If the most (over) used phrase of the year for 2019 was chosen today, it would probably be ‘digital transformation’. It seems like everyone from SMEs to big corporations are trying to jump onto a digital transformation train, and, unfortunately, often fail in their attempts to implement positive changes in their organisations.
The reality of how companies implement digital transformation is very different from one department to the next; each looking to solve its own pain, acting independently, creating “Silos” of technology with no cross departmental communication or analysis. According to Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research, only 1/3rd of businesses worldwide are truly embracing the power of digital transformation, while the rest are just viewing digitalisation as another buzzword to use while discussing business process improvements. So, what are the three essential things to consider when your organisation’s wants to start a journey towards digital transformation?
1. Have a clear and decisive enterprise wide vision.
The digital transformation journey is very similar to any journey you take - when you know exactly where you are going, you can plan and map your route to the exact location. On the other hand, if you have only a rough idea of your destination, you will never be sure whether you have reached it or not. When you are not sure where exactly you are going, you are also not able to reflect on the journey – are you on the right route or is it a wrong road to take? Now, imagine your company as a group of people – each person representing a department within your organisation – going on a journey. If the final destination wasn’t discussed beforehand, the chances are that everyone will reach a different destination. However, if they have discussed what the final destination is and planned the route together, they can be sure that they will reach the same destination together.
So, whichever the vision is, it is important that everyone in your organisation is clear on the end-goal. Otherwise, if the digital transformation vision is too broad or not well communicated to everyone in your business, the whole process is condemned to fail.
2. Break it down.
Unfortunately, many managers and business owners consider digital transformation as a one-off project – and more often than not – they see it as only moving organisation’s documents and processes online. However, it is far from the truth. Digital transformation, first and foremost, is a change in organisational culture and a shift in digital-first thinking, and these things requires both time and commitment. For this reason, managers and decision-makers in the organisations should view digital transformation as series of sprints, rather than a long marathon. Rather than viewing digital transformation as a huge big-bang, which is going to solve all the organisational problems at once, digital transformation process is more successful when its broken down into smaller, more manageable milestones. This break-down of your main digital transformation goal, will allow you to manage the whole transformation easier and will enable you to implement changes at a faster pace.
3. Think about what your organisation is going to do with historical information.
Many managers view digital transformation as a way to move forward and do not want to look back at how internal processes and document filing was conducted in the organisation previously. They forget that historical information, which is often printed on paper and stored in the office or at the external sites, holds valuable and important data for the organisation. Of course, it can seem a mundane task to digitise all the previous documents, however, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Document scanning will allow the organisation and its employees to find relevant information much quicker, will eliminate or at least minimize the risk of information loss and help with compliance processes. Therefore, it is important to think through how this historical data can be transferred into a digital format to assist with the digital transformation journey.
Dajon Data Management are the experts in helping organisations to adapt to an ever-changing digital nature of the business landscape. We’re strong believers that digital transformation is not a one-size fits solution and every organisation faces different challenges. If you would like a FREE consultation on how to start your digital transformation journey or how to strategically plan a successful digital transformation in your business - give us a call on 020 77 32 32 23 or drop us a line at info@dajon.co.uk and one of our experts will guide you through the digital transformation steps.