What are the key elements of a successful digital transformation story?

Digital transformation must not be seen as merely becoming more efficient; it provides us with the leverage to achieve our goals and meet the vision and mission we've set for our company. It is an integral part of the company's overall purpose and extends beyond that. It makes us more accessible to our audience and allows us to be present in their journey

Buyers across every industry are motivated by purpose. And while not every brand can claim a direct impact on mankind's most pressing problems, there are real connections between products and progress that moves the world forward. In B2B, innovation and technology often drive economic impact by reducing waste, increasing information, control and speed, decreasing energy consumption or reducing labor. And while primary sales drivers are typically economic, deepening your brand story with the second and third order impacts on the environment or human prosperity that your products affects can enrich your narrative in ways that create lasting, emotional connections to your buyers. Find and amplify those stories.

A lot of digital transformations projects fail and there are various reasons to it so my comment would be what to ensure for the successful transformation. This includes: a) Change Management - DT is a organization wide change which has to be accepted and implemented by all. Unless embrace is across the org the DT is likely to fail b) Think long term and Org wide: DT is not done in silo for one small piece or one dept but it has to encapsulate entire org and bond everyone together with the change, hence long term org wide has to be the thought c) DT should also have clear purpose answering the questions on why, what when where why and result/change it want to drive d) Tech is at the center of DT, evaluation implementation is the key

For this step, include people from around the organisation. Make sure that you create a reliable way to measure the current state as related to the previously defined objectives. Have an open conversations and let the participants rate. Another way would be to measure using a survey. Make a short survey asking about the objectives you´ve made.

Does everyone in your company know which direction North is? Clarifying vision and purpose is not only critical for executive decision making, but it allows people at all levels to contribute more effectively and feel a part of the plan. This requires time and budget for strategic planning and internal communications - both of which are commonly underfunded. There are many frameworks that can be applied - we use a visioning workshop that sets 1,3 and 5 year goals with benchmarks across key areas of change. This allows different stakeholders to see how they can align their work with a future state they understand. It also allows for a summary that can be shared more widely. Expect progress not perfection, plans change, but roadmaps help.

You can derive metrics from the objectives. Make sure that the future state is measurable. If an objective is not measurable, it is not a good objective! What kind of behaviours or actions do you want to see? How do they impact in the objectives? Make sure it is understandable for your storytelling so it´s easy to unite people in your vision.

The actions need to impact the metrics that measure whether you reach your objective or not. What are the actions that can be taken, who taking them and who is accountable for their execution? Make the actions small enough to be able to be executed during one or two weeks. If the actions are too big you´ll lose focus.

A great way to visualise characters are personas. These personas are imaginary people that represent your target groups. You ideate their life, their problems related to the culture change initiative and how they will feel. This persona can be used whenever you need to make a decision that could impact your stakeholders or employees in the company.

When you put your target at the center of a good story, it becomes easier to identify the things that bring their interest into alignment with the value of what you are selling. Whether you are selling a product or the idea of organizational change, personas and journey maps can be incredibly powerful devices to bring insights and understanding to different stakeholders. Step through a human story that brings an individual from unaware through post purchase satisfaction. Make your target the hero of a story that that allows people to understand the outcome and how each step of the journey can be supported. Bring your vision to life with strong visuals and a gripping tale of perseverance and success.

One thing I have found helpful in the past is to focus on the objective -> metric -> action steps. OKRs are a great way to connect the vision with the required actions. It´s also a super easy way to communicate the need for change on the work floor and how it connects to the overall future objectives.

It's also worth considering digital culture and human factors. How well will the organisation's culture adapt to and embrace digital changes, impacting everything from decision-making to workflow. Understanding and addressing human factors—like employee attitudes, resistance to change, and skill adaptation. I'd recommend including an Organisational Psychologist on the team to offer insights into managing these human elements effectively, ensuring that the workforce is not only technically equipped but also psychologically prepared for the transition. This approach minimises resistance, fosters a culture of innovation, and enhances overall project success by aligning technological advancements with human needs and organisational goals.

From my experience....Digital transformation is journey where end May differe..it is like setting compass on direction and start with mindset to adapt and navigate changes.