Duration: Delivered 2 full days, in-person, with 2-3 weeks between sessions.
Aimed at: Business leaders and decision-makers driving strategic initiatives within their organisations. This includes C-suite executives, heads of business units, functional leaders and senior managers responsible for strategy, transformation and innovation.
Trainer: Aitheria Partners: Patrick Ward: an AI and Digitalisation Strategist, Consultant as well as part-time lecturer in Digital Transformation in UCD Smurfit Business School.
Participant Prerequisites
• Current responsibility for, or significant influence over, digitalisation initiatives
• Authority and opportunity to implement learnings within their organisation
• Commitment to complete between-session application work (3-5 hours between the two one-day sessions)
• A technical background is not required, but curiosity regarding the role digital and AI can play in business transformation will be helpful. We will cover key terminology, but the focus is on business strategy rather than technical implementation.
Programme Content
Day 1 – Foundations, Strategy and ROI Assessment
Morning Session (09:00-12:30)
Module 1: The Pilot Purgatory Problem (90 minutes)
• Why 70%+ of F&D companies get stuck at pilot phase
• Understanding root causes (technology-led vs value-led approaches)
• The business case for digitalisation in F&D
• Digital maturity self-assessment framework
Module 2: Strategic Thinking for Digitalisation (90 minutes)
• Linking digitalisation to corporate strategy
• Strategic frameworks adapted for Food and Drink context
• Introduction to prioritisation and decision criteria
Afternoon Session (13:30-17:00)
Module 3: ROI Assessment & Prioritisation (120 minutes)
• ROI assessment approaches adapted for low-margin manufacturing
• Prioritisation frameworks and decision criteria for F&D
• Creating the business case
• Workshop exercise: Apply ROI framework to participant opportunities
Module 4: Data & Analytics Foundations (75 minutes)
• Data as a strategic asset
• Understanding analytics maturity and why it matters for advanced technology adoption
• Data governance essential
• Building roadmaps from current state to target capability
• Video Case Study (16:15-16:45): Digital transformation leader from F&D sector who has navigated the pilot-to-scale journey
• Day 1 Close (16:45-17:00): Recap and introduction to between-session work
Required Work in advance of Day 2 (4-6 hours):
• Digital Maturity Self-Assessment
• Draft outline of digitalisation strategy
• Opportunity Prioritisation & ROI
Day 2 – Technology Landscape, Implementation and Scaling
Morning Session (09:00-12:30)
Review of Between-Session Work (30 minutes)
• Key insights from maturity assessments and strategy development
• Common themes and challenges
• Setting context for Day 2
Module 5: Technology Landscape & Selection (120 minutes)
• Industry 4.0, IoT and automation landscape
• AI, machine learning and computer vision applications
• Real-world F&D sector use cases (successes and failures)
• Understanding what works, what doesn't and why
• Technology selection considerations
• Build vs buy vs partner decisions
Afternoon Session (13:30-17:00)
Module 6: Scaling & Building Capability (150 minutes)
• Moving from pilot to scaled implementation (core focus)
• Implementation planning and phasing
• Building internal capability vs partnering
• Centre of excellence models
• Vendor evaluation and management
• Leading organisational change and building digital culture
• Risk management and compliance considerations
• Funding ecosystem (Enterprise Ireland, EU programmes, etc.)
• Video Case Study (15:00-15:30): International perspective
Final Workshop Session (15:30-16:30)
• Roadmap development for participants' priority initiatives
• Peer review and feedback
Action planning Programme Close (16:30-17:00)
• Key takeaways and commitments
• Sustaining the peer network / Alumni engagement and ongoing resources
Price:
Programme available as open course or delivered in-company
• Open Course - €600 per participant
• In-company - €5,500 per company