Are you asking your organization the right questions about digital transformation efforts? Focus your efforts with this guide.
The need to prepare for disruption has become a cliché in the business world. As the last two years have proven, it becomes even more imperative to prepare your organization for possible turbulence and change. This means having the right culture, processes and technology in place to succeed.
The first question to ask about your organization is simple:
Would your organization be able to survive the disruptions?
If the answer to this question is no, it’s time to build the right one. digital transformation capabilities, culture and structures for increased operational agility. IDG’s recent MarketPulse survey, Empowering business users for the next era of digital transformation, found that less than a quarter of line-of-business (LOB) employees currently automate their workflows, showing how pivotal any kind of rapid change would be. With the right digital transformation technology, you can empower your entire business beyond IT and kick those efforts into high gear in your organization.
As you seek to develop and flex your organization’s agile operational readiness, here are the key questions you can ask that will guide your efforts.
Is all leadership bought?
As with most new initiatives, gaining executive buy-in is critical to setting the tone for business transformation coupled with increased operational agility. “You have to make sure everyone knows [business-led] development is a business initiative, everyone plays their part and doesn’t happen in disconnected silos,” Quickbase CIO Deb Gildersleeve said. With leadership showcasing the value of increasing innovation throughout the organization, this commitment will be felt throughout the organization and serve as a charge for success.
Does my team feel capable of innovating?
From there, leaders must effectively communicate to business users that they are empowered to innovate. The IDG MarketPulse survey found that one in five respondents who could take advantage of digital automation tools do not, showing just how much potential is being missed by these initiatives. Moreover, digital automation also seems to be stuck between the individual level and the whole enterprise. There is still room for growth to enable entire teams to innovate – 76% of companies surveyed are working on solutions that focus on individuals or small teams rather than the entire organization.
Are my sales teams trying to solve the problems they face every day?
It is just as important for business teams to fully understand the issues they face in order to resolve them. Finding the right processes to automate and the departments that need the tools to make a difference is a major step towards strategic agility. PSG Dover, for example, has become an industry leader in innovation for manufacturing industrial pumps and compressors by managing a complex, multi-party sourcing strategy through Quickbase. By finding the right use case, your organization can thrive in its digital transformation.
Are the right governance safeguards in place?
Users across the enterprise will benefit from a clear overview of the right safeguards, so that all users understand the structure and responsibilities behind adding a layer of agility to your organization. “Companies need to set guardrails early on, so business users understand what’s okay to do on their own and where to get help,” Gildersleeve told IDG.
A solid option for these railings is a Center of Excellence model. By assigning cross-functional roles within a digital transformation project, teams across the organization will gain visibility and be able to define clear goals and functions for operational agility.
Is my tech stack up to the task?
Finally, equipping your organization with the right technology to build a layer of agility will allow you to effectively put that culture and structure into action. A low code The development platform can serve as the foundation for this strategy, enabling users to create and continually improve impactful business applications. As IDG found, key considerations for good digital automation tools include ease of use, compatibility with current technology, and the ability to integrate data between systems.
Looking for more questions to see how empowered your organization is to innovate? Take our Citizen Automation Assessment Tool here.
