‘Biting off more than you can chew’.

The first article in KISS (Keeping it Simple Stupid), a series on Digital Transformation is here.

This article reaches into the basics of Digital Transformation, something I have carried out on many occasions over many years, but like many others have only recently started using the phrase.

Consultancies and big business are throwing it about everywhere, but do you truly know the basics?

It’s truly entered the Zeitgeist and is without doubt the phrase of the moment. Anyway, we love a bit of terminology in business and especially ICT, but the problem is that sometimes where one phrase begins another ends and we get consumed with using the right words, or indeed the right acronym. Forget all of that.?

Basically, no matter what you call your project, the term Digital Transformation is one I think will stick for a bit.

The actual task of integrating digital thinking is certainly not new, but it is an area that more and more (bit not enough) social landlords are taking some serious interest in.?

This article is intended to get some basics right, and to help keep it simple as a starter. I know from experience that this works.

So, let’s first try defining the term Digital Transformation. To me:

Digital transformation is the introduction, implementation, and integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, transforming operations and delivering value to customers, improving their experience.

It is also requires cultural chance for organisations to continually innovate and challenge the norm.

If I hear one more person say, 'it’s always been that way, so why change'. Or ‘If it isn’t broken then don’t fix it’ when it is obviously broken in the first place then I will literally scream.

I therefore wanted to highlight some of the basics, and how to keep it simple and greatly improve your chance of success. Here goes:

• Do not over stretch your resource. Managing your capacity to resource a transformation project is critical. Make sure you take care of the day job and if you assign people to your project in whatever role do not forget they are leaving another job behind for at least a bit. This simple fact is overlooked time and time again. Please do not over stretch your resource. Also seriously consider bringing in expert help. Whatever form this is, it helps immensely if you can find some experience that is specific and relatable. It really does pay. Oh, and of course, Digital Bark, hint hint....it's in the name.
• Avoid needless complexity. In this instance, I refer to the trap where organisations simply get carried away and try to do too much too soon. Pace yourself and ensure you build up sensibly. For example, implement core systems first, ensure they are working well and then build on this, then interface, then do the fancy sh*t.
• Keep focused. It’s easy to get distracted. Similar to above, this refers more to allowing other projects to get in the way. When I was Head of Corporate Services for a landlord we brought in an experienced change and project manager to advise the management team in getting programme management right. He said something that stuck with me. He said why try and do a hundred projects, fail on 80, go over budget on ten, and do ok on the final ten. Instead, just do 5 and do them excellently. Then build on these, learn from them and ensure future success.
• Ensure you are ready culturally. Bring ‘everyone’ along with you on the journey. If you go back to my definition of Digital Transformation you will see it is about 'integration across all areas of the business' and this is where a good digital transformation project is measured. So, your culture has to be right. Digital solutions need to be embraced and believed by all to be the best way forward. Welcome change!
• It is by no means all about technology, but it is about thinking digitally. If you allow your venture into digital transformation to be led by the technology you are in danger of thinking of your internal operations only. Whatever happened to the customer. What does the technology or the digital shift do for them?
• And this leads me to the thing that drives me more than anything else and that is the digital move from service centric design to a customer centric design. This is by no means a small thing, but worth a basic diagram to illustrate it. I am going to talk more about this in the next article in the KISS series, but have a peek at this for now.

Finally, another couple of snippets are:

• It’s not all about housing. Look outside the sector, learn and adapt. Google, talk, research what others have done.
• Have fun. There is no reason for digital transformation and innovation to be boring. This is a small aside, and it never really grabbed the world of business but I still love it. Fun Theory in business was in part developed by Volkswagen and although the boring world of business pushed it to the side. Check out this link and stop for a minute and think...https://youtu.be/SByymar3bds?si=Na3Vc8tH8uoOutUO

I am a true believer in digital services making a real difference to the customer in social housing, yet I am also continually frustrated by landlords still not embracing the benefits.

There is much more to the world of digital transformation, and please do get in touch to learn from our years of experience.

And of course, look out for the next article on Service Centric v Customer Centric design and how to keep it simple.