Digital transformation imperatives
A digital transformation program must be aligned with an entity’s business strategy and plan. It is important to recognize that digital tools deployed to power a strategy are only tools. Therefore, the tools must be imaginatively deployed to further a business goal.
A strategy emerges from the corporate vision and objectives that its leadership sets for itself. The strategy has to be aligned and centered around its customers. The organization, therefore, has to have systems and processes that seek to fulfill the needs of its customers. It is critical to begin any transformation exercise – digital or traditional by first looking at the customers, understanding their needs and wants, and then crafting a strategy around these.
Strategy planning is the first step in the transformation process. A strategy results from an intense discussion, market study, and analysis. Customer trends and expectations have to be studied, such as how competitors are fulfilling these needs and what challenges are being encountered in fulfilling these needs. Once these fundamental steps have been concluded, operational efficiency and process improvement will be best served by deploying digital tools and systems to drive the transformation process.
A digital tools-supported strategy will work when the organization is prepared for implementation. Often, boards of traditional organizations and public sector companies where the workforce is unprepared to go digital commit the mistake of launching into digital transformation too early.
Undertake a skill gap analysis of the workforce. Digital tools can be quickly introduced once the workforce is ready to use these. The objective of digital transformation is to improve productivity and operational efficiency.
Lastly and probably most importantly, remember that a digital transformation strategy alone cannot move your organization to a sustainable competitive advantage. These are achieved when strategies, business models, business processes, organization structures, value chains, marketing strategies, and marketing plans are designed to achieve the leadership’s vision, objectives, and goals. A company is now ready to implement a digital transformation plan and take it to the next level of growth.