Digital transformation is an important process for any company. To keep up with rapidly changing technology and take advantage of new innovations in your field, your company must engage in this sort of transformation. Without it, you’ll become less and less competitive as your competitors find new ways to save money and increase efficiency.
However, digital transformation can quickly become overwhelming and confusing. After all, there are so many options! Which software or technology should you choose? Which one should you upgrade first? How will you integrate the new systems? What about training? All these questions are important, but unless you have some guiding principles in your digital transformation journey, you’re likely to get off track.
McKinsey Quarterly recently suggested some important aspects of successful digital transformation: capability-driven, continuous, competitive, and CEO-led. Let’s expand upon these principles and discover why they’re so important to digital transformation.
Capability-Driven
Every step of your digital transformation journey must begin with asking this question: “what do I want my company to achieve in this particular area?” Without a clear and measurable goal in mind, your transformation will not be very successful—or maybe you won’t know if it is successful or not! If you have a measurable goal such as “I want our customers to receive a personalized email every month” or “I want our shipping times to decrease by 10%,” it’s easier to choose software that has that particular capability and/or measure whether or not your chosen solution is achieving its purpose.
Continuous
It’s always nice when a project has a firm end date or goal: you know you’re done, and you don’t have to think about it again. Unfortunately, digital transformation doesn’t end! Your company will always need to grow and adapt to new technological advances in your field. Your operations, marketing, and internal processes will never be perfect, but you can optimize them as much as possible through digital transformation. Now, while the overall digital transformation journey is never complete, the steps of that journey should be specific, measurable, and finite. Replacing software or gaining a new capability can be milestones that encourage you to keep going on this journey.
Competitive
Another important principle to keep in mind when you’re thinking about digital transformation is how your company can remain competitive in your field. It’s always important to learn as much as you can about your competition: what software solutions are they using? Which marketing strategies? Are they using AI? Of course, you want to set yourself apart from your competitors, but learning industry standards and recent innovations can be helpful guides as you decide where to allocate your resources next. Once you understand how they operate—their strengths as well as their weaknesses—you can more easily understand how to set your company apart.
CEO-Led
As with all major changes in your company, you’ll need buy-in from the leadership team to create successful digital transformation. To get resources and employee commitment, the changes must have the full approval and, when necessary, participation of your executive team. Of course, this also means you will need to demonstrate that your goals align with the company’s strategic goals and vision.
Looking for a Digital Transformation Partner?
At Laminin, we’re passionate about helping our clients achieve digital transformation, improved efficiency, and increased profitability. We offer expert consulting and top of the line software solutions that incorporate the latest innovations in AI, machine learning, and more. If you’re looking for a digital transformation partner who truly understands your needs and goals, contact us today!
