Digital Acclerating Duke Energy's Transformation

Transformation is not for the faint of heart. You’re trying new things and accelerating change across the enterprise at a record pace (on average, we’re developing Minimum Viable Products or products that can begin being used in as little as three months). Sometimes we fail – and fail fast – but we are learning fast as well, and we often find ideas in those failures that spark momentum across the business. You must be willing to say, “The way we used to work is no longer working and we must try this new approach.” Change is hard. Talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly isn’t always easy. But to me, feeling a little uncomfortable is a sign we are doing things right. As the saying goes, if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.

We were told by people outside the business that taking on too many products at once would ‘sink the ship’. I’m glad we didn’t listen. From the start, we had 11 areas of our business commit and led our digital transformation. Currently, more than 300 cross-functional teammates are devoted to this work and focused on identifying and deploying innovative solutions where they’re needed most. From building a customer mobile app and searchable supply chain sourcing system to developing mobile apps for field workers and using artificial intelligence and machine learning to help us determine plant maintenance schedules – the products are delivering benefits. With strong support from the business units and executive leadership, we are fully committed to our digital transformation – and have exceeded our own expectations.

Change brings risk. But risk can be an opportunity if identified and managed well. Through our Lighthouse digital program, teams take an agile approach to product development, along with the discipline of metered funding. They build in small increments, then measure, learn, and iterate to reduce upfront investment until a product shows value. They work closely with the business functions to prioritize features that matter most to the user and get feedback. These are a few ways we manage risk and ensure we deliver the right value. The results speak for themselves as we have delivered over 30 digital products with an average payback of less than two years.

In this new digital era, we’ve tackled challenges with an open mind and embraced opportunities to do work better, more efficiently, and in the right places. This mindset helps to ensure we adapt and remain ahead of the rapidly changing external environment – and has allowed us to enhance the customer and employee experience. Our innovation journey is well underway, even during a global pandemic.

Lighthouse and our adoption of digital capabilities are here to stay – the ways of working, the creativity, and the value being delivered – and it will continue to guide our Duke Energy as we continue to transform into the utility of the future.