How to go about a digital transformation

How to go about a digital transformation
A blog article from Stefan F. Dieffenbacher, drafted on 22^nd of April 2023.


Table of Contents

1.Intro 2
2.What is actually a digital transformation? 2
3.What do you actually want to be transforming? 3
4.What is your main strategic intention and objectives for your digital transformation? 5
4.1.What is a strategy to start with? 5
1.1.Define a clear business intention as a starting point 6
5.How do you start a digital transformation? 7
6.Defining a clear direction for your digital transformation 8
6.1.Defining your key user / customer benefits 8
6.2.Defining your key business objectives 10
6.3.Defining the vision for your digital transformation 11
7.Setting up the workstreams to execute on the defined direction 12
8.Developing a detailed roadmap by each workstream 13
9.Summary of results of phase I – “defining the direction” and kicking off the workstreams 14
10.What we do at Digital Leadership to support a digital transformation 15

1. Intro

Digital transformation has become a buzzword in the business world, and for good reason. The ongoing technological revolution that we are experiencing is equipping both organizations and people with ever mightier tools and offerings, the explosion of AI capabilities just being the latest example. Organizations that fail to adapt get left behind.
A successful digital transformation can help organizations improve efficiency, reduce costs, enhance customer experience, and create new value. Mind however that a digital transformation is never a one-time project with a finite end: it is an ongoing process. Having said that, most large organizations go for a major transformative change only every 8,5 years on average. So as you embark on a digital transformation, make plans for the day after tomorrow.
The road to digital transformation is however not an easy one: it requires a comprehensive and integrated approach across all domains, across numerous internal stakeholders and involves more often than not numerous internal functions that need to be coordinated towards one end over a longer period of time.
In this blog article, we will focus on the strategic aspects of digital transformation and provide practical tips on how to start out on a digital transformation. We will discuss the importance of having a clear direction as a baseline, and only then taking action, by translating the direction into workstreams that are focusing on its execution.

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