Backward mapping the path to digital adoption

Fiel photo: A digital transformation meetup. – Jack Derricourt

Statista contains information that global digital transformation spending is projected to reach 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars by the year 2026. This emphasises the continuing importance of digital transformation for companies of all shapes and sizes. Yet how effectively is digital transformation implemented within the firm?

For example, one aspect of digital strategy that decision-makers often miss is the critical need for a backward mapping strategy.  Identifying employee pain points while educating team members on the value of their tech stack before implementing a new technology will lead to increased productivity, internal strategy alignment, and maximized return on investment.

Uzi Dvir, CTO at WalkMe, explains to Digital Journal how this, and related matters, will define the industry in the new year:

According to Dvir: “In 2024, businesses will realize that digital investments need to be human-centric, or they will fail.”

Drawing upon this, Dvir says: “In recent years some businesses have been ‘keeping up with the Joneses’: digitally transforming because everybody else is, without fully considering the impact on employees. This has led to businesses spending millions on new tech without fully realizing the benefits they were expecting.”

Dvir predicts :”That kind of tech-driven waste will become a thing of the past as we move into the new year, with businesses now focusing less on the technology itself, and more on the people it serves.”

In terms of other developments, he explains: “In 2024, we will see IT teams putting a focus on consolidation, automation, and AI to make technologies more efficient for employees and to make them part of a more holistic approach. It goes without saying that the technology matters — apps need to work and operating systems need to be secure — but if employees do not use their software and unlock the intended benefits, then businesses have failed. This means ‘digital adoption’ is becoming an increasingly important piece of the puzzle.”

Digital adoption includes the processes needed to incorporate new digital tools and systems to improve work processes and achieve company objectives.

As to how digital adoption is to be realised, Dvir states: “Businesses will place more of a priority on making sure the tech stack makes sense from an employee’s point of view. They will find a more intuitive approach, helping workers carry out their duties without needing a drawer full of instruction manuals on how hundreds of different pieces of software work and without spending endless hours in training sessions learning how to use tools that will never be relevant to their role.”

Dvir concludes by underscoring: “Becoming more human-centric will enable employees to get on with the task at hand and, ultimately, drive productivity across the business.”