In today’s world of technological advancements, digital transformation has become all the craze across most industry sectors. However, with countless companies and organizations trying to transform, many will fail. Here are the three pillars necessary to ensure digital transformation success.
1. Non-Digital
Before you‘re capable of achieving digital success, you must first examine the non-digital. Many companies will choose to invest or develop a new software in order to avoid existing problems. This decision will ultimately leave them back at square one, with little if any advancements made to ensure future success.
The key is to stop and examine the pre-existing problems fully, analyze the root cause and implement the changes necessary to fix the processes, whether that be on the developmental or business side of things. Often, it can be both.
Remember that if you try and digitalize an already broken system, you will ultimately set yourself up for failure.
2. Empathy
Both before and after going digital, it’s critical to remember to have empathy and understand what the true needs are, both current and evolving, of the target customer.
In an article by Cliff Moyce entitled “The Art of Good Digitalization,” he notes: “Digitalization works when the customer–not the company– is at the center of the digital universe. Customer-centricity is a behavior and a belief as much as an approach to doing work.”
Rather than working within the strict requirements of assuming the desires of the target audience, it’s helpful to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. In doing so, you are more likely to understand them and their lives, therefore being better equipped to provide what is truly necessary and desired.
3. Communication
While communication can be a seemingly obvious necessity, it often is not a priority for some companies. If you are hoping to build an agile development process, communication is an essential factor in ensuring its success.
Particularly in terms of digitalization, many companies struggle to create a cohesive and positive relationship between the business and IT department.
A creative way to promote an open dialogue and to emphasize the importance of this dynamic is to have both sides come together and discuss their downfalls and success. An example of this can be seen by Toyota North America, who had their business and IT employees sitting on the floor and talking to each other on a regular basis. Additionally, they introduced a new product owner role – whose job is to match the needs of the business side to the capabilities of IT.
Without these three pillars digital transformation is bound to fail.