How to Create CONGRUENCE in your Digital Roadmap

In my previous article, "The 3Cs of Digital Transformation," I highlighted the critical importance of creating Congruence: aligning top-level business strategy with your digital transformation roadmap, while ensuring bottom-up engagement with enthusiasm and commitment towards tangible outcomes. Over the years, I've developed a four-step framework that consistently delivers results across diverse organizations. Sharing the same below -

Step 1: Translating Business Strategy into Actionable Levers and HMWs

Start by distilling your overarching business strategy into tangible business levers and measurable outcomes. This exercise is typically done with the CEO and the top team. For instance, if your goal is to "increase market share" in a distribution-led business, you might identify "expanding distribution reach" as a key lever. The corresponding outcome metric could be "increasing on-shelf availability from X to Y outlets" or "expanding e-commerce presence."

Crucially, reframe these levers into bold "How Might We" (HMW) questions. Using above example, "How might we increase product availability to N no of outlets in the next two years?" This simple shift transforms broad strategic goals into clear opportunities for innovation. At the end of this step you should end up with a simple list of not more than 5 HMWs.

Step 2: Unleashing Cross-Functional Creativity Through Ideation

Enrol Cross functional teams for each HMWs, bring them together and share the HMW question and outcome goals. Encourage them to share outside-in perspectives, market trend insights, and competitive observations. Leverage Design Thinking by creating empathy maps for key stakeholders (consumers, retailers, distributors, etc.). This provides crucial insights into their needs and challenges. ?

This then leads to a workshop which is facilitated by the following inputs –

• Outside in learning – What are the best in the world doing in relevant Industry
• Art of Possible with Digital and AI Levers – Inspirational examples of digital led innovation in the outside world across industries
• Learnings from the Empathy Maps of key stakeholders in terms of key areas of opportunities

Crucially, encourage unconstrained thinking and use a structured ideation framework to maximize workshop outcomes. Repeat this process for each identified HMW question.

Step 3: The 2+3 Approach: Balancing Growth and Future-Proofing

Summarize the gathered ideas into 4-5 key programs, using the 2+3 approach for balance between tangible business outcomes in short to medium team and long-term enterprise building. (Note: Adjust the split based on organizational maturity)

• Two Growth/Bottomline focused Programs: These should directly address major business outcomes like increased profitability or growth. Examples: reducing R&D lifecycle (pharma), improving shelf availability (distribution), or lowering conversion costs (process industries).
• Three Future-Proofing Programs: These focus on building the enterprise of tomorrow. Examples: implementing data governance, modernizing technology stack, establishing a single source of digital truth for reviews, digitalizing cross functional workflows. One should attempt linking these programs as well to clear business outcomes.

Step 4: Finalizing the Roadmap and Target State Vision

Secure buy-in by having each team create detailed program charters. These charters should include: Clearly defined business outcomes, required resources, budget, timelines with key milestones and governance approach. The cross functional teams should present these charters to the executive committee and ensure sponsorship for the programs.

Synthesize these charters into :

• The Roadmap: A timeline of key initiatives and milestones. This could also involved staggerign various initiaites aligning with organizational bandwidth and energy
• The Target-State Architecture: An exciting vision for the organization's future structure and capabilities

Above steps when executed well, helps create very good congruence on your roadmap. This roadmap has to be supported by the other two Cs: Capability and Culture. Will share more on the same in my next article.