Future proofing in an uncertain business environment.
Digital transformation is not new. Most people in the working population under 50 have been in a state of digital transformation for their whole working careers, the drive to work differently and more digitally has always been there. What is new in the current Covid 19 dominated environment is the impetus. It was always a must do, survival of the fittest investment. However what is new is the perspective we now have on the words ‘survival’ and ‘fittest’. The immediacy of the need to survive is palpable.
There are currently no accurate predictors of future demand, or a business’s ability to deliver with targeted lock downs and their impacts on operations, supply chains and consumers. So many organisations are adopting a phased approach to business recovery.
To examine a way through it is useful to consider four key phases.
Most businesses have made initial responses They have {Reacted} in whatever way they needed to. For most the path for immediate survival is clear. Some will have realigned, however the long term business outlook remains unclear so others will be still in the process. For many organisations, investments will have been made in technology in simpler times. Those investments may have been right sized for the market you saw or planned with an adoption curve in keeping with a more relaxed trend. Organisations need to assess not only the capability they have, but how and who is doing what. The chances are if you are using enterprise commerce in the same way you did on the day it was supplied you have not taken the steps to rationalise. We have helped organisations reassess their technology. Focussing in on available capability that previously seamed a stretch too far but with a shift in perspective there was a new eagerness to realise the operational and commercial benefits now. {Realigning} involves focussing on your staff and systems but from the perspective of what the customer expects and what the data is indicating the customer needs. Insight can help you develop a clear roadmap of enhancement and optimisation that rejects ‘reinventing the wheel’ in favour of ensuring you are getting the maximum ROI on your existing technology investments. Orientating on readdressing the customer in the way they are interacting now. Equally reassessing the backlog of legacy items. Items that were always a nice to have but cannot rationally be considered a business imperative. As an organisation moves into {Reinvigorate}, it is important to remember this is not a simple one step activity. It is important to create agility in the programme of change, giving optimisation a firm foundation of objectives, processes and operational credibility. This process will not be a single hit but will become part of your day to day. It is not enough to create a back log and start progressing through. The change programme needs to remain connected to the business and the stakeholders close to the consumer. It is important to remain plugged in to the uncertainty surrounding many businesses. The {Renewal} phase requires an agility of measurement and reactivity, Skills that have been developed in phases two and three. But continued objectivity will ensure you are getting fitter, commercially and organisationally. Creating an organisation that can flex into the new opportunities that will come about. Operationally there will be measurement and objectivity to create new business cases for investment, and processes and capability to build on. We are seeing organisations coming through phases one and two with long term roadmaps. Roadmaps that identify the milestones that need to be met in order to comfortably address next phase capital investments and commercial development. For a completely free conversation on how JumpRock can help your organisation React, Realign, Reinvigorate, Renew, contact us now. We put businesses in a confident position, one in which they can face and succeed in uncertainty. Previously we have worked with:
