Why you need Digital Transformation
Today’s opportunities are measured in small wins and optimization; digital transformation is the measuring stick.
If you are asking yourself “Do I need digital transformation in my organization?” the answer is a resounding “Yes!”. Organizations that do not participate in digital transformation aren’t experiencing the velocity of change required to be sustainable in the information age and won’t be competitive in the conceptual age that follows.
What is digital transformation?
“The ability to identify/analyze a portfolio of existing/new processes, products, and services with the goal of transforming/converting into the digital space for a specific benefit.”
Here are three quick examples of digital transformation:
- The Apple Watch is digital transformation of product. Apple (and others) took a current product and transformed it into the digital space.
- Uber is the digital transformation of service. Uber took the service of a taxi, ride sharing, car service and transformed it into the digital space.
- Blockchain is digital transformation of a process. Blockchain is allowing for the transformation of many things such a financial processing. Bitcoin is a product of that transformation.
The Tenets of Digital Transformation
The tenets of digital transformation, listed below, are a guideline for people or organization on the traits needed to be successful.
- Impartial — Mediator of change, not the judge.
- Perseverant — Consistent application of pressure.
- Methodical — Orderly and calm in approach.
- Holistic — Thinking in connections.
- Pragmatic — Practical first, theoretical after launch.
- Visionary — Eyes set outside the boundary.
Adopting and developing these tenets with feedback and help from your peers will ensure sustainable change is successful.
In the end, you must be anxious about the thought of stagnation, while still being considerate of how your need for change affects those around you.
Companies in Need of Digital Transformation
There is no market, industry, organization, or person safe from digital transformation. In fact, organizations that aren’t looking to adopt digital transformation as a mantra will eventually reach a point where competitors who have applied resources to adapt, will be unattainable until bankruptcy ensues.
Example #1 — Blockbuster versus Netflix. Netflix applied digital transformation of service and Blockbuster missed the opportunity to adapt.
Example #2 — General Electric (GE) is an organization attempting to force digital transformation. As a case study, this digital transformation can be judged many ways and will be for years, but if you apply the tenets to the transformation, you’ll see the misses and the wins thus far.
The Skills Required
If you are interested in creating digital transformation or digital strategy in your organization, you’re going to need a bit more in your toolkit besides the tenets.
Digital transformation includes the word digital which means you need to have a particular prowess for understanding how to convert a non-digital use case into a digital one and I would be remiss if I left this out.
Experience with project, product, program, or portfolio management, the ability to understand complex problems and apply technical solutions, the ability to understand software systems and architecture from database structure to programming languages, and an understanding of usability, user experience, and user interface design will be assets.
If you’re wondering where to get started, look into the Project Management Institute, Udacity, Smashing Magazine, and companies such as Invision. If you’ve got questions, leave a comment and I’ll try my best to give you some tips!
Concluding with a Practical Example
Non-Digital Use Case: An accounting department currently sends contracts manually via mail to start an agreement between a client. After receiving the signed contract, they manually generate an invoice monthly to incur a static payment processed via credit card.
Digital Transformation of Use Case: The use of a digital contract system which automatically generates a PDF via a CRM connection, distributes the contract to the customer’s e-mail requesting a signature with the contract virtually returned and filed. The accounting department receives a notification or transactional message. Immediately following, the first invoice is automatically generated and distributed along with the ability for the client to enter their credit card details into a digital wallet for monthly reoccurring processing.
This example use case is only the tip of the iceberg regarding the requirements of a micro change such as this, but when you apply changes such as these to your business, you are securing your future and applying digital transformation.
At the beginning of this article, I proposed: “Do I need digital transformation in my organization?” if you answered with “I don’t know” or “No,” it’s imperative that you begin touting and applying digital transformation within your organization today, because tomorrow may be too late.
