How All Digital Transformation Projects Succeed
Whatever issue is holding your company back, there’s likely a digital solution for it.
Businesses around the world have streamlined their processes and increased their revenue through digital transformation. There’s ample evidence which proves that digital transformation, if applied correctly, can take businesses to the stratosphere.
Now, let’s get back to the ‘if applied correctly’ part. For digital transformation projects to succeed, there are certain things to keep in mind, which we’ll discuss in this article.
We’re going to steer clear from the in-depth technical stuff, and focus on the foundations of a successful digital transformation project.
So, without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Have a Vision and the End Goal in Mind
Here’s a question: Why do you want to initiate digital transformation in your business?
Is it just because it’s a cool buzzword these days? Or is it because every other business is doing it, too? To ensure that your business’s digital transformation journey is a success, you should have some goals and objectives in mind before you even hire digital experts.
Here are some examples of what those objectives could look like:
- Create a mobile app to help customers order online
- Create processes to streamline daily operations
- Leverage technology to decrease overhead costs
- Enhance purchase experience to increase customer loyalty
- Reduce the cost of distribution by adopting alternate product distribution methods
When it comes to digital transformation, you don’t necessarily need to copy what other businesses in your industry are doing. In fact, you could stand out by doing something that other companies aren’t doing. Your digital transformation strategy should be in line with your company’s vision - not just some external trend. In short, the vision comes first, and digital transformation could be a part of achieving that vision.
2. Bring the Right Digital Experts on Board
When you have goals on paper after a brainstorming session with your team, you should go on the hunt to find the right people who can help you reach those goals. This could include full-time employees, project managers, and the right digital experts.
Emphasis on the word ‘right’. There are a lot of digital experts out there. Some specialize in organizational digital transformation, while others are perfect at helping businesses change their model through digitization. Evaluating digital skills of consultants is essential before you hire them. For example, if you want to change your retail business model from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, you should hire a person who is experienced in helping businesses change their business model through digital transformation.
So, how does one find these digital experts? Well, there are several ways. You could either go the usual route and post an ad on social media or job search platforms. But remember that this is going to cost you a lot of time and energy.
The simplest way to find top digital consultants is to approach a digital experts platform and let them know your situation. They’ll send you profiles of consultants based on your requirements. You can then interview and select the experts that are best suited for your business. This would be particularly easier because digital experts platforms usually do background checks and conduct initial interviews themselves. But be sure to learn more about the digital skills of consultants before you hire them.
3. Have a Company Culture That Supports Digital Transformation
According to a survey by Futurum, more than 50% of companies that were surveyed said that company culture was a very important factor behind successful digital transformation. You could have a well-defined vision and hire the best digital team, but the culture will ultimately play a huge role in digital transformation success.
So, how to create the right culture for digital transformation? Well, ‘transformation’ basically means change. That’s why you should prepare your team for changes. To achieve this, you need to create a work environment where new ideas from everyone are valued, the staff is included in major decisions, and people are not judged for being wrong occasionally.
If your company has the traditional ‘I’m the boss’ and ‘you better be right, employee’ culture, then changes can be difficult to incorporate because the team would be too scared to say something that might upset the seniors. Whether it’s your old team members or the new ones that you hire from a digital experts platform, let them speak and express their thoughts on company decisions.
Another issue that could result in a failed attempt at digital transformation could be sticking to the old ways of doing business and not evolving with time. The ‘But that’s how we have always done it’ attitude has stopped so many businesses from keeping up with the modern-day standards. And this usually happens at a senior level where some decision-makers are skeptical about digital transformation or too scared to try something new. For digital transformation projects to succeed, seniors should have faith in the process and trust experts.
Final Thoughts
Every successful digital transformation begins with a vision - a vision for a better future for the company, its employees, customers, and stakeholders. Have a discussion with your team about where you want to take the company and how digital transformation fits into it. That’s step one!
Once you have a clearer vision, it’s time to bring some digital consultants on board who have helped other companies with digital transformation. Digital skills of consultants are necessary because your team might not be able to handle the whole project internally. To build a digital team that consists of consultants as well as full-time hires, you could approach a digital experts platform to speed things up.
When it comes to hiring digital experts, going the usual route, that is, posting ads and asking around your network could waste a lot of time and energy. Digital experts platforms have access to thousands of experts, some of whom have worked for Fortune 500 companies. Also, these platforms can sometimes staff your project within hours. So, save yourself some time and contact digital experts platforms if you want to build a competent digital team.
Last but not least, make sure your business has a culture that supports changes. After all, digital transformation is all about bringing changes in a business by using technology.
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