digital Transformation & Innovation at Schlumberger, wows James Wood and Paul Modderman with his tales of enterprise creation, curation, and learning new things.

HighlightsCheck out Constellation’s October event: Connected Enterprise 2023What a great sense that things are ALWAYS exciting — but in early days of his career that exciting-ness was slower.“Smith” — highly common last name these days — tied to the old profession of blacksmithing. What’s the new “smith” these days? Probably producting software.Holger: why can’t email be done better? (Yeah. I agree here for sure. It seems like a useful holdover ripe for some kind of sea change.)The art is finding the right ratio between human and automation. Find the right pace of digital transformation for people.Stay until the end where Holger catches me forgetting what we’d discussed in the pre-show!The “money quotes” section below is intentionally truncated. Holger says so many little nuggets of wisdom that I found myself just transcribing the episode.Money QuotesHolger It’s all about how we will work, what we will work on, what we will get paid to work on…and it’s changing rapidly.  You have to reinvent yourself every 5 years. You have to find the right balance between the skills of people and the automation you can provide them. Companies who do that right do amazing things. SAP is like concrete: it’s great when it’s warm and moving…but [after time] you need a sledgehammer to fix it. James You’re seeing the veil between the back office and the front office be torn apart — but it’s also creating lots of consternation and hand-wringing. Paul It’s never been more clear than now that what you do for work and how you do it have the distinct possibility of changing right under your feet. Difference is faster, now.

James and Paul discuss the upcoming events in the fall conference season - especially Microsoft Power Platform Conference and SAP TechEd, and come up with their unique spin on a wish list for them.

Podcast Episode! Season 5 Intro: The Future of Work James and I sat down to ruminate and prepare for our upcoming next season: The Future of Work. It’s obvious that GPT (and especially ChatGPT) has completely saturated everyone’s brains. It seems like we’re finally seeing the veil between front-office and back-office start to tear. But most of all, we are PUMPED about this season — as both a way to learn from great guests, and as a time capsule of a unique moment in tech history. Money QuotesJames You’re seeing a shift from systems being systems of record to decision support.  The proliferation of low-code tools are making it much more accessible to interconnect front-office and back-office systems. This is coming very soon: enterprise-grade GPT services that train on your data.  Intranets are usually where information goes to die. Paul The future of work is about the new ubiquity of really good tech. There’s a shift going on in how much businesses believe they can actually do with technology.  I see the lights turn on with more non-techie people now, when the conversation turns to what you can do with it in your business.  The fact that the world is changing so fast means that there is such a thing as “The Future of Work”.  ChatGPT made the magic of tech real to people who don’t give a crap about tech. We as techies live in a world where we have always believed [that tech could make a real difference], but now it’s clear to non-techies.

James and I closed out our season of exploring digital transformation and its various meanings with a wrap-up conversation.  Awesome Episodes This SeasonSeason 4 Premiere: Digital TransformationContinuous Everything with Jon ReedDigital Transformation as Improving Processes with Alex JonesDe-Mystifying the Digital with Paru SankarInnovation with Purpose with Diego DoraAn Agile SAP Development Platform with Nestor LaraCompassion in Software with Dustin BruzenakSeason 4 Finale: Digitally TransformedMoney QuotesJames In a healthy, modern enterprise, we should constantly be renewing ourselves…There’s no getting around the hard work that it takes to continue maturing your organization. The compounding benefits you can see from “continuous everything”…it’s hard to quantify. Paul We still live in a world where experts are truly experts. That expertise can lead to things where, when we get in the room to do design…they themselves may not have agreed or have codified how they get their stuff done.  It has never been the case where we have digitally transformed something utterly out of a human’s hands. I have never obviated the accounting department.  If you do digital transformation, what is being transformed?

James and Paul sit down with Dustin Bruzenak, co-founder of Modern Logic - a Twin Cities-based software development shop specializing in projects that emphasize compassion and human-centered thought. Dustin offers great thoughts on the software industry: building the products, building teams, and finding your cultural center.