Beyond piloting

Many business leaders know that they should be thinking of digitally transforming their operations to harness the power and connectivity of modern electronic devices and networks.  

However too many of them approach ‘transformation’ in a cautious, tentative way.  They pilot technologies or apply them to small parts m the organisation ‘to see if they work’.

The problem is that the benefits only start to accrue when the whole organisation becomes interconnected and data flows freely across organisational boundaries.  At lesser levels of application, costs are often higher than the benefits.  

Business leaders want to ‘test and learn’ so they apply technology ta a distinct organisational silo - department, divison or process.  Not surprisingly, when the results are less than spectacular, they consider the pilot a failure and cease investing.

True transformation needs bold leadership and a holistic approach. The key is to integrate and interconnect several such pilots and assess the collective, cumulative impact.

Of course, there is an element of risk - and it is often worth working with a third party integrator or advisor with existing experience … but the leadership must be committed to transformation, rather than simple incremental improvement.

Beyond piloting lies productivity - and profitability!