Digital transformation

Food for thought: Can your organization move at the speed of technology?

The answer is, most likely, no. Technology far outpaces the speed at which companies can respond, leaving a constant state of catch up and contributing to the vast ecosystem of technical debt.

The push for digital transformation urges organizations to upgrade and overhaul technology stacks toward service-based models and away from physical technology stacks.

Moving too fast carries its risks. Rapid transitions threaten to leave employees behind, creating tension throughout the business. Or worse, security shortcomings emerge from poor software quality.

But digital transformation goes beyond technology — if companies want to engage in a new era of technology, they must rethink how work is done too.

Old processes applied to new systems do little. Instead, CIOs and other business technology leaders are called to adopt more nimble operations. That means less prescribed, and bureaucratic, processes.

In fact, the drumbeat of “people, process, technology” highlights the most important aspect of digital transformation: the people.

In 2021, the focus on people will drive digital transformation as companies think through returns to the office and what a hybrid workplace will look like.

What are we supposed to be involved in these days? Digitalization and innovation? To get there, we are asking ourselves how we can improve planning, forecasting, budgeting, run simulations, run plans and analytics in a very visual and intuitive manner. What tools are available? Are we making those tools available to the organization? And more importantly: are we training our important asset, our people, adequately?

Managing the complexities of bigger, more intricate IT systems starts with having visibility across all components of the tech stack. Technologists say they lack strategies and tools to effectively measure how technology decisions impact business outcomes.

The CIO can serve as a bridge, helping provide business and technology context wherever necessary and informing business leaders as modernization advances. The executive holds a privileged position to steer change from a technical and managerial perspective.

Leaders should help their companies create a culture of change resilience that helps their organizations respond more adaptively to this continuously fluid state of change.

Moving forward in 2021, I firmly believe that management has clear expectations regarding information requirements, such as

* monitor and manage business value drivers and simulate how key drivers impact financial outcomes

* analyze performance variances and identify influencers that impact business outcomes

* define, measure and optimize sales performance by line of business, product offerings, geographies and sales reps

* reduce budgeting cycles and run quick re-forecasts by effectively capturing business / market fluctuations

* perform demand and supply planning, inventory planning, procurement planning, workforce planning and more.

Do you get this information from your staff on the basis of daily data analytics and information visualization?  If not, technical training support is needed; luckily it’s available and can be offered to you.

Feedback is welcome; contact me at [email protected]