A good personal trainer takes a close look at his client before designing a suitable training program. This is exactly how a digital transformation coach proceeds when making a company "Fit for Digital". Because if the program doesn't fit the situation, frustration and failure are inevitable.
Individual problem areas
Since change knows no expiration date, an honest "health check" that makes one's own abilities and opportunities visible helps. Just as a personal trainer recommends an individual fitness program to his or her client after a thorough analysis, an experienced digital transformation coach designs a long-term roadmap to make a company sustainably "fit for digital."
In order to turn the challenges of digitization into competitive advantages and opportunities, a company's structures, systems and data must become fit, as must the processes or the mindset of the people involved.
The fact is that everyone has different training requirements and may want to optimize completely different "problem zones" than the rest. Strengthening the back muscles, for example, requires a completely different training method than preparing for a triathlon. So forget about standard programs that can be understood as a kind of universal recipe. It is much more a matter of identifying one's own individual "weak points" and, as a result, devising an appropriate training plan.
This is exactly where the use of a personal trainer makes sense. Before the start of training, the trainer gets a precise picture of the client's constitution and asks himself the following questions: What specifically does my client want to work on or what is his goal? What physical requirements does he bring with him? Are there any physical limitations that may need attention? Is there already a measurable level of performance to build on? How much time is the customer willing to invest in his change? And of course: What motivation does he bring with him to achieve his goal?
Personal trainers therefore inform themselves in advance very precisely about the general state of health and carry out so-called stress tests before the start of training. Only after a thorough analysis does a good coach make a recommendation, based not least on professional training and years of experience.
When it comes to digital strategy, there is no standard program that can turn you into a digital hero. On the contrary: Precise approaches are necessary, for which a digital transformation coach is the perfect sparring partner when it comes to digitalization.
Similar to a personal trainer, the first step is a detailed analysis of the initial situation - in this case that of a company. After this initial assessment, it is not uncommon to find that the adjustments need to be made in a completely different way than the company initially suspected. Or that investments must be significantly more extensive and thus more costly, or simply approached differently. Only when a digital transformation coach fully understands the initial situation can he derive appropriate measures and work with the company to shape its future in a targeted manner without internal structures falling by the wayside.
In addition to the current "as-is" situation, the analysis also includes the history of a company. This paves the way for an objective, complete and qualitative assessment. What is required is an all-round view, so to speak, in which a digital transformation coach first asks himself the following questions: What does a company's business model look like in concrete terms? What are its visions, goals and strategies? What are its strengths compared to others? And of course: What are the opportunities and potentials?
Fit for Digital
This excerpt is from the Xinsight "Fit for Digital", which you can download for free at Xtentio.com.
Digitization is also individual
On the other hand, a digital transformation coach checks where any risks are hidden, what causes a company the most pressure, and how efficiently the entire organization is positioned behind it.
How well are different process flows interlinked? What about the quality and reliability of existing data? Do technical systems run together without errors - where do gaps need to be closed? The Digital Transformation Coach addresses these essential aspects and questions and evaluates them in order to identify potential measures.
Then it's on to the product data and communication models. There, too, existing structures are analyzed in detail. Every detail is checked against the current state of digital technologies and best practices. He then expands this knowledge to include current industry and market requirements as well as existing process and data standards. Based on defined criteria, it determines the maturity of the company's digitization (also under various aspects) and compares its agility with the competition. In this way, the Digital Transformation Coach can objectively and very accurately assess the areas in which the need for action is greatest.
Other questions whose answers he is on the trail of include whether there is already a trend-setting digital strategy that the entire company is pursuing, and whether it is leading the way. Are all key roles within an organization filled or are there any gaps? How fruitfully do different areas act together? To what extent is there a central, up-to-date and 100 percent reliable pool of information (single point of truth)? Or how stable are all in-house processes? Are there possibly isolated systems, expertise that is not communicated, or information silos that prevent an optimal and efficient information supply chain? And: Are all touchpoints continuously supplied with reliable information?
These questions are only the first step in a fully customized training program. The Digital Transformation Coach has the right methods and solutions for every supposed "problem area". He defines goals and fields of action and then prioritizes them together with the company.