CTOs should be at the beating heart of any digital transformation project- their core responsibility is overseeing the operational efficiency of technology stacks inside the organization, so a new project involving a digital upgrade of key operational IT infrastructure should involve the CTO playing a leading role.
A successful digital transformation project can have the power to totally transform a business, as well as create new business models and have an impact on all parts of a company. The CTO has the capability to oversee that such a project delivers these results and has a positive and influential impact on their company.
It's a competitive environment out there and CTOs need to ensure that their technology infrastructure is driving innovation and success. At a multinational company technology is key to everything, therefore the expertise, insight and experience a CTO can bring to the table is crucial. They can advise on what a digital transformation should look like and influence the road map for its delivery and implementation.
In this article we will take a look at a few ways in which a CTO can influence a digital transformation initiative.
Strategy: Define the why
Like a lot of projects, when considering the implementation of a new digital transformation it is important to first start by asking why this project is happening. Chief technology officers should be clear on why this is being planned, what the key business goals are and what do they think success is going to look like. CTOs need to define the why, own it throughout the project and ensure that they have buy-in from key stakeholders and other business leaders. This is all about driving digital business strategy and transformation for the long term and establishing a clear set of success metrics to measure against.
CTOs can start by clearly determining the “as is” version of the landscape, such as what things look like today and why they need to change in the future. They need to engage with the multiple owners of the various digital technology stacks or infrastructure across the business and find out what it is they need to make their systems better, faster, more agile, and resilient. Find out what is working, what is not working, what the market is saying, what the competition is doing, where key digital trends indicate the future of businesses- all of these things come into the mix and should help define the why behind the transformation strategy.
When thinking about the reasons and the why behind starting new digital initiatives, it can be impactful to consider how influential new emerging technologies can be for your business. A digital transformation should be seen as more of a facilitator of new business opportunities and growth. The implementation of a new technology, such as automation, in your digital transformation project can make processes run more efficiently and will reduce any operational risks, as well as having a wider impact on department cultures, or even overall company culture and image. As CTO, it could be valuable to consider these possibilities in determining the why of your project.
Create the workstreams
After this strategy and vision has been defined it is time to get down to the practicalities of getting the work done. This means creating various different workstreams over a period of several weeks and months, establishing quick wins and early results and balancing them with the long-term objectives of the project.
Each workstream should bring teams closer to the overall objective. The CTO should be able to oversee this project and observe how close to the objective the workstreams are bringing them and then intercede if the project stalls due to challenges, difficulties or simply a slowing down of momentum which is a common occurrence in long-term digital transformation projects.
These workstreams are the steppingstones to success and without them, there is a lot of talk and a lot of noise but little in the way of results. A CTO must be the person who establishes a results agenda-the roadmap and workstreams should be about a continual set of results that paves the way to an overall final result of a successful implementation of whatever the strategy has defined a digital transformation should look like.
The CTO will oversee the workstreams and be kept informed of their progress as well as their success or challenges, but ultimately it is the actual team members and the various departments within the organization who will deliver on the workstreams. Part of the CTO’s role here can be influencing in a way that ensures pace and momentum is kept consistent, this is often key to the long-term success of any digital transformation project. If something slips, and is no longer considered a priority, this is something that can become a habit and then it is easy for momentum to stagnate or stall completely, once this happens, re-igniting or kick starting it again is all the more difficult.
Remove the blocks
Every project can encounter chokepoints or roadblocks and digital transformation is no different. Most CTOs will be fully aware that they are going to encounter challenges along the way, and some event or possibly some person will prove to be a blocker. How the CTO overcomes this obstacle will be key to the success of any project.
A CTO must have a plan to remove blocks. Being able to define what the block is, understanding the key stakeholders who can help remove it and creating the circumstances that allow for a swift and smooth resolution is something that a CTO can choose to undertake in their role. They will look to leverage and utilize their years of experience to achieve a satisfactory resolution. Soft skills and people skills will come into play here, as there is usually a requirement for stakeholder management and ensuring that multiple parties can somehow remain happy.
There is no project that does not require finessing and relationship building, and it would be shortsighted for any CTO to think that this is just about technology and the process- nothing is ever that simple.
Sometimes the blocks come from siloed departments not used to working together, here there may be a need for a mindset change and a culture shift. Technology is not always the blocker, sometimes it is simply a matter of people resisting change and being used to working in a specific way under a specific set of circumstances- but change in the form of digital transformation does not come with following the old way of doing things and a CTO must lead by example and clarify that the old way is consigned to the past and change is happening right now.
By taking the lead and clearly determining the why of a new digital transformation and creating efficient, effective workstreams as well as dealing with any project blockers, a CTO can successfully and significantly influence a digital transformation project.
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