How you can de-risk your transformation programme

In recent years and in particular since the start of the COVID pandemic, technology is playing an increasingly significant role in our lives, in how we work, how we socialise, in hospitality and travel and of course how we shop. Organisations need to work harder than ever to keep up with consumers expectations to make their life easier through digital technologies.

We're all a customer of some sort on a daily basis and it might be stating the obvious, but customer facing businesses are so much more likely to grow and succeed with a simple, user friendly digital experience that allows customers to engage, make reservations and shop in a simple, seamless, click-friendly manner. However, in a world of high competitiveness, unprecedented inflation and squeezed margins, businesses are also under more pressure than ever to improve productivity by removing wasted effort and streamlining processes. Free cash flow is under more pressure than it was a couple of years ago and businesses are having to prioritise and make tough choices about how and where to invest, such as:

Technology to help stay legal and compliant with governmental regulations;
Modernising technology platforms to keep the lights on and reduce the risk and impact of failure;
Short, medium and long term productivity improvements to improve cashflow;
Taking bold decisions to invest in improving their customer experience, with a more uncertain payback;
Innovation, research and development that has potential to improve business performance;

Whether it's investing in the customer experience or to improve productivity, lots of companies are recognising the role that Technology can play in transforming businesses to remove repetitive manual tasks, stitch together isolated business processes and speed up, or where possible automate decision making across all levels of an organisation. This includes companies with big growth ambitions that need to invest in technology to keep operating costs down while enabling greater throughput and companies that have previously invested in technology now reaching capacity and holding back the company from scaling further, so need to move to more scalable platforms.

Transformation plans are so often built on a 'happy-path' with a little contingency (say 10%) built in to help navigate a few unexpected bumps in the road. To keep a technology led transformation programme on track, it's important to think carefully about the risks and there's some big decisions to make at the start that can make a big difference.

As a starting point, there are a number of key building blocks that can be put in place early on in the programme that can make a big difference. Whilst success can never be guaranteed because there may be outside forces and environmental factors that could never be planned for, focussing energy on the following can make a big difference to setting and meeting expectations:

Active Sponsorship - ideally a single person that sits outside the programme but can make decisions quickly and is fully invested in the success of the work, keeping in regular contact with progress.

Business Outcomes - clearly defined business benefits that are well communicated across all people involved in the work and built into the overall business strategy, so that all team players are clear on the 'why' and what is at stake.

Incremental Delivery - this isn't always possible, but it's worth considering splitting the programme into a few distinct outcomes that can be delivered more iteratively, helping the business realise benefits gradually rather than waiting for a big reveal at the end.

Interdependencies - identify any internal programme dependencies early and keep them in your sights all the way through so they don't turn into nasty surprises, this is especially true when there are different suppliers / partners involved.

Trusted Partnerships - get outside help from a partner with experience of delivering transformation on a scale that you're looking for, who can act as the glue between your business and the technology services organisations that you're working with to give a better chance of success.

The above isn't an exhaustive list but a few pointers to help you stay on track with your programme of work.

Xandr Consulting can support you at any stage of your journey, whether you're at the start and need help developing your plans or if you need support with your in-flight programme to help either keep it on track or build a turnaround plan. Please get in touch today and we'll be happy to help!