Digital Transformation Initiatives Best Practices
03/03/20
Your organization has decided there’s no time like the present to start your digital transformation initiatives. That’s great news for the long-term future of your company!
This journey is long and arduous, so make sure you take steps to keep your projects moving and maintain engagement with your personnel.
Here are few steps to help guide your way:
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew – Too many manufacturers want to apply the “big bang” approach to their digital transformation initiatives. A more realistic view of the initiatives as a journey rather than a project with concrete start a finish dates is more pragmatic.
- Keep an eye out for hidden costs: The different needs of the accounting department and the shop floor are too obvious to overlook. But you never know what nebulous area of your organization may suddenly require an influx of cash from your budget to fix. You may need to adhere to new regulations as a result of your digital transformation initiatives. Complying with regulations may put a dent in the budget, but fines for noncompliance could put a halt to any and all initiatives for your organization.
- Involve the entire team — There is no better way to encourage buy-in than by giving everyone a say in how the digital transformation initiative should go. Your end-users will be the ones who are affected by this massive culture shift in your organization, so they should not be left out of the planning phase. Also, the hands-on users will have the best insight on the day-to-day operations and can offer details on the functions the new technology will need to address that upper-level management may not realize exist.
- Encourage the team to learn and adopt the new technology — All of the changes in the world won’t make a difference if the end-users aren’t adapting to the new ways of doing things. Your digital transformation initiative will require the training of technical and business staffers. This will help make the transition to Industry 4.0 much more manageable for your entire organization.
- Lean on the expertise of a third-party provider – Leveraging outside expertise for the initial launch of your digital transformation initiative will reduce risk, shorten your timelines, decrease long-term costs and provide mentor-ship and guidance for your in-house resources. IT and business stakeholders will have a better understanding of technology capabilities and options.
2W Tech is a technology service provider that specializes in solutions for the manufacturing industry and can assist you with your digital transformation. Give us a call today.
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