Boardrooms and business news are abuzz with talk of digital transformation. Little wonder: Gartner claims that total global spend on overhauling businesses’ technology will grow by 5.5% in 2023 to $4.6tn.
We hear lots about the pillars of transformation. Dig around our blog, come to our events, speak to us, and we’ll tell you all about our own 4Ps of digitisation strategy designed to break down the complexity of any tech-led transformation project: Platforms, Processes, People and Purpose. But there’s more we can tell you about the overtures of digital transformation: what you need to consider, if you’re serious about tech-driven change, before you begin.
The first thing to understand is that standing still is not an option. If you’re committed to change, then pretty much everything must change. But what does that mean, practically?
Here are just a few of the myriad aspects you must consider before setting out on your mission, with one eye - unlike 70% of all digital transformation teams - on not getting lost in the wasteland of abandoned transformations.
1. Digital strategy: communicate your vision
Becoming digitally better starts with aligning your digital strategy and the wider goals of the business. This alignment is crucial in making a positive impact on your team, your customers and - as a result - your bottom line.
One significant challenge is the requirement for careful analysis and unified thinking before beginning the transition from analogue to digital systems. It’s essential prior to a single line of code being crafted that a wide team of stakeholders evaluates the vision behind the transformation and its intended purpose.
MMT is seasoned in helping enterprises boost digital strategy with digital transformation designs that will unravel the value that sits in digital portfolios, by effecting meaningful business change.
2. Bear the end in mind first
You might have noticed us talking recently about OBM (Outcome-based Business Models). This is fairly new terminology, but is already becoming a big deal across the commercial world. Companies can thrive if they develop and implement fully fledged OBM as part of their digital transformation strategy.
OBM is a framework that focuses on desired outcomes, rather than specific outputs. It is an approach that aligns an organisation’s strategic goals, and is focused on delivering value to the end user. What do you want to be the best at, and known for? What will make your customers’ lives better? And how will transforming your technology help your mission.
3. Customers count, but so do your people
Better UX design means more customers and that boosts profit and pays salaries. But the people who work hard to earn those wages are central to your digital transformation strategy. If you don’t think carefully about how your employees can play their part, and how their jobs might change, they probably won’t join the journey.
A recent poll by Forbes discovered more than three-quarters (77%) are fearful of AI advancing to such an extent that their roles will become redundant. Clear explanation of the mission, creation of a digital culture, and constant communication along the way, will be critical.
Nor should knowledge be retrofitted. Devising learning and development programs from the outset, which prepare the workforce for the long road ahead, can make the difference between success and failure.
4. Put a digital transformation support system in place
It’s not enough to simply assume that transferring regular operational practices to a digital platform will work seamlessly.
Delivering effectively means considering your company’s IT and digital teams’ size and capabilities as part of wider operations & change management. It's crucial to define the scope appropriately and avoid taking on more than can be handled.
Additionally, careful thought must be given to the resources needed to maintain the new digital infrastructure and platforms, providing constant systems support and robust cybersecurity measures to ensure the digital platform's success.
5. Be in it for the long haul
Whether you’re flying halfway around the world or climbing into the car for a festive road trip to see your parents, you’d better be well-prepared before leaving home. The same is true of digital transformation: you can’t go into this journey blindly, and you must be ready to embrace ongoing change.
To help your business gear up, full-service digital consultancy MMT’s agile digital transformation experts provide a set of recommendations grounded in our trusted frameworks. These tools equip your business with the ability to tailor lean agile best practice to the needs of the organisation, at speed.
Agile is key to implementing digital innovation and making your digital transformation a success, whatever roadblocks might be around the bend. Our strategic consultants and coaches will help you to navigate this complex area, and avoid the pitfalls of the one-size-fits-all ‘playbook’ many other consultancies have come to rely on.
6. Metrics build digital transformation momentum
In all of this, measurement is the golden thread running through our digital transformation roadmap. That means ascribing metrics specific to the agile transformation strategy to measure progress in areas that must be modernised.
These metrics often include aspects such as:
measuring progress achieved
having a clear understanding of task completion
evaluating time taken from initial product concept to market launch
real-time feedback to assess customer satisfaction
If these insights have given you food for thought about the first steps of digital transformation, contact MMT’s experts to discover more about how to plan for seismic but successful change.
