Digital Evolution – 3 Steps
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
Know where you are and where you want to be.
It’s easy to get excited about buzz words in the IT Industry and Digitial Transformation (or Evolution as we call it) and it can be dollar draining road-trip to nowhere if you don’t have a clearly defined outcome in mind from the outset.
Taking the time to clearly understand where your business is right now and what you want as an outcome will help you identify many of the risks and hurdles that you’ll likely face as you begin to evolve your business. This step will also help you identify any gaps with the skills and experience needed to deliver your desired outcome.
Having a strategic vision and articulating that to the business is vital.
INVEST FOR SUCCESS
Have the right people and tools to get the job done
Regardless of what you call it, Digital Transformation or Evolution… it’s just a fancy way of saying change. Once you’ve identified the starting point and set some clear goals, it’s time to invest in the tools and people that will deliver your success.
Trying to transform or evolve your business without the right tools and people can cause unnecessary delays and introduce significant risk. Training in change management, the business and technical applications you’ll be using and effective communication will go a long way to reducing risk and improving morale.
Engaging an external partner with experience in both the technical and functional challenges you’ll face can help fast-track your project and reduce the likelihood and risk of failure.
GROW THE CULTURE
The right culture will foster engagement and inspire leadership.
You’ve heard it before. Culture starts at the top. We all know it but it’s not always easy to live it. Culture is linked directly to your brand and it’s through your brand that customers engage with you. Because our leaders aren’t always the face of our brands their leadership in culture is critical to ensure everyone is invested in their vision.
Culture builds engagement and engagement builds culture. It’s self-perpetuating but it has to start somewhere and this is where the Leadership Team comes in. Take the time to assess your business and the types of people you need to deliver on your goals. Engage everyone in the business from Sales staff to technicians to trainees and bring them along on your journey.
When everyone in the company believes in their leaders and their vision they feel invested in the outcome. This will be the secret sauce that delivers your goals. In the process, you might just find that you’ve created a new sense of agility and confidence in your workforce – a culture of continuous improvement.