Digital transformation is everywhere. While almost every organization has embarked on its digital transformation journey, only 30% of them are able to taste success.

The haste that one might make during the digital transformation has serious outcomes, as Forbes revealed that nearly $900 Billion got wasted in 2018 alone because of incompetent or non-functional digital transformation initiatives.

If you’re about to start your digital transformation journey and failure is something that you don’t want to face, you have to keep your sense wide and awake and ensure that you’re not making the below-mentioned mistakes, which account for most of the digital transformation failures.

#1 – Implementing digital transformation at every level in one go

Digital transformation is crucial and should be implemented at every level; we get it. But that doesn’t mean you should start digital transformation at all stages in one go. This has three serious implications.

The first one is that the process will consume too much of your investments.

Replacing legacy systems from top to bottom is certainly a time and cost-consuming task. If you run out of finances in the middle of the process, you will be in serious trouble as neither you have your old systems to keep the workflow going, nor will your modern apps/systems be ready to work.

This unavailability of business-critical tools will make you non-functional and non-productive on various fronts. This is the second issue. Can you afford to shut down your operations just like that?

The third problem that will arise with this all-around digital transformation of a naïve team. Not every team member will have the exceptional technical competency to use newly updated and provided tools/software. Some might require training and a demo. Even after that, few will take the time to understand how the tools work in real-time.

If you replace or update all your legacy systems, such team members won’t be able to work on new tools. They even remain to sit idle for a while or will make goof-ups with new tools. Both situations will not work in your favor. Hence, it’s better to avoid full-fledged digital transformation.

You must hire a digital transformation partner to decide which operational front should be digitally transformed first and later. Such a resource will help you understand the gravity of every aspect of digital transformation and proceed as per the priority and urgency.

#2 – Not moving forward as per your organizational needs

78% of digital transformation initiatives fail because they commence without aligning with organizational needs. Organizations often demark what’s trending and what’s required. A social media app that lets you share your image/posts with friends/family might be trending. But is it what your business requires?

Organizations need to do the extensive groundwork to determine their workflow demands and make that tool/technology a part of their digital transformation journey. It’s not necessarily that what you require is all already offered. In that case, you must not hesitate to go for customized development.

The prime goal of digital transformation is to empower an organization, not to force it to compromise. So, no matter how hard it seems, you must first figure out what exactly is the need of the hour and don’t mind going the extra mile to take that tool/software on board. When digital transformation is done taking organizational needs into account, success is certain.

#3 – Finding it hard to bid adieu to the legacy system

Many of us find it hard to accept the fact that it’s time for your legacy system to rest in peace. Some people are so in love with the ease and effortlessness of the legacy systems that they often go for updates rather than a complete replacement.

We understand that it’s not easy to replace such a huge number of systems overnight and can fret on CIOs. Hence, they often build the digital transformation foundation on top of the existing legacy systems.

They won’t go for all-around modernization, keep a few legacy systems in the workflow, and integrate up to a certain extent. This is where the problem starts. Such half-baked digital transformation will put your efforts and investments in vain.

CIOs and other decision-makers must understand that their love for the legacy system must not hamper the workflow. The successful digital transformation process involves the development of distinct software/tools that will fill the gap of legacy systems without causing any huge stir.

#4 – Not understanding the worth of agile surveillance and governance

When we talk about digital transformation, adopting and incorporating technologies like IoT, AI, ML, biometrics, and many more are obvious. These technologies are the face of the future and shouldn’t be used without any legal governance and surveillance. This is because of the sensitive data they handle.

Out of the total failed digital transformation projects, 90% took place because of lacked leadership only.

Before you think of adopting digitization, you must have an IT governance team ready. If you already have one, the existing policies must be optimized per the new technologies you’re going to take on board.

Instruct your IT governance team to understand what all legalities are involved in using AI, IoT, and other advanced technologies. If there are some compliances to meet, go ahead and do that, as you can’t move without doing so.

#5 – Thinking of digital transformation as a destination

Many organizations think that their job is done if they replace or update the legacy system. When that happens, they sit back and relax.

Actually, digital transformation isn’t a destination for any organization. It’s basically an ongoing journey that one should never end till the time tools and technologies are used.

Once you have the desired technology stack by your side, you must focus on improving them as time evolves. Going for updates, adding/deleting features, and updating the governance strategies are some of the aspects where your attention should always be there.

It’s surely a tedious job to do. But, if you wish to reap maximum benefits from your digital transformation efforts, it’s a must that you should keep on doing all of that. If you miss out on any of this, your digital transformation efforts will lose significance sooner or later.

Be a success; not a failure

Digital transformation is a long and tiring journey. You might fall, feel tired, and wish to end it in between. But, you must keep on going if you wish your business to thrive in today’s digital world. The mistakes mentioned above are the key reasons behind the failure of many digital transformation efforts.

If you don’t want to face failure, you must ensure that you don’t get to repeat them. It could be too much to process for a business owner or decision maker when they have other stuff to look after as well. Hence, the best way out is to hire a skilled technology partner who can look into your needs, know the current digitization trends, and help you embark on a successful digital transformation voyage.

C-Metric has skilled developer teams to help you out. Use their expertise to construct result-driven solutions that will surely work for you. A free consultation will help you understand what all you need and how you can accomplish your requirements.

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