*by João Vicente
A few years ago I decided to start running. Not just for the exercise, but mainly for wanting to be part of a particular group – the runners. My goal, right from the start, was to complete the most famous street race in the country, São Silvestre, with all its ascents and descents. Simple, isn't it? What I had no idea, until then, was what that decision meant, with all the challenges I would have to overcome, the changes I would have to make, the time and effort to reach my goal, and so much more.
The end of my journey, to anticipate, is that I did it. Not before having gone through some unforeseen events and adaptations to improve my performance and guarantee my breath until the final meter. Today, I keep running and achieving good results.
But you must be asking yourself something: what, after all, does this story of mine have to do with your company's Digital Transformation? For a start, digitizing the business, like starting to practice street racing, is a seemingly simple decision, but one that involves much more than the concept itself might suggest.
In a practical way, the success in a Digital Transformation strategy requires a deep cultural change of organizations. Cutting to the chase, the truth is that this process includes a number of challenges that aren't always on the pages of business magazines. Even because the digitization of operations and services is something specific to each company – there is no ready-made recipe, although tips from other runners can also be useful from time to time.
From this point onwards, what no one tells companies wanting to effectively go through with the digital transformation: the first thing is that this is not a 100-meter dash race. It is more like a marathon, with a path that will require financial investments, training and human capital qualification, technology adjustment, among others. In addition, I could mention four key points:
1- Another thing is that every change generates discomfort, and it is necessary to know how to deal with it. In the same way that my legs ached when I started training, the changes also tend to bother people, who see their processes and places changing. Having a long-term plan for any decision-making process is the best way to show the benefits to be gained at the end of the process.
2 – Investment in technology is part of the digital transformation (and not all of it). My GPS watch helps me run better by optimizing my training plan, but it's not the motivation that wakes me up at dawn. Technology is what enables intelligence and performance improvement, including to empower your workforce. Therefore, use the right tools to understand and improve your performance as much as possible. Focus on tools that improve your process.
3 – You will tend to look at your company and not at the project objective (like improving your customers' experience, for example). What happens is that, when we're focused on a specific task, it's natural to lose sight of where we're going – that is, instead of following the plan, we end up choosing to solve current problems that will add little to the future. You have to be disciplined and keep training focused.
4 – Halfway through, you may want to stop everything, go back to the processes and the previous model and find that it is not possible to achieve digital transformation. When that happens, remember that it's possible to look to your motives. In the world of running, there is a “rule” that every runner, at some point, ends up wondering what he is doing there, suffering in training and competitions. This is called the “60% rule” – as this usually happens at 60% of any race course.
At this time, the leader must look around and find motivation. For example, I'm always asked if it's worth going through all of this and I say that every mile was worth it. The same certainly happens to companies that intend to go through a process of evolution and cultural change.
The benefits of following this path are numerous and include, among other things, the creation of an increasingly agile company capable of meeting market and business trends. In addition, digitalization makes it possible to advance the management of the supply chain, with greater control over production lines.
Another gain, without a doubt, is that the company will be more sustainable. This sustainability, however, is not just about the environment – it includes improving the company's profitability, more effective management and the chance to contribute to social responsibilities that cannot be forgotten. All of this is evidently reflected in customer satisfaction and experience, simplification of processes, agility and construction of new competitive advantages for companies in line with this reality.
Digital transformation, as it turns out, is a complex and continuous process. Before embarking on a journey of digital transformation, therefore, the way is to create a strategy that eliminates obstacles, understands your business and doesn't hide your problems, thus ensuring a digital success.
The transformation is the result of an effort that combines People, Processes and Technology. They move side by side to form the fundamental elements of change. Make investments in technology with solutions that, in fact, generate value and this will provide the real gain for both the organization and its customers.
Just like a marathon, the digital transformation process is a challenge, but one that can be easily achieved using 3D digital platforms. The secret of success is always to have the support of technologies, as they are essential to take us to another level. In the same way that training can be improved with the help of systems, companies that use three-dimensional platforms are able to simulate and test products on a computer screen even before they are produced. The technology for the renaissance industry is already available and certainly whoever knows better how to exploit the available resources will come out ahead of competitors and win the marathon.
*Joao Vicente, Senior Business Process Consultant at Dassault Systèmes for Latin America
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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