Organizational IT can be complex and chaotic. As a business grows, the IT burden grows with it. New devices, systems, and software get added to the fray as employee counts increase and business objectives evolve.
Inevitably, this IT patchwork creates friction in workflows. Digital transformation consulting helps businesses compete and excel as they adapt and grow.
The transformation process begins by looking at both near- and long-term needs. It requires assessing trajectories and goals and evaluating what tools your team needs to get there, all while staying one step ahead of today’s tech challenges.
Digital transformation consulting doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It has to align with your strategic ends and account for your unique workflows and culture. Anything less is a strategic miss. You need an experienced, C-level IT partner that can navigate the initiative with you and set you up for a measurable ROI.
Understanding the Steps to Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is a big project that yields big results. The process is comprehensive and structured. It requires top-down buy-in and planning that results in five key action steps:
- Selecting the right tools and systems to support your team’s unique needs
- Implementing new, flexible, cloud-based systems that scale
- Migrating data from old systems to new ones, without missing a beat
- Training and empowering teams to use the new tools
- Developing new workflows across your organization
From Disjointed Systems to One Agile, Scalable, Mission-Driven System
Digital transformation needs come out of the woodwork when your organization is growing, especially when you need to relocate. All of a sudden, your existing IT infrastructure appears anything but strategic. Outdated and unreliable at best, those disjointed systems certainly won’t survive a big move.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but this is where a digital transformation consulting team saves the day. They’ll start with an in-depth whiteboard session with your organization, taking the time to listen to your concerns, learn about your business, understand your budget, and create a detailed, strategic plan to modernize and transform your systems into an integrated, agile tool that will keep you moving forward.
The consulting team will create alignment between your executive and core IT teams. They’ll virtualize your current servers, migrate your systems and data, install new equipment, secure the network, implement communication and telephone infrastructure for your new workspace, and train your teams on the new solution, all while navigating the landmines of a problematic legacy system and mitigating risk.
How to Navigate Pushback on Digital Transformation
Overhauling legacy IT systems can seem like a daunting endeavor, regardless of how obvious the needs and inherent gains may be. There are three common reasons IT transformation projects get shot down:
Cost Concerns
Key stakeholders are often concerned with the significant costs that an IT transformation requires. But the stark reality is that IT transformation is a strategic investment.
Cohesive, up-to-date systems allow your business to leverage IT to help your employees succeed. In terms of financial resources, labor is the single most expensive cost most businesses have. By implementing quality IT systems, labor becomes more efficient, wasting less time and improving the bottom line.
Fear of Change
Business leaders are often hesitant to disrupt the status quo, preferring to limp along with inefficient systems that “work” instead of adapting to unfamiliar systems that excel. Digital transformation consulting provides a structured, manageable plan, including expert training, with key milestones and measurable outcomes.
Lack of Leadership
A business may lack the leadership and willingness to push past objections and explore future benefits. Partnering with an experienced digital transformation consulting team brings CIO-level vision, leadership and communication to your executive table. These consultants present fact-based information on projected results and guide your team through a step-by-step process to get it done.
The Core Components of Digital Transformation
A digital transformation consulting team will guide you through a structured, customized process, beginning with an IT audit to assess and understand the status of your current systems. This lays the groundwork to accurately execute three core components of the transformation:
IT Upgrades
An IT transformation affords the opportunity to strategize for the future and explore all available tools that will get you there. This includes evaluating and performing IT upgrades on hardware, software, and cloud-based infrastructure.
Some questions to ask in this process:
- How do your teams operate? Are they primarily in-office, work-from-home, or out in the field? What devices maximize their workflows?
- Where do current systems create friction in your workflows and operations? What IT upgrades could streamline those activities?
- Where are your current line-of-business applications (or industry-specific software) headed in the coming years? Are your existing programs sufficient to reach your objectives?
Office and System Expansions, Contractions, and Relocations
The world is always changing and “normal” is a moving target. Many companies are shifting their office setups to more dynamic systems. It’s an optimal time to enlist the services of a digital transformation consulting partner.
Some questions to ask in this process:
- Is a physical office relocation in your future? If so, what does that look like? What IT needs need to be reevaluated in that process?
- Do you need to downsize office space as more of your teams work from home? What tools are required to maintain connectivity and collaboration across the company?
- Do you need to reconfigure shared workspaces? Does that require new or alternative equipment?
IT Strategic Planning and Budgeting
IT systems come with a cost, but strategic IT planning and budgeting allows your business to absorb those costs at a predictable pace while leveraging the best tech for your business goals. As you reimagine your IT systems and implement those changes, create a long-term IT budget that keeps you a step ahead of tech needs.
Some questions to ask in this process:
- What software do you currently maintain or pay for that isn’t being used to its full capacity? Is it time to consider an option that works better for your business?
- What IT growth is necessary to achieve your five- and 10-year strategic goals? Do you have scalable IT plans in place?
- Do you have a plan for tracking and replacing equipment as it ages, so you don’t leave your work vulnerable to system failures and unexpected expenses?
Make IT Happen
Digital transformation has the potential to fuel growth and help you reach your businesses objectives. With unified systems, up-to-date software, and cross-organizational alignment, you can remove barriers to productivity and free up your teams to operate at full capacity.
If your IT isn’t actively contributing to your business’s success, it’s time for a digital transformation.
