How can you create a realistic digital transformation roadmap?

Like sages told us, an assessment on strategy of the future requires asking at least 8 questions, (1) who is our customer? (2) what markets or segments do we serve? (3) how has the direct or indirect competition in those markets evolved? (4) what form or shape will forces of disruption look like in next 2-3 years? (5) Thus, what changes are required to stay competitive in markets we serve? (6) what risks might we face in 3-5 year, should we not reinvent ourselves now? (7) what financial and people resources will be required to future proof our business? (8) who needs to be on board, should we have a compelling case on reinventing our business model? Well, yes - that’s the entry point for assessing a case for digital transformation!

I've been thinking a lot about digital transformation lately. In my experience the hardest part of digital transformation is the change-management piece. I've learned this the hard way over and over. Leadership will often support buying and implementing technology to move a company forward with an assumption of "if you build it they will come". Sadly, the business side does not adapt or respond once great tools, or better data, or automation processes are available. In retrospect, I wish I had started all of my projects for Data Analytics and Digital Transformation in 2 parts that worked in tandem: (1) tech stack implementation along side (2) culture goals and roadmap.

I have had experiences with change/transformation in organizations in two frames. 1. It was done "to" me. 2. It was done "with" me. I have had the chance to work with some brilliant minds. Strategists that know the customer, the market, heck they seem to know the "future". All of that while great, will not transform anything, digital or otherwise. Our consulting firm LOVES leading change. We do it "with" our clients, learning and growing along the way. One last consideration; always start with the WHY. Most organizations spend all of their time on the WHAT and HOW. These are important but if your people and customers dont know WHY this matters to them and the rest of the world your transformation will be over before it starts.

All of this is a good start, BUT there is one area missing in the scope above that might be the most important thing to do: Understand and really internalize what your customer trends are. If you are not rooted in customer needs, your digital transformation will become a catch all for all “cool” tech to be requested to be added to your roadmap.

This is likely one of the most overlooked aspects of any kind of improvement or transformation effort. The kind of self-reflective honesty needed can be intimidating. Even more so is the implication that the current state is bad if it needs to be improved or transformed. All those who made the current state possible can find this threatening and, quite frankly, insulting. I always start these kinds of effort by celebrating the work that brought us to where we are. Frankly, without the creativity and problem solving that led to the current state, the organization would not be in business and we would not have jobs. Honor and celebrate those efforts, then invite those brilliant problem solvers to help take the next steps.

Another item to add is to explain why is this important to do now. Not 5 years ago and not 5 year from now. With every transformation there should be an immediate need to change.

Don't be afraid to set an ideal state goal. The Toyota Way describes an approach to Lean Problem Solving that is rooted in observing the current state until you understand the problem so well that the solution becomes evident. However, it is easy to be afraid of that ideal state and fail to dream big. Balance the vision of that ideal state, design it like you are right, then iteratively improve your way toward it.

Be very specific in this step. Build a matrix of Maturity phases on the x-axis (Ad Hoc, Emerging, Operational, Strategic, Innovating) and business practices on the y-axis (Vision, Process, Data, Insights, Decisions). Fill the table in with what behaviors are done for that business practice during each level of digital maturity. Now be honest about where your org rates on the maturity curve. Make sure to assess leadership, management, and doer points of view; there is likely a gap of understanding between groups. Rate maturity based on *behaviors* and not how employees are *thinking* about the business practice.

4 Steps to create a digital maturity roadmap: 1- Determine which maturity phase your org is in and what the next one is. Example, you may rate as "Emerging" and want to mature to "Operational" 2- Outline the sub-phases to get from where you are to where you want to go. Keep this step incremental: in the example there are 3 sub-phases between "Emerging" and "Operational": Data Awareness, Data Literacy, Data in Action. 3- Select the first sub-phase, in this case "Data Awareness," and write down behaviors that represent that phase for the 5 business practices (Vision, Data, Process, Insights, Decisions). 4- Which specific initiatives are you going to take for each behavior? What is success? How will you measure success?

Growing pains are...painful. Spend plenty of time on "Step 4" in the recommendations above. Having a metric show progress and success, even when it feels slow going, will help keep morale and show progress to leadership. And I agree with the comment about being realistic with timelines. Change management will likely take months and years, not weeks. Set expectations for a realistic timeline with leadership. Anyone else experience or see orgs implode when "Transformation" tried to roll out more like a Sprint than a Marathon?

One opportunity that CM professionals don't take often enough, is to marry CM with UX. The results will be better for everyone, the end user, the PMO and certainly CM. Including that type of feedback early on, and checking in regularly will only make the product that much better at the end, which will ultimately increase user adoption.

From firsthand experience, treating change and risk as partners in our digital journey is vital. Remember, stakeholder buy-in amplifies success rates. 1. I've found regular ‘change pulse checks’ and maintaining a dynamic risk dashboard invaluable. I used Confluence and ADO (Azure DevOps) dashboards to track the overall plan, progress and risks for the transformative program. All view were data-driven. 2. Keep the lines of communication open and adaptive, as risks and needs evolve. A proactive stance always beats a reactive one. 3. Prioritize, agree ownership and follow up were keys to managing and mitigating risks. Many of us are visual. Visual representation is powerful and drives the message home quickly.

From my experience, 1. Engage Cross-Functional Teams: It's crucial for all departments to comprehend their roles and the impact it creates in the transformation process, leading to more holistic and effective solutions. 2. Promote Continuous Learning and Innovation: Cultivate an environment that encourages continuous learning. Motivate employees to enhance their skills and embrace innovation. Experimentation is key, and there's much to learn from both triumphs and setbacks. 3. Customer-Centric Approach: Understand cohort personas and maintain a customer-centric approach; understanding the current needs &behaviors of customers but also anticipating future needs and trends; enhancing the CX and meet their evolving expectations.

In my experience, the essence of digital transformation lies in continuous refinement. 1. Periodically revisiting OKRs ensures they stay aligned with evolving goals. Quarterly big room planning helped align squads and also ensure we were working towards a unified goal. 2. Collectively agreed OKRs were crucial to measure progress and usage of data points drives the message home and actions were then taken. 3. Engage in frequent stakeholder check-ins, this is not just updates and results. Their on-ground feedback often offers the most actionable insights. 4. Be ready to pivot based on real-time learning! Key is to be on top of facts and data at all times.

Your target state will shift as the environment changes so quicker execution and adjustments must be made to stay on course. The roadmap has many twists and turns so be agile

I would add a few things based on my experience: 1. Broadcast and communicate clearly on what is taking place on the ground. 2. Make this regular and consistent. 3. Create a template that helps frequent updates and automate updates as much as possible. This ensures information is always available and transparent to all.

Few things I have found useful are: 1- Acknowledge Wins - Celebrating small wins after important milestones fosters a culture of achievement. 2- Communicate Learnings –It’s as much important to communicate ‘failures and path forward’ as it is to communicate ‘success and what it took to get there’. This builds transparency and subsequently trust. 3- Constant Education – Office hours, Lunch & Learn sessions, Roadshows helps to drum up interest in the project. It not only provides a platform to answer questions but also helps sense grit & enthusiasm among team members.

Communication Strategy is one of the Critical Success Factors in Digital Transformation .. Apart from the " Why ? What and How ? dimensions of the journey that has been embarked , it is imperative that the Communication Template to be utilized within the organization and externally is well defined along with owners for various tasks within the Communication Tool kit ... There must be adequate celebrations for every milestone that has been accomplished .. Role Models need to be show cased at every possible opportunities .. We need to remember any change which impacts humans has the emotional layer which is active .. All Positive strokes powers it to , ensure active engagement of the employee in the Transformation journey ...

I'm a broken record with this but: Establish a culture of continuous feedback loops! Some questions to get started: // What mechanisms can we implement that provide real-time insights into the progress of our digital transformation? // How can we make feedback collection and analysis more agile and responsive?