A poor engagement of people is the main reason why digital transformation projects fail.
Digital technologies are enabling extremely fast-paced changes, and people should always be the focal point of transformation - in fact, the key to a successful transformation is to make sure users evolve at the same speed of technology. In other words, a shift in paradigm is required: from business-centered, to people-centric.
Starting from people, rather than from processes and technologies, will allow to develop lean solutions truly built around their needs and strengths, facilitating an easier and faster adoption of such solutions.
A new approach to digital transformation
The approach to digital transformation projects must follow the same paradigm shift.
With this in mind, at Techedge we shaped a pragmatic approach to digital transformation that leverages Design Thinking, strong technological competences and a focus on people to help our customers introduce a tangible and usable innovation.
Such approach can be tailored to specific scenarios, audiences and objectives. As an example, we’ll now describe the methodologies developed for an Industry 4.0 scenario (called Factory Journey, or Digital Frog) and the ones for Corporate scenario (Automation Journey).
Scenario #1. Industry 4.0: Factory Journey (aka, Digital Frog)
Innovation projects inside a factory must have the ultimate goal of making daily activities easier, for all workers. For this reason, such a journey should be considered a teamwork and all key stakeholders must be on board from the beginning - no one excluded.
Our 4-step approach is based on this assumption and includes:
- Digital Onboarding of all key stakeholders
- Identification of opportunities
- Realization of pilots and prototypes
- Industrialization of the designed solutions
This pragmatic approach allows to leverage the most suitable technologies and transform ideas into reality faster, with immediate results (a true leap forward in the innovation journey… That’s why we call it Digital Frog), laying the foundations for a strategic digitalization plan.
Scenario #2. Corporate: Automation Journey
New technologies can help companies significantly improve efficiency, cutting costs and allowing a better use of resources while enhancing control over the processes.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence, OCR, Machine Learning, Process Mining, Advanced Analytics, Low-Code Business Process Modelling - when properly used, these technologies allow to automate repetitive, low-value tasks and optimize business processes.
This automation journey leverages on a pragmatic, inclusive approach, made of different steps:
- Onboarding of key stakeholders
- Ideas development and prioritization, using Design Thinking methodologies
- Implementation of the ideas previously identified
- Business process monitoring and optimization
Distinctive Features: Design Thinking and Technology Onboarding
Design Thinking and Technology Onboarding are the distinctive traits of our methodology, in its every declination.
Technology Onboarding - part of a wider Digital Onboarding, the first fundamental step of any innovation project that allows to involve from the beginning all key people in the transformation initiative - is designed to educate and train on new technologies (e.g. 3D, mobile, IoT, 5G, virtual control room).
It’s a very useful moment to explain and make everyone understand the true potential of technologies, helping users understand where such technologies can be employed and become “comfortable” with them. We explore it more in detail in this article on the role of Technology Onboarding in innovation projects.
Design Thinking on the other hand represents the key tool to ensure the effectiveness of the initiatives: with Design Thinking, in fact, it’s possible to design and validate prototypes in a few days, making a lean journey toward innovation.
Moreover, Design Thinking can be successfully performed also remotely, further accelerating the process… Making such a tool even more interesting.
Other articles of this series on Digital Advisory:
- People at the center: the key to a successful transformation
- The role of Technology Onboarding in innovation projects
- The pros and cons of remote Design Thinking
- Checking and monitoring devices remotely: IoT or Historian?
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE): the KPI for improving production processes
- Digital Twins, a pillar of digital transformation
- Heat and material balances: monitoring yield and consumption, identifying losses
