Digital Transformation Requires Planning, But You Can Start Small!
International Data Corporation (IDC) says, ‘89% of enterprises are planning to adopt or have already adopted a digital business strategy.’ The concept of Digital Transformation involves the adoption of digital technology to improve efficiency, value or innovation.
‘The Dx initiative is not a limited journey. It should be designed for continuous improvement.’
If your organization is among the many businesses adopting a digital strategy, your team is aware of the challenges and the planning required. If the enterprises wishes to succeed in its endeavor, it is crucial to understand the current environment, the business process and workflow and the technology landscape, and to include these considerations in the digital transformation (Dx) strategy.
The journey to Digital Transformation (Dx) is not like flipping a switch. It is transformational and requires patience and diligence. Businesses often start small and grow the initiative, learning as they go.
Departmental/Business Unit
The IT and senior management team make a commitment to implement the initiative within a department or business unit, using and integrating technology and incorporating business processes and workflow to automate and streamline approval processes and distribute data and reporting to encourage collaboration.
Review of Results
During the test initiative phase, the business will monitor and document results and a liaison and management team will review results at the end of the test period and make recommendations for improvement and adaptations. Recommendations for budgeting and schedules for a full roll-out will be derived from this test phase.
Formalized Roll-Out
Planning and implementation for a formalized roll-out may continue on a business unit or department basis, to control the scope and resources required. But, the planning process for this phased roll-out must ultimately include the entire budget and schedule and a resource and management team to keep the project on schedule. The appropriate stakeholders must be included, e.g., IT team members, middle managers, domain or unit experts, HR, etc.
Established Processes for Continuous Improvement
A crucial segment of digital transformation involves the review and upgrade of infrastructure and technology and the implementation of integration processes to create seamless access to data and allow for data structures that will enable reporting and workflow. The initiative will also include a change in the culture to support improved data literacy and data democratization and to create reward structures that encourage team members to use data and adopt tools to support the Dx goals and objectives. Establish measurable goals and metrics and revisit the initiative as an organic process that will change and grow with the organization and the introduction of new advances in technology and team member skills. The Dx initiative is not a limited journey. It should be designed for continuous improvement.
Our White Paper will provide more detail on the factors to consider in planning and deploying a Digital Transformation (Dx) initiative: Preparing Your Business for Digital Transformation and Data Literacy.
‘The journey to Digital Transformation (Dx) is not like flipping a switch. It is transformational and requires patience and diligence.’
Explore Digital Transformation and plan for your own success, with our articles, ‘Why Does My Business Need Digital Transformation’ and ‘Improve Operational Efficiency with Digital Transformation.’ Let us help you get started with a Digital Transformation (Dx) initiative.
