Digital Transformation strategy – what is it and do I need one?

Alec WrightPosted on Posted in Strategy

Digital transformation certainly seems in-vogue at present, given the challenges that most businesses have faced in the light of disrupted operations as a result of the recent Covid-19 pandemic.  However, what is ‘digital transformation’ and do I need to bother with it?

A digital transformation strategy essentially states why, how and when you need to digitally transform your business.  Every business should have one of these strategies, however, it’s content and size will vary enormously from a large enterprise to small business.

However, a word of caution: before we rush off to sign-up to Cloud services, look to automate processes or buy extra IT kit for employees to support working from home more effectively.  We must take a step back and look at the bigger picture first: your vision, mission and ways of working.

Digital transformation should not be a knee-jerked reaction as mistakes in this area can be costly, time consuming and completely unnecessary.

Whilst some areas of your business maybe in a more urgent need of overhauling or digitising than others, without first looking objectively at your business as a whole, you may be firefighting one area whilst an uncontrollable fire blazes out in another.

Our advice is:

  1. Take stock – dust off your vision, mission and delivery model – update these if they appear no longer fit for purpose
  2. Look at your target operating model and compare this to where you are today (even if today is a ‘temporary’ state – this includes what work needs to happen, by whom, how and where
  3. Identify gaps between current ways of working and where you wish or need to be
  4. Those gaps should then be clearly addressed by one or strategies
  5. Plan out and execute against your strategies

Keep in mind that the above can be scaled and they do not have to be onerous or unnecessarily complicated. 

We can help keep things in perspective and make it suitable for you and your business.

If you would like to discuss the above further, then we are here to help.  Contact us here