Reflections on a digitally accelerated journey ...

In September 2019, I was fortunate enough to join PwC's first cohort of digital accelerators in Australia. 50 of my colleagues and I embarked on a digital journey with a mission to upskill the firm, our clients and ourselves. 6 months later, we have not only achieved those goals, but I have also become a real advocate for data analytics.

As we all know, the current global situation has forced a lot of people to work from home and engage with others using digital channels. A few days ago, I was speaking with a friend in Paris who shared some of the challenges he faced working from home. That got me thinking... are most organisations ready to take a leap into digital collaboration? And how can we mitigate the risk of becoming obsolete in an increasingly digitised world?

While I might not have all the answers, I want to share my perspective as someone whose job it is to upskill others and integrate the usage of business intelligence tools on a daily basis.

Why do business analytics and digital fitness matter?

Nowadays, almost everything collects data: smartphones, wearables, cars, EFTPOS machines, smart home gadgets, ERP systems, etc... and not to mention that 5G is almost knocking on our door. That's all good and great, but do we know what to do with that data?

Probably not. And that's because most businesses gather information without a clear intention of what to do with it, or even worse, gather information as a segway just to comply with reporting responsibilities. 

So what can your company do to begin its digital journey?

1. Start with a plan and goal in mind: Have a head start at selecting what data you will collect. Scrutinise what is really important and what can help you tell a story.
2. Get the tools... and the training: Make sure your workforce has the tools and training to process the information. Having powerful tools like Alteryx, Tableau, or PowerBI can make data processing easier, but you'll need to build the skills inhouse to put it into practice.
3. Mind your audience: After performing the data analysis (qualitative/quantitative), make sure that the output visualisations are user-friendly and can be easily understood by other stakeholders.
4. Ensure cross-communication is key: Make sure relevant insights are communicated across your organisation. This can foster synergies across departments and allow new data-driven projects to emerge.

At the individual level, some effective ways to overcome digital obsolescence are to:

1. Seek self-training: You don't need to go back to school to learn how to use data cleansing/visualisation tools. Most tools have online courses that can kick-start your training.
2. Join an online community: Most tools also provide an online community. While they're not going to solve all your problems, you can seek examples of what you're trying to achieve, and who knows, you might already know more than you think and be able to contribute too!
3. Practice, practice, practice: Needless to say, practice makes perfect! But make sure someone can provide a peer review of your work.
4. Most importantly, be curious and self-motivated.

While most of us are wondering what's going to happen in the near and long-term future, one thing we can be sure of is that the new normal is yet to be defined, and it’s part of our social responsibility to make sure the next generation is ready for it.

The current global situation is likely to bring many changes in terms of the tools and technologies that we use, but by sharing our knowledge and engaging the younger generations, our actions can help determine their ability to overcome the challenges of the future.

• - Nowadays, technology can enable us to get into classrooms across the world by using digital platforms like Nepris. -

I believe that times like these pose an opportunity for many businesses to embrace digital tools. This is the time to re-imagine our future and adopt an innovative mindset... because in the end... innovation does not come from business as usual.

-Please leave your comments about the challenges of working from home and what do you foresee the new normal will be in upcoming months-