Why digital transformation efforts fail

DIGITAL transformation encompasses how organisations employ technology to re-imagine and re-invent their processes and offerings, to achieve a competitive advantage across the business.

However, over the years, digital transformation has been used as a catch-all term that encompasses not only transformation but also the integration of digital technologies that automate manual processes and addresses operational inefficiencies within an organisation as well as the optimisation of the suite of digital systems that an organisation uses.

A lack of alignment - especially within senior management - in articulating and defining these need-states and required solutions can lead to suboptimal outcomes when engaging internal stakeholders about the need for digital investment and support, which is often the reason why digital efforts fail.