According to Gartner, few organisations know how to turn their business digital. Around 57 percent have not yet found their starting point for digital transformation (DX). It’s an understandable conundrum considering the complexity of the process, but there are steps that every business can take to ensure of long-term success. Steps that will reduce the noise to an understandable level so you can pick out the strategy that will best suit your organisation.
01: The ‘So What’ question
The first and possibly most crucial step is to determine exactly what business goals your digital transformation strategy is setting out to achieve. There’s following the herd and leaping onto solution and service with the desperation of those who don’t want to be disrupted, and then there’s plotting the strategy that will drive the digital transformation chariot. Before embarking on any investment, ensure you can measure success by asking the ‘So What’ question. Then fine tune your answer by asking, ‘Why’…
02: Clear the way
When it comes to DX there will be roadblocks that will impact on efficacy and uptake. The C-Suite and the board are often hung up on cybersecurity and how this threat landscape will influence any digital strategy as well as on cost, time to market and short-term impact on the business. Stakeholders often don’t agree on a cohesive direction for the business or the ultimate goals that DX is to achieve. The solution is to develop a robust governance and compliance framework that addresses concerns and guides the DX strategy consistently across implementation and investment.
03: Agility is key
Your DX journey shouldn’t follow the traditional, staid pathways of technology investment. That’s precisely what digital is designed to avoid. To truly benefit from the potential of DX you need to balance your traditional operations and models alongside the digital ones. The latter are often not compatible with the former so the business needs to be agile in its approach and flexible in its implementation.
04: A dedicated budget
DX is a long-term investment that won’t show results overnight so it can’t come out of the operations budget nor can it be handed pieces of budget that aren’t dedicated for the long haul. Having separate funding not only ensures that the project remains on track but that it won’t consistently fall by the wayside when budgets are cut or re-allocated.
05: Monitoring, oversight and measurement
DX must be put in place alongside clearly defined measurement parameters and must be consistently monitored to ensure that it meets targets and delivers on its promise. The digital journey may promise vast improvements in productivity and potential but, the reality is that many DX implementations fail due to lack of monitoring and measurement and employee engagement. In addition, regular monitoring and clear measurement ensure that your DX strategy remains focused and that you are addressing any challenges that arise before they leave a mark.
