Cutter Consortium Senior Consultant Helen Pukszta explores the use of drones for sustainability. From the critical application of precision agriculture to whimsical light shows, drones not only provide new functionality, they do so with a low carbon footprint. In precision agriculture, we see again that the data collection capability of drones coupled with sophisticated optimization algorithms can help farmers use natural resources more efficiently. In an unusual application that most would not think of, Pukszta goes on to illuminate the unintended environmental consequences of fireworks and the benefits of using drones for light shows.

A Renewal Energy Certificate (REC) is another mech­anism for offsetting carbon emissions. As explained by Claudio Lima, RECs are issued to accredited generators of renewable energy. These credits can then be traded in energy markets where consumers looking to offset their own fossil fuel energy consumption can buy the credits. Since a REC is essentially a record of a quasi-observable event (i.e., renewable energy fed into the grid), this data is susceptible to manipulation and transaction errors. Similar to carbon markets, or any market for that matter, lack of credibility can under­­mine the effectiveness of the market. Lima explains how blockchain can be used to ensure the authenticity of RECs and improve their market credibility.

The four articles in this companion issue of CBTJ on sustainability explore the ways that technology can be used to monitor and improve the sustainability of a wide range of processes, industrial and otherwise.

Speed, productivity, quality, and engagement — the benefits of Agile — are vital to your business. Business leaders across industries strive to cultivate these essential qualities on a day-to-day basis. The sheer volume of podcasts, books, seminars, and articles centering on these elements indicate an impressive collective interest in becoming Agile. However, many leaders are slow to start the Agile journey — at least right now.

Over the course of the pandemic, employees and managers have developed their knowledge and skill sets related to virtual work and now look to optimize the benefits of virtual work post-pandemic. This Advisor includes three steps for hybrid success that organizational leaders can consider as they iden­tify what adoption of — and reliance on — flexible, hybrid work may look like in the post-pandemic world.

The value of a great team has never been questioned. What thriving teams have in common is a single vision, a customer on which they can focus, a coach or leader to help them focus, and the authority to work within guardrails without having to stop to get permission to make decisions.

Jacek Chmiel draws attention to the increasing energy consumption by the electronic devices integrated into our daily lives. In addition to the ubiquitous mobile devices we all carry around, there are billions of devices, not to mention back-end servers, all of which consume energy. Exacerbating this problem are ML and distributed ledger technol­ogies, such as blockchain, that require intensive computing cycles, and use even more energy. The good news is that a greener software development strategy can have significant impact on energy usage of electronic devices. Chmiel explains the challenges to implementing this strategy and how organizations can overcome them.

Resistance to change is the primary reason why so many good ideas fail. Thus, it is critical to have user involvement throughout the scope definition and process redesign. Discover how an effective communication strategy between top management and users makes all the difference during project initiatives.