“We don’t know where we’re going, but we’ll get there faster!” This quote from Helmut Qualtinger could also be applied to certain digitalisation measures. As could “Speed rules!” – because everyone wants to achieve successes as fast as possible, of course. But the more suitable the underlying strategy and applied measures are, the greater the impact of digital transformation will be at your company.
Successes are an individual matter
Digitalisation, with its vast new possibilities, but also with its constraints – for instance, the need to rethink corporate processes – is a great challenge for us all. Non-digitalised companies will hardly be able to succeed in their markets. When you embark on digitalisation as an entrepreneur, you naturally expect the first measures that are implemented to yield results very soon. And yes, there certainly are measures out there which bring about big improvements in a short space of time – and are thus also highly motivating for all those involved on their path towards digital transformation. In general, however, these measures are not universally applicable, fast-acting magical pieces of advice, but should instead be well-founded and perfectly suitable. This means that even the initial successes take a bit of time – and they are company-specific. So, are real “quick wins” even possible when it comes to digital transformation? The answer to this is: “Yes, they are – most definitely!”
5 phases – 5 ways to achieve fast successes
Digitalisation and, ultimately, digital transformation can be divided into five phases or areas, which are roughly as follows: Analysis – Strategy – Staff – Agility – Implementation. The important thing on this journey is not to immediately restructure the company completely and throw all tried-and-tested processes overboard, but rather to align the digitalisation strategy with the corporate strategy. A roadmap must be created over time that gives equal consideration to people, the organisation, and technologies. Once you have set out on this path, then you can harvest the first so-called low-hanging fruit very soon – almost in passing, as it were – or achieve the first quick wins; because in each of the 5 phases mentioned, there are ways of implementing appropriate measures – resulting in fast, consistent, and motivating initial successes.
Small steps lead to big results
Initial measures can already be implemented in the analysis phase, which should be carried out with the required dose of honesty: The question that should be asked here pertains to the communication network and the (wireless) connectivity of individual areas, locations, and tools. Because an optimum network forms an indispensable basis for the transmission of data and thus for digitalisation, implementation can already start during the analysis phase.
Quick win for network and connectivity
So even before you have reached the phase of making individual, specific changes and adaptations to your workflows, services and solutions such as LNC Enterprise Net or 5G Suite can be used to ensure that the conditions necessary for this exist. A secure, fast, and universally available network also represents a clearly noticeable improvement for all employees, and is highly motivating in practice. Because quite often, employees “stumble” upon good ideas while at work; ideas which can be of great value to further planning and to the development of strategies.
Quick win for staff
The staff of a company can prove to be a real hidden gem – if you know how to properly utilise its slumbering potential – with directly measurable successes. We reported on the ways in which to deal with skills shortages in the course of digitalisation by implementing the correct strategy here. A first step in connection with strategic plans to “carry” staff into and through the digitalisation process is, for example, to implement a highly effective planning tool such as redPilot, which optimises your entire resource planning – while focussing on human resources and shift scheduling – and therefore creates many new opportunities for you and your team.
Quick win with training
Training in connection with your new working processes is a further asset that serves to create a positive, fertile environment for changes and digitalisation steps amongst your staff. A survey of 160 industrial companies has found that acceptance regarding digital technologies increases significantly when employees receive professional training on this topic. There are many good, sensible offers in this context; TU Graz, in particular, has earned an excellent reputation in this area thanks to its LearnFactorys.
Quick win at the start
The biggest achievement is, however, starting on a solid basis in a step-by-step manner. Of course, entrepreneurs have to approach this challenge with flexibility, because the previously mentioned factor of agility already demands a great deal of self-reflection in the analysis phase, in addition to being prepared for fundamental change. Yet these changes need not – and cannot – occur overnight. If you start by implementing a suitable, comprehensive strategy, then you will recognise which individual components and (technical) measures can contribute the most towards this, and can implement these in a step-by-step manner – and then the initial successes and quick wins will soon start to materialise! These achievements are both motivating and indispensable in a company’s – and its staff’s – quest towards digital transformation.
If you have any questions on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice!
Advice regarding digitalisation: https://digital-2-go.com/kontakt
Offers from TU Graz: https://www.smartfactory.tugraz.at/de/
https://www.tugraz.at/institute/iim/infrastruktur/lead-factory/
