Successful digital transformation
Planning a successful digital transformation project boils down to the same three phases, whether you are bringing in a major project that will take a year or more, or whether it’s a small change that will be done and dusted in a week. Adapt the level of detail and formality within each to suit the situation, but if you miss a phase you are unlikely to succeed.
I will come back to project management and launch management in future blogs, but the foundation step is preparation and planning.
Preparation & planning
Digital transformation always starts from a dissatisfaction with how things are now. Maybe it’s an issue with customer service, or a need for cost efficiencies, or a hankering for something new and shiny, or the fear of missing out. The problem may be immediate, or you may be thinking strategically about your long-term position.
Whether you are looking for a first CRM for your fledgling business, or considering replacing the mission-critical bespoke software that underpins your whole operation but is 10 years old, the following steps provide a template for successful planning.
Be clear on your business goals
Setting goals is the first step from the invisible to the visible.
Richard Branson
A vague dissatisfaction with the status quo is not enough to drive success. Before you jump straight into solution mode, set goals to clarify what you want to achieve. Without these goals clearly understood by everyone, you risk solving the wrong problem. You can bring in a beautiful new piece of software and utterly fail to make the difference you expected.
What difference will this project ultimately make to your business? Do you want to
- Increase revenue?
- Gain more customers?
- Increase retention of current customers?
- Improve customer satisfaction levels?
- Reduce overheads to manage with fewer staff?
- Streamline operations to prepare for growth?
- Reduce corporate risks?
Ideally, create SMART goals and collate baseline figures so you measure results precisely. But even if you can’t reduce the change to numbers, write down your aspirations. These are your north star for the transformation.
Once you have the goals in place, check everything else in the project against them. Keep them at the forefront throughout, so you know if you risk going off track. And if things change and the goals no longer seem true or adequate, STOP THE PROJECT until you are clear again.
Identify the decision makers and other stakeholders
Involving the right people from the outset is vital for successful change. Influence, knowledge and impact all matter. Think about
- Those who will be your best cheerleaders and draw others along with them
- Those who could scupper the whole thing if they don’t agree
- Those with deep knowledge of how things are done now
- Those who have good ideas for improvements
- Those with corporate accountability
- Those whose roles will be most affected by change
- Those with a financial stake
The same person could meet all these criteria! Think beyond job titles here, it’s often people within a team who carry a lot of influence with other users and have innovative ideas.
Be clear on the role of each of them, and check they agree with the goals.
Analyse your requirements
If you have existing software and clear ideas about what you want, document them. This could be a simple wishlist, or it could be more complex with multiple user roles, acceptance criteria and priorities. Or it could be flow charts and process maps put together in workshops.
Or you may be unsure what is possible. In this case, start researching and compare the options to help tease out which features seem important.
Research your options
If you’re not sure what’s on offer, the next step is to research your options. Software falls very broadly into three categories:
| Description | Examples | Implementation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off the shelf | Standardised software for the mass market | Microsoft 365, Zoom, Zoho CRM, Shopify | Configuration, choosing from limited options |
| No code/low code | Drag n drop form builders, workflow built through code snippets | WordPress, Zoho Creator, MS PowerApps | Design and configuration with more complex options, and maybe some basic coding |
| Bespoke | Traditional specialist software development | Javascript, Angular, iOS native app development | Custom design and development |
There are plenty of online articles arguing for and against each type, but it all depends on your situation. Consider
- How complex and specialist are your requirements? For marketing, you want to be unique. But for selecting software, being similar to other companies will give you more choices.
- What is your budget? And would you prefer to invest a larger capital sum upfront to reduce ongoing operational costs? Or would you rather the costs were linked more closely to your user numbers?
- What is your timeframe? How fast do you need to be up and running? Are you prepared to make compromises to go live sooner? And is this a sticking plaster solution or do you need it to last 5 to 10 years?
- Who will look after the software and keep it up to date? Do you have the expertise and time to do it inhouse? Or would you prefer to outsource it?
Choose a provider
For off the shelf software, this is usually as simple as signing up online and getting out a credit card.
For bespoke (and potentially low code), you may need to select a delivery partner or supplier. They will specialise in particular technologies, sectors or use cases. You can either approach specific companies for a proposal, or run a tender process to compare multiple suppliers side by side.
The value of experience
Success in digital transformation is not a given and making the wrong choices at this stage could have long-lasting implications for your business. Many small businesses feel out of their depth and online browsing just seems to give too many possibilities and not enough assurance of success. If you are worried about the risks or simply don’t have time to give it proper attention, I can help. With an extensive career in IT and business management, I have implemented many different software solutions in a wide variety of organisations.
I can work alongside your staff to help you define your goals clearly, run workshops to tease out your requirements, recommend off the shelf solutions to your needs, or run a tender to identify a suitable bespoke provider. Get in touch for a no-obligation chat about your situation and see if I can guide you through the process to success.