Digital transformation seems to be on everyone’s mind. Stakeholders want it, customers expect it, and talent seems to follow it. But what is digital transformation? It may be easiest to start with what it’s not: digital transformation isn’t a single technology or change that can solve all challenges. While any step taken toward digital transformation is progress, it’s not enough to simply purchase a new technology and stop there. It requires a culture change and fundamental shift in mindset that prioritizes clearly defined goals, organizationwide embracement, and a sustained commitment to change — but the rewards are worth it.
Digital transformation offers tremendous opportunities to drive growth and profitability, but your organization’s digital transformation goals need to be explicitly defined and synchronized with a comprehensive strategy to achieve them. Developing specific use cases, outcomes, and progress measures are enablers for success. What digital transformation looks like for your organization depends on your specific goals and how your previous technology investments have supported strategic innovation. One organization may prioritize modernizing a legacy ERP system, while another may focus on the power of analytics to support more data-driven decision-making or on better defining their technology strategy altogether. Whatever the case, everything must be approached as an organizationwide initiative that’s centered around technology, not simply an IT project, to achieve the desired result. Otherwise, you may find yourself spending a lot of time and money on expensive technology that’s out of sync with people and processes.
Our recommendation? Understand where you’re at and plan for where you want to be. Every digital transformation journey — beginning, middle, and ongoing improvement — needs a manageable, impactful technology roadmap to accomplish it. Systems need to be updated and aligned with people and business outcomes. Data needs to be trustworthy and visible throughout your organization to provide value and enable meaningful decision-making. Everything falls short without an integrated strategy.
Technology — and the demands of the ecosystem of people and processes around it — continues to evolve, and your organization needs to be structured to harness it. Let’s help you get there; explore the insights below and see how we’ll position you for success on your digital transformation journey.
