While some companies successfully ride the digital wave, others seem to fight the current at every turn. Do these three issues put a pin in your business’ digital transformation? 

The missing link between the solution and your objectives.

It is likely that at least once in your career, you have witnessed an executive bursting with enthusiastic recommendations about a new innovation or tool they’ve discovered. While the passion is commendable, it can sometimes morph into a trap – implementation of a new tool becoming the focus of the conversation, rather than the business objectives the tool is meant to facilitate.

You may produce a system that looks fantastic and runs smoothly, but if you fail to link it to your business objectives, then the value it offers will be minimal. In the worst case scenario, it might be a complete waste of money and time.

While researching new tools and cutting-edge techniques are a valuable part of strategic planning, your business’ digital innovation should always be built around core business strategy first – only after this, should decisions be made about the individual tools to be used. Without this, adoption of the new system into your business practices will become an uphill and ultimately futile battle, putting all your efforts to waste.
 

"Only by matching the solution carefully with your business objectives will a new system bring about digital transformation that is of real value."

Forgetting the people for the process.

There’s one thing that will always differentiate two similar businesses, even if they operate in the same small niche - their people. Each member of your organisation brings their own experience, knowledge, skills and working style to create the ecosystem that your digital initiative must thrive within. If you fail to take that unique ecosystem into account, your new innovative system or approach may be doomed to walk the path of extinction soon enough.

When investigating the processes that your digital solution will transform, be sure to factor in time to query and catalogue the intimate insider knowledge your staff already possess. The reality of their day to day challenges, communications and work-arounds can be invisible when you’re only looking at the bigger picture. Gathering data about how the people within your organisation work within their existing processes (and discovering the processes they’ve evolved to fill the inevitable gaps) is critical to ensuring that any new solution will truly help your staff reach their peak.

There’s another reason why such data-gathering is important - it allows the employees within your organisation to be part of the process of transformation, rather than being hit with the blunt end of it after a solution is already in place.

Instead of feeling dragged along by the change, employees should become a part of it. Who doesn’t like maximum uptake internally?

The classic digital ‘drop and run’.

Organisations that fail to consult sufficiently with their staff may also fall into another pit - a lacking or totally absent transition process from the older way of working into your new, digitally-savvy solution. Just as an orientation to a company is essential for all new staff, systems need time to be introduced, too. Too often organisations implement what could be a fantastic digital enhancement to their current operations, but staff are not given a chance to adjust before using it becomes mandatory.

Employees that will be using the new system and processes should be able to see a version of it long before it moves into production, and be given time to test and gain confidence in the new solution. This will also give you opportunities to catch any critical missing features before a big launch – which are always cheaper and easier to resolve before you go live.

Additionally, it pays not to forget the employees who may not have direct contact with the system, but will be affected by it. They should still get a chance to learn about it before launch – perhaps through a series of intranet news articles, or at staff meetings. They may even surprise you with ideas around how the system could also make their work easier – offering an even greater return on your investment.

Trying to 'get digital' we are here to help.

At Integranet Digital, we are committed not just to delivering systems, but helping you strategically plan for their rollout and staff adoption and training, too. We take pride in what we deliver, and we want your employees to be able to make the most of any system we create for your business. If you’re struggling on your digital journey, drop us a line today - we’ll be happy to help you take the next step towards transforming your business.