The SQA Group has been assisting companies small and large plan their next wave of digital innovation since 1999. Previously, that has mostly been as a niche provider of quality assurance and software testing services. But after an action packed year in 2020 that arguably put digitization and tech more in the limelight than ever before, Providence-based SQA is now transitioning into a more holistic tech firm for digital transformation and innovation, with an expanded focus on emerging tech and data science services.
Looking back over the past two-plus decades, while the technology has changed dramatically, CEO Rob Lanza said SQA’s overall approach has really remained the same: Help clients enhance, strengthen and modernize their customer experience so they can have a profound impact on their end users. This might mean increasing a client’s go-to-market strategy, leveraging artificial intelligence to drive personalization and customization or elevating data to make informed decisions. Rhode Island Inno caught up with Lanza to talk about what the transition means for the company moving forward and the role technology and digitization will play for businesses moving forward.
Why are you transitioning into a holistic tech partner for digital transformation and innovation? What new services will this include?
Since we first opened our doors, we have stayed close to our clients to understand the drivers that sit at the heart of their quest for innovation. As their passion for technological disruption, new capabilities and cultural innovation has grown, we have grown too. Our recent services expansion at the end of last year — including the spinning up of practice areas specific to emerging technology and data science services — formalizes the ever-growing ways we have been partnering with companies over the last few years. To support our growth, we have welcomed to our firm several industry leaders in product development, data and analytics, and go-to-market strategy so we can introduce new services and products at an even greater velocity. We have several products we are working on in stealth mode focused on artificial intelligence acceleration and total experience that we cannot wait to introduce soon.
How significant was the pandemic to digital transformation?
2020 accelerated the pace of transformation from years to months. How we work, what motivates customers, our business models, employee desires, and ever-changing product expectations have fundamentally shifted. Initially, on-premises, physical-based industries such as hospitality, leisure, travel and health services perhaps faced the greatest challenge of how to innovate in the face of macro impact. In contrast, companies and industries that had already been re-imagining customer experience pre-Covid such as insurance, banking, real estate and healthcare were able to use the pandemic as an opportunity to double down and accelerate their efforts. As we look back a year later and clearly see the unwavering spirit for innovation that every single business demonstrated, let’s celebrate the power of human ingenuity and grit in the face of unimaginable obstacles.
You talk about an internal culture of digital transformation. What does this mean? How can companies promote this culture?
For transformation to be successful, it must be bigger than an end goal. Transformation needs to be about embracing the mindset to shape the behaviors and habits that fuel constant disruption. Companies that are truly transformative are always on the journey to the next big thing. They don’t view transformation as a destination or program, but rather as an infinite path toward possibility. In addition, they are willing to disrupt and blow up legacy approaches. They are not attached to what was, (they are) fueled by the thought of what could be. What’s more, it’s imperative to create and promote safe environments that encourage risk-taking, failing quickly and iterating and learning. As leaders, we need to craft cultures that support incubation so we reach our highest level of creativity. One final thought: Innovation comes from all places in your business. Leadership cannot — nor do they — hold all the answers. Design your operating model so that each team member not only feels comfortable, but exhilarated by the idea of throwing ideas into the ring.
If anything, the pandemic showed us all that being prepared for any kind of situation is more imperative than ever. What technological trends do companies need to think about that may not be here yet, but are certainly coming?
There are three phrases all leaders should bring up with their teams: Total experience, data and emerging technology. By the end of 2021, all companies should have taken sizable leaps forward in embracing a whole-experience approach to customers, employees and end users. They need to elevate the role of data and intelligence in shaping strategy, and introducing game-changing technologies — think AI, machine learning, IoT — to drive competitive differentiation, increase market share and future-proof business. Early adopters are already knee deep in these conversations and we are going to see incredible use cases present this year of how companies revolutionized their total experience by leveraging data as their compass and emerging technologies as their accelerator
