Digital Transformation:2020 and Beyond

Joe Onisick | Principaljoe@transformationcontinuum.com

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Forced OpportunityEntering 2020 it looked to be the year two major industry shifts merged. The first shift is the rapid disruptive pace of technol-

ogy change. The second is a comprehensive mindset change from viewing technology as a cost to embracing technology as

a business driver.

Instead, 2020 came crashing in with unforeseen global challenges and unprecedented problems. Rather than eliminate the

coming merge 2020 brought the two shifts crashing together more rapidly than anyone could predict. This cataclysmic colli-

sion has become a forced opportunity for truly transformative digital technologies.

This cataclysmic collision has become a forced opportunity for truly transformative digital technologies.

A biproduct of that same collision has been validation of digital transformation principles. Companies that had already

adapted to responsive IT systems and technology agility have entered the second quarter of the year better positioned than

their competition.

The possibilities of technology are only achievable when organizations are ready, willing and able to act. 2020 has forced

our collective hand into a ‘ready, and willing’ state. Is your organization able?

Organizations that seize this opportunity, embracing required immediate shifts with an eye on their impact over time will

enter 2021 with boundless opportunity. The path has been charted by trailblazing companies creating extensive lessons

learned: what works; what doesn’t, and pitfalls to avoid. 2020 is the year digital transformation moves from innovators

through early adopters and into the majority. Finding the right balance of technology, people, and process will drive adoption

and spark your next innovation.

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Embracing the Constant: ChangeSuccessful digital transformation will be not be measured in specific results, but with ongoing, continuous improvement mo-

dalities. While goals can, and should be set for specific tasks, they need to be addressed with the understanding that change

is constant and often disruptive. Digital transformation must be viewed as a continual process, where organizations are

able to adopt systems, workflows and behaviors that ensure the next wave of revolutionary transformation can be quickly

absorbed.

Digital transformation must be viewed as a continual process…

When undertaking major transformations like cloud migrations, application rationalization, or agile initiatives, organizations

must analyze the processes requiring change and determine how best to evolve those processes. While the capabilities of

new technology will differ, the adoption method needs to be reliable yet fluid enough to adjust along the way. Establishing a

clear yet flexible path from identification through adoption with steps for validation, education, and socialization is critical to

long-term success.

These new adoption methodologies should be implemented in parallel with existing transformation projects. Typically, this

process takes 12-18 months to fully implement, test, and adapt. A current transformation priority is chosen, and the method-

ology is implemented and tested along with its rollout.

12 Month Plan

• The starting point shouldbe a big picture priorityproject that can be brokendown and accomplishedin 12 months.

• This will be the anchorfor building and adoptinga transformation method-

ology as well as a criticalsuccess point to maintain

momentum.

Adopting Your Methodology

• Document and formalizethe process.

• Communicate the processacross teams.

• Adapt the process wherenecessary.

The Hard Part

• Decide what youwant your ITdelivery to looklike in five years.

• How will yourteams operate?

• How will youassess emergingtechnology?

• What doesmaturity meanto you?

Continual Adoption

• Technology will continueto evolve and there’s nosign of slowing.

• Your team will be poised to identify, assess, andadopt as requried.

The Transformation Lifecycle

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The Continuum ModalitySM

The clear path to adoption involves multiple phases that must be run continually in an iterative loop. Those include identi-

fication, validation, education, purchase & planning, deploy & testing, and socialization. The center axle of this process is

adaptation. Our Continuum ModalitySM is tailored to the specifics of each organization.

Transformation Modality The Continuum ModalitySM is a wheel revolving around an axle of adaptation.

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The Phases:

Who is responsible for identifying emerging technology that may be a fit for the organi-zation? What is their process for vetting that technology and understanding when it’s mature enough for adoption by your organization?

What is your process for validating a new technology? How will you ensure: maturity, scalability, costs, organizational readiness, need, operational requirements, etc.?

What is your process for training administrative and operational staff? How do you edu-cate your teams on new technology to ensure adoption and utilization? What stages of education do you use to ensure your team can design, plan, deploy, and operate the new technology?

What’s your design for the roll-out of the technology? Who will be responsible for deploy-ment, what architecture will be deployed, which pieces must be planned prior to purchase versus after?

Will your staff deploy the technology, are they capable, do they have the information and resources available for success, how do you test success, can deploy and test be done simultaneously?

Many organizations stop after deployment or testing. Doing so leads to partial adop-tion, no adoption or short-term adoption that tapers into non-use. When a technology is deployed successfully, socializing that technology helps ensure usage, adoption and success. What is your plan for socializing the new solution with relevant teams, training operators, and creating adopters?

Identify

Validate

Educate

Purchase& Plan

Deploy& Test

Socialize

Our Continuum ModalitySM can be applied no matter where an organization sits in its digital transformation initiative. For

example, if a DevOps initiative is approved with projects already underway for planning and design, two things can take

place. The first is a look back at the previous phases. Did they work, did they fit this methodology, are they reliable and

fluid? The second is to plan and execute the remaining phases and options, ensuring they are made reliable and fluid

enough to absorb the next technology shift.

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Whatever transformation adoption stage you’re in, it’s critical to adopt a methodology to achieve the desired outcome.

For most organizations these processes will run in parallel with multiple transformations ongoing, each at different

stages.

Whatever transformation adoption stage you’re in, it’s criticalto adopt a methodology to achieve the desired outcome.

Transformational LeadershipCapitalizing on the fusion of technology, demand, and people requires transformational leadership. At the highest level (CIOs

for example) there is a requirement for business-savvy, visionary leaders who are tightly aligned with the lines-of-business. Leg-

acy structures aligning Information Technology (IT) to the CFO will force a tight coupling to Return-on-Investment (ROI) rather

than business driven growth metrics. This inevitably leads to a very narrow set of investment criteria for technology decisions.

Transformational leadership and alignment must flow down the organizational chain. Technology leaders must build con-

sensus and agreement among responsible teams and be aware of cultural, technology, and knowledge barriers to adoption.

The best laid transformation plans can fall flat in the face of a staff that isn’t aligned or committed to the change

IT leaders should seek internal champions who have the respect of their peers and a desire to adopt the transformation.

These key individuals will act as evangelists for the shift, helping to ensure smooth adoption. The more information provided

to and input requested from operational staff, the more likely they are to treat transformation as a positive. This helps avoid

fears of job replacement or being left behind.

IT leaders should seek internal champions who have the respectof their peers and a desire to adopt the transformation.

Transformation is 80/20True digital transformation follows the 80/20 rule. 80% of the effort is organizational: people and process. 20% of the work is

technology: hardware and software. Heavy lifting must be done in understanding existing procedures, cultural and organiza-

tional silos, and gathering true insight into the challenges facing organizations today. Often, executives are not fully aware of

all these factors as they are intentionally/unintentionally obfuscated from leadership.

Embarking on transformational initiatives without an adoption methodology can lead to projects project veering off course,

falling short of the desired outcomes. Our Continuum Adoption Methodology is a proven approach to achieving successful

digital transformations.

To get started on your transformation contact us at:info@transformationcontinuum.com