Despite their tech-centric commonalities, each digital transformation initiative is unique. Business needs change over time and so do the features available to meet those needs. To avoid getting into a rut and missing out on important technology capabilities or cost-optimization opportunities, we put together a handful of elements project teams should consider to improve digital transformation outcomes.
Digital transformation project scopes are expanding.
The number of technology solutions used within even a small organization can be overwhelming. Each platform must integrate with dozens of others inside the business and sometimes with external systems, too. Orchestrating digital initiatives requires collaboration with a growing cohort of consultants and experts to ensure that every integration is properly configured, secured, and tested. Reviewing details about the activities, task durations, and technology partners involved in previous projects will be a useful starting point during the new project’s early planning discussions, but teams should assess and be ready to update those data points as the initiative’s parameters develop.
Past vendor data is less relevant for partner selection and budget development purposes.
The technology market underwent considerable merger and acquisition activity in recent years, and it’s still in a state of rapid change. Companies spun off subsidiaries, acquired competitors, and merged with partners. Some have simply gone out of business. Along with exploring which new solutions have entered the marketplace since the last project and understanding how the current offerings compare in both features and price, the project team should also assume they’ll need to revisit the list of vendors that are best positioned to support the new digital initiative.
Today’s technology costs are calculated differently.
Legacy systems commonly used onsite hardware to power workflows and maintain data repositories. That meant including significant capital expenditures in your project budget. Much of today’s architecture puts those workloads and data in the cloud. You may not have a clear translation between the previous CapEx spend and the newer consumption-based pricing used by most cloud providers. This makes it difficult to forecast what your operational expenditures will be as you move solutions to your cloud environment. Previous digital transformation budgets are good guideposts but remember to gather as much cost data from your technology partners as possible to be sure your newest budget is realistic.
It’s more difficult to maintain a strong cybersecurity posture.
AI and other advanced technology tools aren’t just making their way into the enterprise—cybercriminals have them, too. They’re launching sophisticated social engineering campaigns to steal sensitive information while simultaneously probing thousands of network endpoints for vulnerabilities. Given the increasing capabilities of modern hackers, the cybersecurity training offered during a previous digital initiative’s onboarding phase may not cover emerging risks or any threats that are unique to the new system you’re implementing. Consider where you may need to boost users’ security knowledge to ensure your transformation journey isn’t derailed by a breach.
Employees’ need for upskilling support extends beyond a project’s implementation phase.
A Gartner survey found that only 16% of CIOs prioritize developing a technology workforce outside of IT. However, digital transformation project success often hinges on users’ ability to master a variety of systems. Between the steady stream of new technology innovations and the growing number of business use cases for AI and other tools, employees must continually expand their skill sets to stay current. Developing user training focused on a new technology platform is important, but it’s no longer a discrete sequence. Instead, project teams should integrate each digital transformation initiative into a wider program of learning opportunities to ensure the workforce can maximize the value of the entire technology stack.
PMAlliance, Inc uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project portfolio management.