Digital transformation without the buzzwords

Strip the jargon away and transformation is a short list of concrete changes, each with a number attached.

"Digital transformation" has been used to describe everything from replacing a fax machine to rebuilding an entire operating model. For most organisations it means something much more specific: removing the manual steps between the work being done and the information about it being available.

Start with the friction, not the technology

Walk through a week with the people doing the work. Where do they wait, re-type, print, chase or reconcile? Each of those points is a candidate. Write them down with a rough estimate of hours per week. You now have a list ranked by value, before anyone has mentioned a product.

Pick one process and finish it

Programmes that try to change everything at once tend to change nothing. Choose the process with the best ratio of pain to complexity, redesign it end-to-end, and run it for real. A finished, working change builds far more support than an ambitious plan.

Measure something before and after

Time to onboard a customer. Days to close the month. Hours spent on a weekly report. Whatever the process, pick one measure, record it now, and record it again after the change. This is how the second and third projects get funded.

Treat adoption as the deliverable

A system nobody uses has transformed nothing. Training, clear instructions, and a period where the old way is switched off (not just discouraged) are as much part of the project as the technology itself.

The technology is usually the easy part. The work is in the process and the people.

Read more about how we approach digital transformation.