How the digital transformation process works  

There are three steps to taking an organisation through digital transformation. Here’s how I do it:

1. Build a shared understanding of what we mean by digital

This usually starts with a workshop for senior leaders, or people who lead teams and departments. We dig into what digital transformation is, why it matters and what value it brings to your mission and objectives.

The aim here is to get everyone on the same page about the key concepts and language. Defining terms might seem like a minor detail. But getting clarity on concepts and definitions is essential.

We’ll get into definitions like: 

  • A digitally mature organisation: one that is making the best use of digital technology and its associated culture and networks in everything it does. Digital is part of the DNA of the organisation. Being digitally mature is different to digitising systems, processes, products and activities. 

  • Digital maturity: being fit for the world as it exists today, and for the people in it.

  • Digital transformation: a change process an organisation initiates to become more digitally mature.

It’s also vital to identify where digital transformation can bring most value to an organisation’s vision. Defining the purpose of digital transformation helps the whole organisation rally around a shared vision. 

2. Digital Maturity assessment 

Now we need to build a picture of how digitally mature the organisation is, to know where we are starting our digital transformation journey from. 

We do this by surveying the team (either the whole organisation, or a few representatives). We ask them about:

  • Culture and foundations

  • People, skills and processes

  • Systems and information

  • Outputs and experience.

Staff rate different aspects of the organisation, across 15 digital maturity competencies. Their answers will be very different, depending on their individual experiences. 

Then we feed back the results to the wider team, and hold  workshops to identify what’s holding the organisation back, what the bright spots are (experiences to learn from or replicate) as well as what the organisation should aim to achieve in terms of improvement to their digital maturity in the next 18-24 months.  

3. Strategic support 

Once we have a clear understanding of where the organisation is on its digital transformation journey, we can plan how to take action. 

We’ll create a roadmap for change, covering the actions needed  around staffing, culture,  learning and training, data, systems , planning, processes and ways of working.

Together, we’ll decide which recommendations to action, and when. And we’ll decide on outputs, including a mixture of short, medium and long-term changes.