This question is the topic of a series of articles in the coming weeks around the theme of having your “House in Order”.
Digital Transformation is about the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how you operate and deliver value to customers.
There are good examples of successful digital transformations, such as online stores where you can do your shopping simply from home and your order is delivered the next day or even the same day, well announced with messages regarding delivery date/time. This has fundamentally changed the way we do shopping.
When businesses want to embark on the boat called “Digital Transformation”, they often forget that it is important, even imperative, to have their house in order. Starting Digital Transformation projects without having their house in order don´t bring value, in many occasions costs will only go up.
Why is it so important to have your house in order?
It is a prerequisite for success. In other words, if you as a company want to fundamentally change how you operate, be well prepared. If your business processes are not in order or your IT systems are not up to date, it is extremely difficult to make a fundamental impact.
Why is this?
The reason is often quite simple: if the house is not in order, a lot of time is wasted on things that seem important but are not important at all. This draws valuable resources that could also be spent on preparing yourself for the unexpected.
If you don’t have your house in order, unexpected events might put a lot of stress on your company, for which you might not be prepared. This can lead to slow progress in projects, lower quality products, dissatisfied customers or worse.
Q7 Consulting often gets questions from customers regarding IT Systems that don’t perform well, IT departments that do not perform well, security issues etc. Often, the question behind the question has to do with having the house in order.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the next articles regarding “House in Order”.