There is almost no organisation that still works entirely on paper; digital technology is really everywhere in the organisation. But using digital tools is not always successful. So much more can be done, even with existing resources.
In my practice as a consultant, I often encounter the same roadblocks to digital success: an overly complex process, lack of governance and the wrong deployment of digital technology. If these are not addressed, the deployment of digital tools has little its. Let alone any chance of a successful digital transformation.
Improve the process
Digital technology can help make a process more efficient and improve the outcome - and value - of that process. Digital technology can also help measure and improve process performance. But if the process is too complex then no digital tool can improve it.
So get the process right first before you go in with digital tools. Analyse what the problems in the process are, make improvements and determine which indicators can be used to determine whether the process and the outcome of the process are now better. If the process is in order, digital technology can help tremendously.
An example - Editorial Process
Let me take the example of an organisation with a Web site or intranet. The editing process is often very complex, with all sorts of vendors inside and outside the organisation supplying information. One is long happy to see anything published at all. One has far too little time and attention for the rest of the information life cycle.
That complex process must first be improved, mapping the entire end-to-end process (from planning and creation through publication, evaluation and archiving). With an emphasis on the expected outcome and thus the value to the visitor of the Web environment.
Make governance clear
Governance is about creating clarity about who has what ultimate responsibility and who has what mandate - at strategic, tactical and operational levels - to make decisions. Ownership (over resources, information, processes, etc.) is also clearly established in “good governance.
In organizations I come to advise, governance is quite unclear or even absent to begin with. It starts with completely unclear ownership. Because it is not clear who has what mandate, responsibilities are shifted or picked up by the wrong parts of the organisation.
An example - Domain Policy
Again, I take the example of an organisation with a website or intranet. Different departments with their own budgets have had their own websites or intranets/portals created and those environments are separate from the “corporate” web environment. This sometimes involves hundreds of sites! This is a huge waste of money, people and other resources, and it also hurts the organization's brand and digital strategy.
But because ownership is not clear, no one can bang a fist on the table and establish and manage a proper domain policy - what do we do centrally and when are you allowed to move out to a separate environment, which, by the way, must still meet certain requirements. So ownership must be arranged so quickly. Not only of the domains, but also of the information (content, data, assets), the tooling, the strategy, etc.
Deploy technology the right way
When the process is clear and governance is in place, only then can digital technology do its job properly. This does not mean that the organisation must necessarily purchase new digital resources. Often, existing resources can go a long way.
But those digital assets are deployed incorrectly thanks to an overly complex process and unclear governance. Either the supplier or the IT department receives too little guidance from the organisation on how the digital system should function. The professionals in the organisation often have little or no training in the tooling and there is no guidance at all in the workplace.
If it turns out that the current digital tooling is really inadequate, new tooling can be considered. But then this must be done with proper functional requirements, which demand how the professional is optimally supported by the tool in his work. And in addition, the non-functional requirements that other parts of the organisation determine from their policies - IT management, privacy protection, security, interoperability, etc. - determine.
Determine your digital maturity
Where are the processes, governance and technology in your organisation? Measure it yourself with the digital maturity self-scan. Use the insights from this analysis to prepare your organization for digital transformation. Or at least for more digital success.
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