Processes: the foundations of your digitalization project
" On average, it takes French companies 15 months to change their processes", is the finding highlighted by Teradata in a recent study. The main reasons for these delays often lie in the inertia typical of large companies, fueled by aging technologies and cultural barriers.
So how can you accelerate change and make a success of your digitalization projects? One answer is to capitalize on what the company has mastered: its know-how.
1. Take stock
In 2019, Teradata's " Adapt or disappear: the new reality of a hyper-digitized world" survey of IT and business decision-makers in organizations with more than 1,000 employees revealed a mixed global assessment of the level of digitalization in companies. In fact, only 10% of them claim to have fully digitized their activities ( source).
However, companies are aware of the urgent need to become more agile in order to remain competitive in their markets.
Needs assessment and audits
Wherever your journey takes you, you need a starting point. The first building blocks of your digital empire are based on listening, observing and transcribing how your company operates.
Conduct interviews with employees, observe information management, ask customers about their expectations, mandate an external service provider to accompany the process. There are many ways to take a step back and look at your organization.
Mapping the company
It's impossible to start transforming your company without a complete mapping of activities, players and data.
If there's one thing that companies have mastered perfectly, it's their know-how. It is therefore essential for chief digital officers, digital transformation managers and all those involved in the success of the project to draw up this map, in order to propose appropriate solutions.
In addition, tools, suppliers, customers and all external stakeholders must also be included. The aim will then be to list interdependencies and measure the impact of future changes.
2. List priorities and objectives
Prioritization is one of the keys to successful transformation. If, in your assessment, you've identified the main hotspots, and therefore the first milestones to be reached, you're on the right track. Let's face it, your transformation won't work with the classic pattern of consultant, specifications, IT services company, solution delivery 12 months later.
Prioritize today, and avoid a repeat tomorrow
As the saying goes, don't put the cart before the horse. To get your teams on board with your projects, you need to be able to deliver results quickly.
One of the big mistakes in digitalization projects is to try to digitalize the entire organization at all costs. We've found that "gas plants" tend to demotivate the troops.
Concentrate initially on recurring, time-consuming activities. Set short-term objectives that will make day-to-day life easier for operational staff.
Don't overlook the cultural barrier
The cultural barrier is by far the most common and the most difficult to overcome. There are no "off-the-shelf" solutions to help you, apart from communication and collaboration. Change management must be an integral part of your plan.
In fact, many ideas have come to fruition as a result of these consultation stages. Your employees are also your customers, and their digital culture can help you find solutions.
A number of companies have turned to mainstream technologies on the recommendation of their employees. One example is Skype, which has long been used by friends and family, and over time has found its way into professional environments.
3. Choosing the right players for success
The key role of digitalization
Not all companies are fortunate enough to be able to call on the services of large consulting firms to support them. Nevertheless, it is possible to assign new missions to one of your employees with in-depth knowledge of the business.
In recent years, a new profile has emerged: the Chief Digital Officer. Responsible for establishing the company's digital strategy, he or she acts as a liaison between the business units, IT and management, has a thorough knowledge of technological innovations and is the guardian of successful projects.
Management
Management also has an essential role to play. They must drive change and set the course. Unlike field teams, who often have their heads in the sand, management must provide a strategic vision and visibility of the future organization.
It may seem a trivial question, but why do you want to digitalize your company's activities? The answers to this question need to be shared with the rest of the company if you want to get your employees on board.
Software publishers
Often seen simply as a supplier, software publishers can also play a significant role in the success of your project. They are experts in their field, and have the advantage of a wealth of experience thanks to their customers.
The more your supplier knows about your organization, the more solutions they can provide.
At Iterop, for example, we found that 42% of our prospects had not formalized their processes. As a result, our position as a software publisher has evolved, and we now intervene upstream of integration.
To help us frame this support aspect, we designed the SESAME method (Structure d'Evaluation et Solutions d'Amélioration de la Maturité des Entreprises) in partnership with the École des Mines d'Albi. This audit tool helps diagnose a company's level of maturity on the digitization of its activities and, above all, offers recommendations tailored to its objectives.
💡 Case study:
Airbus CE was one of the first to experiment with the method. Based on their initial situation established via SESAME, the purchasing team was quickly able to put in place the roadmap to follow to increase its level of digitalization. Today, all purchasing procedures are digitalized.
4. Coordinate Business and IT
Appoint a double-hatted pilot
Finding people who understand both business needs and the technological solutions to meet them can be a difficult task. Companies often turn to an in-house expert to train them in new technologies.
This new digital pilot is the guarantor of projects and the preferred intermediary for both operational staff and management.
Co-construction for innovation
Employees are at the end of the chain, and if you spend time developing new paths or choosing new solutions without taking their habits into account, your fine technological innovations are likely to flop.
Whatever you want to do, you need to take advantage of the know-how of your teams and draw on their experience. All you need to do is find a simple co-construction tool that allows you to sit down around a table and create your future innovations together.
5. BPM: the co-construction tool
Paper processes VS automated processes
Unlike ERP systems, which are often considered too rigid, or in-house solutions developed by IT experts, BPM (Business Process Management) software is a true collaborative construction platform designed to move from a paper-based process to a fully automated one.
In fact, the BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) 2.0 standard was created so that a non-IT specialist can easily read and understand an activity diagram. It is thanks to this business/IT language that many teams have been able to collaborate on new circuits within their company.
The benefits of BPM
Long confined to the field of quality, Business Process Management (BPM) is gradually winning over the hearts of other teams.
In the short term, this approach brings transparency, legibility and harmonization. In the medium term, you gradually computerize the paper mapping of your processes, with the associated players and data. In the long term, you facilitate the ongoing digitization of your know-how and processes.
Rapid evolution and autonomy
A company's greatest fear is to be left behind when competitors offer ever more innovative services to ultra-connected customers. With BPM solutions based on your processes, you can make your activities evolve hot or cold according to your teams' analyses, customer needs or regulatory requirements. You're no longer constrained by your tools; it's up to you to decide on the customer journey, for example, and how you want to digitize it.
Conclusion
To sum up, the success of a digitalization project depends on a good understanding of the company's processes, co-construction stages with the teams, identification of the roles and responsibilities of each team member, and a clear definition of the project's objectives.In short, the success of a digitalization project depends on a good understanding of your company's processes, co-construction with your teams, identification of the roles of each person and anticipation of future needs (your ability to integrate innovation on an ongoing basis).
Processes are the foundations of your future innovations, because if they are well mastered, they will guarantee your long-term survival in the marketplace. Ultimately, you'll be able to evolve your business not in 15 months, but in 15 days.
Article translated from French