Why is it that so many technology implementations fail? A recent by the Boston Consulting Group concluded that 70% of all digital transformation projects didn’t meet their desired outcomes. So why is this the case?
Although many arguments, reasons, and excuses can be made, the reality is that there is a gap between what the technology can do and what your organization needs it to do.
Like Riding a Bike…
The first thing that most organizations do when starting a digital transformation is find a consultant who can do it for them. But does this work? What if you think about it this way – can your son outsource his ability to ride a bike?
As a business owner, and especially as a smaller business, you and only you know where you want to take your business. You know your customers, your people, and your processes (or at least someone in your organization does).
So why do organizations insist on outsourcing this work? Why do they pay excessive fees to have someone come in and architect a solution, when you know that it cannot be nearly as difficult as they make it out to be?
The Gap
Unfortunately, there is not really an answer to this question, until you can address the gap that sits within your organization. This gap is between technology, and what it is capable of doing, and your organization’s ability to leverage technology to create value within your business.
Until now, there was not a common language that could be used to fill this gap. There was no way of understanding what the business users needed technology to do and be able to translate those needs where they could be understood well enough to deliver a solution.
The business users could not speak tech and the technical users could not speak business. And neither had the empathy or patience to take the time to learn to understand.
The Experience
Sooner or later, your son is going to learn that he cannot outsource his ability to learn how to ride a bike. He is going to get on the seat, start pedaling, and one day you will let go and he will not fall.
But before he gets to that point, you will need to support him, guide him, suggest alternative approaches, adjust his seat, and do whatever it is you need to do to get him to learn how to ride it.
And just like when you learned to ride a bike, it is only because of his failures, and his ability to apply feedback from what he has learned, that he is able to develop his skills enough to ride. It is the knowledge that he himself has gained, by learning through his own experiences, that allows him to stay upright and get to the end destination.
Oppty Experience
In a similar manner, Oppty can assist your organization in adopting the skills that you need to leverage technology within your business. The reality is that you know your business better than anyone else. Your people know what they want the technology to do. They just need someone to translate it for them. And over time, they too will be able to lead your organization into the future.
We’re here to help.
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