ways to get under the skin of what is blocking your business growth
Michael Minarik, Business Consultant, Ultima
Edition Seven
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, organisations often find themselves grappling with obstacles that hinder their growth and digital transformation efforts. This article delves into eight critical areas one to address. By examining these key factors, the aim is to shed light on the common pitfalls and provide insights that can help align technology initiatives with business objectives.
1.
Who can say their digital strategy is aligned with their business direction of travel?
Digital strategies often lose their way, becoming disconnected from the original business vision. It's time to bridge this gap.
In the whirlwind of digital transformation, keeping your digital strategy aligned with your business goals is like herding cats.
As plans trickle down the corporate ladder, they often morph into something unrecognisable. This game of Chinese whispers leads to digital teams working on projects that barely resemble the initial business strategy. Poor documentation and static approaches only add fuel to the fire. The result? A digital roadmap that's more of a detour than a direct route to success.
2.
Road to Digital: Culture catalyst or culture crusher?
Digital tools can make or break your company culture. Which way will you steer it?
In the digital transformation arena, your company culture is the star player that can either score big or fumble spectacularly. When orchestrated with finesse, digital tools become the ultimate culture boosters - imagine collaboration reaching new heights, data-driven decisions becoming the norm, and innovation flowing like a river after a storm.
But watch out: a ham-fisted digital rollout can turn your workplace into a pressure cooker. It might erode trust, breed frustration, or even create a sense of Big Brother watching. The plot twist? Your existing culture can be the make-or-break factor in this digital drama. A risk-averse environment might treat new tech like it's radioactive, while a 'fail forward' culture is more likely to give digital innovations a standing ovation.
3.
The People-Process-Technology triangle: Still the holy trinity of business transformation
New tech alone won't save the day. People, process, and technology must dance in harmony.
In the grand orchestra of business transformation, technology often gets the spotlight. But here's the rub: even the fanciest tech can hit a bum note if it's playing solo. The People-Process-Technology triangle isn't just some dusty old management theory - it's the secret sauce for a harmonious digital transformation. Imagine rolling out a swanky new CRM system, only to find your team using it like a glorified address book.
4.
Employees: Your unsung heroes in the digital transformation saga
In the whirlwind of change, your team needs a compass, not just marching orders.
You're excitedly plotting your company's digital transformation, hopping from one shiny project to another. Meanwhile, your employees feel like they're stuck in a never-ending game of high-tech hopscotch, desperately trying to keep up. This constant state of flux isn't just dizzying - it's a recipe for change fatigue.
5.
Security and compliance: From roadblocks to race cars
Security shouldn't be the party pooper of innovation. Let's turn those brakes into boosters!
Your company's innovators are revving up for a groundbreaking project, only to be flagged down by the security and compliance pit crew. Suddenly, your race to market feels more like a traffic jam. It's a common tale - security teams inadvertently become the "Department of No," leaving frustrated colleagues to either give up or, worse, take risky detours via shadow IT.
6.
Don't lose the plot: Remembering the 'why' in your digital odyssey
Amidst the tech frenzy, don't forget why you started this journey in the first place.
You're knee-deep in a digital transformation project, juggling buzzwords like they're flaming torches. Suddenly, someone asks, "Why are we doing this again?" Cue the awkward silence. It's a common tale in the corporate world - embarking on grand tech adventures without a clear map or destination. The result?
7.
The customer's always right... until the invoice arrives
Customer demands: a blessing or a budget-buster? Let's find the sweet spot.
Ah, the age-old mantra: "The customer is always right." It's a lovely sentiment, isn't it? But in the labyrinth of tech and digital projects, it's not always that simple. Picture this: your customer arrives with a wish list longer than a Victorian novel, expecting it all to be delivered yesterday, on a shoestring budget.
8.
Slow and steady wins the digital race
In the tech sprint, sometimes it's better to jog than sprint. Let's pace ourselves!
You're in the midst of a digital project, moving at the speed of light. New tech here, process changes there, cultural shifts everywhere. It's exhilarating! But wait, what's that sound? It's your team, gasping for breath, struggling to keep up. In our eagerness to evolve at warp speed, we often forget a crucial fact: humans aren't computers. We can't just install an update and reboot. Real change - the kind that sticks - takes time, patience, and a bit of breathing room.
Michael Minarik, Business Consultant, Ultima
Michael Minarik is a business consultant at Ultima, a leading AI-powered technology service provider. With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, he has worked with global companies such as HPE, Allen & Overy, Orbit and Ultima. His expertise lies in business transformation, strategy and operations, with a focus on digital transformation, cybersecurity and service-driven architecture.
Michael excels at leading strategy discussions with board-level decision-makers and translating vision into practical work programmes that yield sustainable results. He has managed and delivered complex projects involving both technology implementation and operational change. His key strength is a comprehensive understanding of IT, including end-user systems, data centres and cloud computing. This enables him to effectively align technical capabilities with business requirements, understand their interdependencies and identify necessary operational changes.
He has successfully managed large-scale projects across private and public sectors, including data centre consolidations, cloud migrations and repatriations, as well as overhauls of business end-user estates. Michael's core competency is however in strategy and programme definition. He excels at understanding client requirements and mapping out detailed next steps for execution. This includes broader pieces of work associated with M&A.
Working with cross-functional teams, Michael has supported accelerated business growth and change. He has demonstrated success in optimising IT budgets to deliver greater business benefits and return on investment.
"It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer."
Albert Einstein
