Next Generation of Messaging: Going Warp Speed with JMS and Azure Service Bus

In the vast reaches of enterprise communications, the crew of starship Enterprise has a recurring challenge with their on-premises message broker. Much like the tribulations faced on their journeys, they encounter limitations in scalability, reliability, and flexibility. Captain Picard wants to overcome these obstacles with a bold migration to ensure the seamless flow of information throughout the ship.

With the interstellar capabilities of Azure Service Bus, the Enterprise propels itself into a new era of communications that would even make Data proud. With JMS at its core, this cloud-based solution revolutionizes the way messages are transmitted. No longer constrained by the limited resources of being on-prem, the Enterprise navigates the complexities of modern communication systems with unparalleled ease. Just as Picard boldly explores new galaxies, the integration of JMS and Azure Service Bus enables the Enterprise to venture into uncharted optimisation territories.

However, as with any transformation journey, managing the change in the Enterprise is critical to maximizing operational and cost benefits. Like Geordi La Forge optimizing the ship's systems, a well-executed migration strategy ensures a smooth transition and minimum disruptions. From engaging stakeholders in various departments, to driving tailored training programs, and a culture of openness and collaboration, the crew will unite under the shared vision of a connected and thriving Enterprise.

From padawan to master: a Jedi's top tips to ensure Dynamics 365 user adoption

Do or do not, there is no try. This is what organisations want when they implement Dynamics 365 - a successful project, high user adoption and good ROI. But when they do not support their people on their adoption journey, projects can easily fall to the dark side.

To unleash the full potential of Dynamics 365, you need to utilise all the components that can empower your users’ journey. From considering their current pain points, to explaining your future vision, and then developing the desire for your users to meet you there. Your people matter, and this is why you need strong change management to support your digital transformation journey.

Having successfully implemented Dynamics 365 many times, we will share our advice for communicating the case for change, setting up your change management strategy and handling resistance to change.

You'll leave this session with a deeper understanding of the importance of change management on Dynamics 365 implementations, and practical strategies for applying change management principles to your own projects.

Don’t be a Stormtrooper always missing your (implementation) target, let’s make it a Jedi-level change success - may the change be with you!

Rolling (out) in the deep: Lessons I learned as a Change Manager from a global Dynamics 365 rollout

Global Dynamics 365 CRM rollouts can be very complicated. Even more than an Adele love song. On top of the complexity in product development and making it fit for purpose across a myriad of business entities, managing users resistant to change and new ways of working can be a minefield.

There does not seem to be enough open conversations about how to manage this magnitude of change from the start. Change Management is still considered as a latter part of the delivery plan. But with that, there also seems to be a compromise in a human-centered design thinking as technical experts can struggle championing the user lens. So how can we learn together and do better?

In this session, I will share with you lessons I learned as a Change Manager from a Dynamics 365 rollout in over 50 countries with more than 11000 users. From giving custom fields out like candy, to managing user CRUD permissions like Braveheart, and explaining to users non-logged sales don’t count, I am here to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly.

What the Avengers taught me about working with Dynamics 365 developers

Dynamics 365 developers are a curious kind of creature. Often found in the wild lands of product development, they create magical solutions by bringing requirements to life. As a Change Manager and big fan of the Avengers, I am fascinated by what I can achieve with them. However, due to misconceptions around the value and timing for Change Management, a question remains. How do you bring such different skillsets together to fight the battle against terrible Dynamics 365 implementations?

Whilst many turn to ChatGPT, I am here to share with you what I learned from the Avengers about bringing a diverse team together. From fighting monsters in New York, to the absolute end game with the infinity stones, they can teach us a lot about dealing with adversity to bring change, enterprise, or small scale. After all, they also share a common mission despite a very diverse background.

Through parallels between the Avengers and Dynamics 365 implementation teams, as well as the core principles of building robust and scalable applications, we will focus on defining what matters; Smart collaboration to make users the heroes of every solution story and empower them to navigate a world of continuous tech transformation.

Low Code Approach - Panel Discussion

Hear from Microsoft employees, MVPs, and Microsoft Power Platform professionals as they use low code solutions to help their organizations adopt and expand their low code practice. We will cover topics such as governance and administration, service management, change management, and how to become the best Microsoft Power Platform developer you can be!

Investigating the mind of a citizen developer

You have heard about Citizen Development, Low Code and No Code products. It's everywhere. But what about the making of a Citizen Developer? What does it truly take to transform into it? You are never too Jung to find out about the psychology of one.

Citizen Developers are not born, they are made. Through hell and fire, they are forged with heroic Change Managers who collaborate closely with Power Platform unicorns and Governance superheroes to drive a new wave of product development.

In this session, I will use the 5 stages of grief to mourn traditional IT product delivery, and explain the psychological journey of getting your business to invest in Citizen Developers who can make meaningful solutions for their teams. From awareness to adoption, let's explore what the psychology of real change looks like.

Do Low Code projects need Change Management? Appsolutely!

The Low Code, No Code movement is one of the most exciting movements in our days. Citizen Development is capturing the attention of businesses and industries by democratizing IT processes and access to creative design. But with great power comes greater responsibility; how can we drive meaningful adoption whilst still protecting the delivery ecosystem?

Change Management is one of the key enablers to give everyone a voice on the way to true transformation and app usage beyond license sales. Low/ no code apps do not mean low/ no Change Management. Appsolutely, you need your partners in growth!

This session will offer a fresh perspective on how Change Managers can strengthen the collaboration between business leaders, users and pro developers when driving adaptive governance and empowering learning paths for new hybrid teams.

Women In Tech Roundtable hosted by Microsoft Spotlight Podcast

The Microsoft Spotlight Podcast highlights the importance of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion within the Microsoft Community.

In this session will talk with a number of high profile Women In Tech about their journey into the world of IT and how as a community we can engage more women to get involved with the IT industry.

This will provide insight into the challenges our panel has faced and how they manage to carve out a successful career in IT, the goals that they have set for themselves and how we can get women in technical or non-technical roles throughout the industry.

Tenant or Faith Migration? The story of migrating 50+ tenants into one.

Da Vinci said simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. This is why multi-subsidiary companies merge their Microsoft tenants into one. A single view of their security infrastructure, better licensing agreements and enhanced collaboration. But how does that journey to simplicity look like? What happens when you migrate 50+ diverse tenants into one? Between ambitious deadlines, demanding leaders, confused users, and a technical Goliath to navigate, you are the David with a slingshot.

You must create an unbreakable bond between technical and change management leadership. Whilst the technical roadmap will be your guiding light to managing things like assessing your data variation or throughput options, you need to manage the thousands of people affected. Especially if migrating tenants means new tools, new ways of working and different cultures coming together.

In this session, I will share with you my experience as Change Manager from a client having to merge 50+ tenants into 1 for over 5,000 users globally. From defining user migration strategy, to aligning multiple roadmaps and breaking down cultural and business barriers, we will look at it all. Most importantly, how to champion your users in their interactions with business applications. Because managing the human impact of technology is the name of the game, and this is level 10 of Jumanji.

(Em)Power Automate: Third-party access management with first-class automation

This is not a drill. A new third-party user has to be onboarded into your project. Here we go again with manual set up and licensing worries. They must sign the contract but no direct link to Dynamics 365. And when they need to start working, how do you set them up on time with minimal effort?

Spoiler alert! You can automate everything seamlessly and only give them a license when they start work. Access on a need-to-know basis? Check. Licenses only for confirmed collaborations? Check. Automation all along? Check, check, check. Imagine a seamless solution to assign your third-party user with the right Azure AD account, license and security group in order to access your deal.

In this session, we will show you how to automate third-party user management with Power Automate, Outlook, Azure AD and Dynamics 365. Our goal is to empower you to minimize manual intervention and licensing costs whilst creating a smooth onboarding journey. Whilst we will start with the example of Real Estate as an industry with third-party contracts that present such a challenge, we will also discuss other applications in IT Consulting and elsewhere.

Who you gonna call: How Change Managers fight for the human impact of technology

Have you noticed how change is the only constant? This applies to all sorts of changes, including in technology. Whilst those are rising exponentially, not everyone is ready to adopt them in their daily life. This natural resistance can stall exciting business innovation and transformation, which is a missed opportunity.
So, as a technical expert, who you gonna call?

The answer is simple: Change Managers. We are people who champion users and their experience. By using simple language, personalized adoption strategies and strong influencing skills, we get users excited about digital transformation. Not only do Change Managers like myself connect them to the business vision, but empower them in their own journey.

Does that sound fascinating? Are you passionate about making a difference and a genuine human impact? Join this session to find out more about how I started in Change Management, my tech journey and how you can find your own path in this area too.

The power of three: Mentorship, Community and Creating a Legacy

You know what they say: the Power of Three will set you free. When we participate in conferences, we are reminded how great our community is; with people sharing their knowledge and ideas to everyone being open for a discussion around the power of technology. You might be wondering how you could become an active member in the community yourself, but don't know where to get started.

This is where the Power of Three comes in. It starts with a mentor who can really help unleash your potential; from finding where your passion is, to setting up your first piece of content, and finding places to share this. Whilst finding a mentor is crucial, it is also important to find the right community where you would like to take your first steps. This is where you will explore your unique message, on the right platform, and with the right people.

In this panel discussion we will have several community members discuss how they first got started in the community, and how creating mentorship relationships helped them create a legacy for the whole community. All the panelists have a different background when it comes to experience and interest areas. But they do share one thing, their passion for people and empowering them to reach their potential.

Silence of the technical lambs: When you don’t speak up for user experience

How exciting is it to design your first home? You get to personalize it, and make it a perfect fit for your lifestyle. Just like that, you can also create a business application to suit your users’ needs. A grand design to connect them to the business vision.
But what if your business application was put together based on decision makers’ egos? What if they did not understand their end users’ needs and your app development team decided to stay silent? Despite best intentions for your grand design, it all goes wrong. So, you are stuck in endless retrospectives, tech debt in your future sprints, and some very disappointed stakeholders.
In this session, let us take you through a tour in our digital app dollhouse where things have gone all sorts of wrong for users. From low adoption, to jargon-filled custom fields, to inconsistent process flows and anything in between, we are here to explain it all. A cautionary tale for all your business application projects. Remember, all good things to those who wait.

The chicken-egg dilemma; Should Product Development or Change Management come first in CRM systems?

CRM systems are a wonderful thing. They help you manage data for your clients, sales processes and your overall business relationship with them. But they can be messy when they are not developed around the user and are overloaded with technical expertise instead. And then you wonder, why are my end-users not adopting the system?

Imagine instead a world where Change Managers were best friends with Business Analysts, Solution Architects and Developers. A world where they all work together towards the CRM platform’s development from the beginning by championing the user experience instead of working separately. No longer is Change Management at the end of the product lifecycle, but rather a trusted companion at the start of the journey.

In this session, we will review the benefits of Change Managers being involved in the continuous development of CRM systems, both for the business and their clients. We will also look at the risks and potential hurdles if Product Development and Change Management work in silos. Finally, we will look at how you can inspire a collaboration culture that brings your teams together and ultimately drives end-user satisfaction in your operations.

This session covers an overview of the relationship between Change Management and development of CRM systems. I will share real-life business examples from my own project experience with clients to paint a story and inspire the audience to think about the problem statement within their own business and operations.