When starting any business change initiative, the enabling technologies you choose matter. Choosing the right technologies can mean the difference between business change success, or failure.

The growing business analysis industry is testament to the increasing need for new technologies as pathways for business change, innovation and improvement. Businesses that win out today are those that successfully use relevant and creative technologies to enhance innovation, operations, processes or customer interaction.

Use these guiding principles to help pick the technologies that will work for your organisation:

1. What is it you want to achieve and why?

In the words of Simon Senek, you must “Start with Why”. Why are you making a business change and how do you define the changes that need to be made? Explaining your company’s motivation for change inspires people to change their behaviours and to act. Business change is only effective if you can bring each stakeholder with you and help them see the value that the change will bring.

2. Define the business change

Are you embarking on a business change project or programme? Projects are unique, transient, with a set start and end. They are tactical in nature. Programmes are defined as a collection of projects, strategic in nature and delivering ongoing, cyclical changes and improvements. Make sure that each business change aligns with the business’ objectives, critical success factors and KPIs (key performance indicators).

3. Launch a fact-finding mission

Involve all stakeholders up front: from project managers and operational stakeholders to people in charge of governance like senior management and even, if necessary, external regulatory stakeholders. Find out what the pain points are within the organisation and, if relevant, what roadblocks you may encounter externally. Document all your findings and present them back to stakeholders.

4. Create the business case

Your business case should be a living, breathing document that justifies the business change. It is designed to evolve throughout the change process. It will define the feasibility of the change at the business, technical and financial level. It should include; a problem statement; business needs and technology options; a cost/benefit analysis; an impact and risk assessment and ownership of that risk; and an investment appraisal which illustrates payback, net present values, internal rate of return, and total cost of ownership for the technologies the business needs.

5. Create a list of requirements

Requirements can be tricky in that they are defined as being a stated or unstated need of the business. Quite often, stakeholders can think the business needs a certain solution and be, simultaneously, entirely unaware of what it is the business actually needs! Through observation, interviews, building user scenarios and prototyping, you can build up a rich picture of business processes and business needs that will help inform the requirements list and suitable technology options. This should include what solutions a business already has and how new technologies should integrate, how they can scale and how they can be improved upon in the future.

6. If in doubt, phone a friend

Talking to technology experts and consultants can help define which technologies are appropriate and provide valuable insights throughout the selection process. An expert’s guidance can help you navigate the tech maze and make sure you follow best practice.

 

At Siena Consulting, we work with our clients to help evolve their businesses and achieve transformation success.

If you’d like to continue the conversation with our digital transformation expert Rob Saunders, contact him here:

Robsaunders@wearesiena.com
linkedin.com/in/robnsaunders