There is a tendency within many organizations to take a “technology first” approach to solve every business challenge. In more cases than not, this approach simply creates more challenges and friction within organizations; it is a very short-sighted view.
Organizations do need technology – without it, organizations cannot compete in the digital economy.
But there is a lot of FOMO in today’s business technology environment, valuing speed over strategy.
The often-ignored aspects of rapid technology implementation
When an organization prioritizes speed of implementing technology, it usually results in some significant issues being ignored. Issues such as:
- Changes to the organizational operating model. Technology changes the enterprise operating model by reshaping how the whole business creates, delivers, and captures value across structure, processes, people, and governance—not just how IT runs.
- Impact of change on people. Organizations often underestimate, if not ignore, the impact of technology implementation on the people the technology was intended to help.
- The weight of technical debt. Unless governance keeps pace with technology introduction, rapid introductions of technology can introduce new technical debt in system architectures, data, and model lifecycle. At the same time, many organizations ignore the impact of existing technical debt from legacy systems, customizations, and integrations.
Experience enablement ensures successful technology implementations
Think about it – in the digital economy, all companies have some level of technology enablement. But this ever-increasing rush to implement technology out of the fear of being left behind will have negative consequences – unless the fundamental challenges noted above are addressed.
But I believe that success with technology implementation depends on a single critical factor – the people that use that technology. This highlights the need for a good human experience, both between organizations and their external stakeholders as well as the stakeholders within those organizations.
I am convinced that the experience – the total end‑to‑end journey and feelings of a person interacting with a company or product – is the differentiating factor for organizations in the digital economy. But if technology implementations do not enable that differentiating experience, those organizations will not realize their full potential in the digital economy.
Can an organization achieve its strategy, the demand for speed and agility in the marketspace, and address the need for a good experience for those that interact with technology? The answer is yes – but organizations first must slow down to go fast.
Four Steps to Slow Down and Accelerate Success
How can an organization meet the demands for speed and agility in the market space, yet ensure that technology implementations enable the right experience? It can be done – if organizations first slow down to go fast. Here are the four steps organizations must take to slow down to accelerate success.
- Digital business strategy – A well-defined digital business strategy is a critical first step for organizations wanting to leverage technology to deliver business outcomes and value. A digital business strategy ensures that the appropriate technologies are identified for achieving those business results.
- Mapping value streams – A value stream map shows how value flows through an organization – and the systems and technology that enables the flow of value. When organizations understand their value streams, they can identify and address any areas of friction resulting from the use of technology.
- Define proto personas – Proto personas help organizations understand the goals, needs, and behaviors of the consumers that will be using their products and services.
- Journey mapping – Whether it’s a customer or an employee, it’s critical to understand the experience of people’s interactions with an organization. Use those proto personas to produce journey maps. Journey maps depict the touchpoints and experiences – and the impact of technology (good or bad) – humans have while interacting with an organization.
Technology without delivering the right experience is a recipe for failure
As I’ve written before, if technology implementations do not enable that differentiating experience, those organizations will be left behind in the digital economy. But admittedly, organizations taking a “tools first” approach to business challenges is nothing new.
But, delivering that right experience should not be left to chance. A “tools first” approach may address one area of concern but typically will miss other areas of concerns. Different consumers have different expectations of the experience they have with organizations. Implementation of technology without a well thought and integrated business strategy results in wasted time, money, and resources. Such an approach usually results in needless complexity. The different value streams within an organization have different requirements for velocity. Technology solutions must accommodate those requirements.
These are leadership issues, not technology issues. And it takes courage to stand in the face of well-intentioned but misguided demands for rapid technology implementations.
The best way to ensure success in the digital future is to plan for that future. Defining the digital business strategy, mapping value streams, understanding who will be interacting with your organization using proto personas, and journey mapping provides a clear path to success in the digital age.
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