6 Steps to Implement Digital Transformation in your Organization
November 5th, 2020 by Ross Lasley
Digital transformation has been a huge buzz word for the last five-plus years. It is still essential to companies in becoming a more profitable, efficient, and scalable business. Many companies have discussed trying to go through a digital transformation.
Many companies have tried to implement different solutions and processes to bring about a digital transformation. These are not easy and can be disruptive, time-consuming, and abandoned after causing too many problems. We will discuss 6 easy to follow steps to help your company get it right when trying to bring on a digital transformation.
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Create a digital transformation team.
You want to create a team with a diversified group of employees. First, you need to have an executive team member to sponsor the project. It is essential to have that blessing from the highest level. You then want a mixture of users, supervisors, and directors to get you input from all sides of your operations.
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Decide where you want to begin.
The most crucial step many times is the first one. Your team must decide the best place to start and to set yourself up for success. Start in an area that people are open to change. Change is hard, and some are better at it than others. Finding the right people to be part of the change is essential. It is best to find processes that are easily repeatable and directly affect revenue. Another great tip is to start small. Many projects die because they are just too big to be done well. Create a phased approach and continue to gain more support as you rack up successful transformations. Some suitable places to start are accounts payable and accounts receivable.
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Evaluate your current process you want to change.
It would be best if you had a good grasp of your current processes. You need to know how much time your employees are spending on the process. What is the cost for it taking too long, and what other benefits would be from improving it? These steps allow you to have a clearly defined ROI on new processes and ensure you continued support from senior leadership.
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Evaluate what products or services you will need for the digital transformation.
Once you have decided where you want to start, you will need to determine what you need to get the job done. Look at the resources you already have and what capabilities they have. Many times, companies have software and products they are either not using at all or only using a fraction of its capabilities. If you do not have the resources needed internally, look to trusted advisors, and take advantage of who they recommend. It is crucial to find the right providers for these projects. You want someone who has your best interest in mind. Please make sure you check references and confirm they have completed successful projects like yours in the past.
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Start to implement the change.
Make sure you have a thorough plan and scope of work for the project. There, inevitably be changes throughout, but you first need a reliable basis to start. These steps will help you cope with any challenges during the implementation.
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Have goals and easy to measure metrics.
It's imperative to be able to go to your executive-level sponsor and prove the project was a success or not. There should be goals and easily measured metrics. Be able to prove a solid ROI on the investment of time, resources, and materials on the project. Were you able to improve KPIs? These are things steps needed to receive support to continue your digital transformation process.
Digital transformation is a trendy buzz word that people like to use. It is also vital for every business to consider. It is as critical as ever to be as efficient as possible. You need to know how your company is performing be able to scale efficiently. We hope this has been a helpful guide for you to implement your companies own digital transformation.
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