Digital transformation project checklist

Are you planning your first digital transformation project? Maybe you're unsure where to start and what to expect at the end of the journey. This article is meant to help set yourself up for success and to bring structure to the endless possibilities before you.

1. Before you start

• Define your "why." What is your goal and why should others care about it?
• Ensure executive support and commitment
• Gather a tiger team
• Decide on mutual objectives
• Split the project into phases and decide on a timeline
• Agree on responsibilities and required effort per person
• Decide on a budget. Is it per person per month, or is it company-wide and yearly?

2. Kick off your digital transformation project

• Announce your digital transformation project to the wider public. Others might have valuable insights and this will definitely keep you even more committed to your goals and deadlines.
• Map out the details of your current state; think about what works well and what doesn't
• Visualize the desired outcome. You can use software like Miro.com or Whimsical.com or just a plain old whiteboard.
• Prioritize (be specific). You need to build a laundry list of "ingredients" that will make this transformation successful.
• Decide on an implementation strategy. Would you choose and implement a new system yourself or would you hire someone to help you with that? If you decide to do it yourself, does anyone on your team have the expertise, skills, and bandwidth to complete the project for you?
• Research. At this point you're either looking for a system integrator like us and/or you're starting to look for a new system that meets your criteria from step 2.4.
• Shortlist. Once you've found technologies that you do like, compare them in detail and shortlist two of them for a final decision.
• Test! Test! Test!

3. Implementation

• Build an Implementation Project Plan (with priorities, timelines, and responsibilities) which fits your timeline from 1.4. Are you focusing on one team first? Or maybe on the most critical parts of the transformation? Or is it a project that has the same use case for all employees, which would require a specific approach?
• Start working on the first phase of implementation
• Test! Test! Test!
• Launch the first phase
• Repeat until done

4. Adoption

• Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
• Plan an on-demand or live training
• Plan a Q&A session
• Come up with a way to gather feedback. It could be a simple form, as part of your ESAT/CSAT initiatives, or maybe a live discussion with a focus group.
• Have regular check-ins to evaluate sentiment
• Hold the executive and tiger team accountable
• Include the training materials as part of your internal and client onboarding efforts, as needed

5. Management and continuous improvement

• Now that you have a new system in place, create a checklist with recurring maintenance tasks
• Monitor system usage
• Enforce best practices. Lead by example. The executive and tiger teams need to be the ones using the new system the most and in accordance with your onboarding documentation.
• Regroup with the tiger team on a regular basis to make sure you're on the right track

Does this sound overwhelming? Because it can be.

We'd be happy to consult you and support you during any of these stages. We can lead the whole process, help you choose and integrate a new holistic system, train your employees, and manage your new setup. Contact us and get help for your digital transformation project today.