Digital Transformations Can be as Opportune as Having a Baby

Are You Ready for a Kid?

Not everyone loves family planning, but to disregard it is essentially embracing a certain amount of chaos. You could say that a transformational technology initiative shares many of the same characteristics as having a baby. There will certainly be disruptions to your life. Things like: how much sleep you get, the way you do things, what you worry about, and how you spend your time. If you take a moment to consider your objectives before you get started, I promise you; it will allow you to form a much clearer picture of your priorities, how they have shifted, and why they have changed.

Taking time to prepare will certainly limit the explosive potential for chaos. Hopefully, in 18 years you can look back on your decision to embark on your digital journey and reflect on all the special memories. There may have been challenges coloring the backdrop, but you will be grateful for how it has changed your life. Worst case? . . . maybe you love the chaos that comes with having a baby unprepared, in which case you may or may not have such a rosy experience.

Can You Afford a Kid?

Many couples start a family by asking themselves, can we afford to support a child? I would argue that this is the incorrect way to think about starting a family. You don’t have to be wealthy to have a baby, you just need to be reasonable. The question couples should be asking themselves when they are trying to determine if they are ready for children is, do we want it bad enough to make the sacrifices necessary to succeed? There are an unlimited number of scenarios in which you can successfully raise a family on a budget. Transformational technology initiatives are similar in that regard.

Many people think that you need to be a national retailer or multinational conglomerate to be able to afford a successful technology initiative. That is simply not the case. Digital transformation projects come in all shapes and sizes, and there are really only a few things to consider when thinking about when to begin an initiative . . . Do you want it? Can it add value to your business? Is there a way to increase sales or decrease headaches by utilizing technology?

When Will I Be Ready?

This is perhaps the greatest psychological misnomer in circulation. Life decisions are never easy and often there isn’t a “right” time or a “wrong” time. The question you should be asking yourself is How Do I Become Ready? Life is not a script and therefore it cannot be scheduled. There is no need to be married with a baby on the way at 23. In my opinion, important business decisions aren’t any different.

It’s important to set goals, but sometimes business executives become too concerned with timelines when they should be focused on enabling a successful outcome. There will not be a specific moment in which you determine that you are ready, but there will be opportunities to help you become better prepared. Preparation is the number one determining factor of the success of a digital transformation.

Being too rigid in your expectations will almost certainly doom you to falling short of the expected results of your technology initiative. Even worse, it will likely cost you lots of money. Rather than prioritizing deadlines or timelines, consider ways to make yourself ready.

How Do I Become Ready?

To come back to our parenthood analogy, do you think a woman wakes up one day and suddenly decides she is the right age and it is the right season to become a mother? Of course not! Any person who wishes to: a) become a parent, and b) be a good parent, puts themselves in situations that will allow them to learn what it will take to succeed in raising a child.

You must do the same thing for a technology initiative if you want to harness the full potential of your transformational technology initiative. Find webinars, participate in online forums, reach out to professionals who have had similar experiences. There are plenty of groups on LinkedIn with a host of professionals ready to help you understand what it is that you need to do to succeed.

Am I Ready Right Now?

Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. Ask yourself this question: What Does My Plan Look Like? If you can’t provide a compelling answer to that question, guess what, you aren’t ready yet. I’m reminded of the adage, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Although failure can be a valuable lesson, you can’t afford to allocate mountains of resources towards something just to have the end result be an expensive educational experience. If you want that, go back to college. Too many companies and consultants focus on discovering opportunities for change. Then they jump straight to implementation without considering the need for a thorough roadmap. Often times they fail to even attempt clearing obstacles first. Don’t take the plunge without looking to see if there are rocks at the bottom first.

Your plan should allow you to discover opportunities to improve your business processes. Find areas where technology can enhance your operations. It should also help you define that roadmap I mentioned, justify the project to the business stakeholders, define the scope and success criteria of the project, build a knowledgeable team, set priorities, remove barriers, and provide training where needed. If you feel like you have a pretty good handle on all of that, then you’re ready. If not, then you need to consider working with a professional who can help you.

Will I Need a Support System?

It depends. Centuries of child-rearing have demonstrated that it is much more beneficial to the child when both parents play an active role in their development. However, there are many single parents who succeed in child-rearing. Even so, there is usually some form of support system in place composed of friends, relatives, or members within the community.

Are you capable of implementing, maintaining, and upgrading your digital transformation(s) on your own? Do you have any experience with it? Do you want help? Can you afford help? Can you afford the consequences of failure?

My generic response would be, yes, you will need some kind of support system to accomplish your goals. Most projects do. It doesn’t make sense to try to be a hero when it comes to your technology initiative. There is far too much at risk for your company. Going it alone will put all that risk to bear directly on you. Some companies put millions of dollars to work in this space and never achieve the desired results. Don’t include yourself in that camp.

Surround yourself with knowledgeable people who still want to learn more. Every digital transformation is unique and will require people with different views to collaborate to find effective solutions. In this case, great minds don’t think alike, but two brains are definitely better than one. Utilize as many brains as you can and never be afraid to reach out to a professional consultant for help.

Finally, I AM Ready!

Congratulations! Even if you aren’t really ready yet, you at least have the right mindset. One of the most important parts of your journey will be maintaining the right mindset. You will have to face challenges that you did not expect. Remembering to maintain a positive mindset will invariably help you. Let the changes happen organically. If you start to feel like you aren’t ready for change, then you are not in the right mindset anymore. If maintaining the status quo was the desired goal, then you wouldn’t be in this position in the first place. Roll with the punches and allow policies and procedures to adapt to the new technology you want to leverage. A helpful hint: sometimes it helps to breathe before a major push.