Digital Transformation Done Right: The Eastan Digital Transformation Framework (Part 4 of 4)

The right framework can help organizations to accelerate their digital transformation journey and achieve their goals faster and more effectively.

Michael Gale

As we close out this 4-part article series, on the Eastan Digital Transformation Framework (EDTF), we'll explore the final steps in the digital transformation process: Step 5, developing project scorecards and Step 6, executing and communicating progress.

We'll also discuss best practices to keep in mind when adopting the EDTF.  By following these steps and best practices, you can ensure your organization is well-positioned for success with your digital transformation efforts.

Step 5: Measure… Detail Your Path to the Truth

Step 5 of the EDTF involves developing scorecards and dashboards to measure your team's efforts. Measuring progress and tracking the impact of your digital solutions is essential, and scorecards and dashboards provide a clear and effective way to do so.

While developing dashboards may seem like a lot of work, it's important to communicate the purpose of these tools to your team - what gets measured gets managed. Just like report cards track progress, dashboards allow team members to see what they're being measured on and how they're performing.

And encourage your teams to embrace their dashboard as a testament to their efforts and showcase their progress and business impact. Consider options such as in-person presentations, online meetings, interactive dashboards, printed handouts, and video presentations. By selecting the appropriate method, your audience can explore the data and metrics in a way that is personalized and meaningful.

Step 6: Execute and Communicate Your Progress

Step 6 of the EDTF involves executing the work plan developed in Step 3. To ensure success, it's essential to focus on 1-2 priorities at a time for each iteration in your plan. Throughout the execution phase, there are several important steps to keep in mind.

1. Draw a clear roadmap to stay on track and avoid distractions.
2. Measure your performance using the scorecards and dashboards developed in Step 5 to track your progress and identify areas for improvement.
3. Over-communicate on your efforts, progress, and any issues that arise to keep stakeholders informed and engaged.
4. Seek and incorporate feedback and input from all relevant parties to continuously improve your solution.
5. Finally, iterate and evolve your solution along the way, as needs and priorities change.

While your early solution may not be glamorous at first, it's important to stay the course and focus on progressing by producing a functioning solution, receiving feedback, and learning along the way. This approach allows you to adapt your solution and approach as needed, ultimately increasing your chances of achieving your digital transformation goals. Figure 1 provides a visual representation of this iterative process, which can help guide your team as you execute your work plan.

Recommended Best Practices

To adopt the EDTF model, it's essential to keep it collaborative and iterative; start small by focusing on implementing the most critical components first. This approach ensures that team members are involved in the process and that the transformation aligns with the company/group's objectives. To prioritize the most important components, you can use a scoring system or hold a team discussion to determine the highest-impact areas.

To socialize information, consider posting your team's framework in a public space and scheduling progress reviews and dashboard updates with key stakeholders. This approach keeps everyone informed and engaged throughout the process. Being flexible in your planning and aligning your strategy and plans with the company/group's objectives helps to ensure that the transformation remains relevant and effective.

Finally, take the time to stop and celebrate both big and small wins to boost team morale and recognize individual contributions. Celebrations can take many forms, such as having team lunches, hosting award ceremonies, publicly recognizing individuals, or creating a shared digital transformation success board. Celebrating successes along the way helps to keep team members motivated and engaged, ultimately increasing the chances of achieving your digital transformation goals.

As a lead, it's essential to prioritize recognizing and celebrating your team's hard work and dedication throughout the transformation. Successfully completing a digital transformation is not easy and a significant achievement that requires a collaborative effort. By taking the time to appreciate the progress and impact of your team's work, you can ensure that everyone remains motivated and engaged in achieving the transformation's goals.

Conclusion

The Eastan Digital Transformation Framework (EDTF) offers a practical and effective approach to digital transformation that can help organizations maximize their success and minimize missteps. The steps are as follows:

1. Introduce Yourself:  Introduce yourself to your team, making them aware of who you are, your imperatives, your goals, and how to work with you successfully. (Who is completing the work?)
2. Develop Your Team’s Framework:  Scope the work your project will complete - the problem(s) the project will address; the goals and success metrics for the project; team principles; critical processes and high-level activities’ roles and responsibilities; and your key stakeholders and your communication plan. (What work will be completed?)
3. Define Your Work Plan:  Detail how your teams will complete their work — key processes/activities, workflow, decision-making, and timing. (When will you complete your work?)
4. Setup your Knowledge Repository:  Organize your commonly referenced resources and content so that it can be accessed and shared easily. (Where will we store our work artifacts/deliverables?)
5. Measure Your Progress:  Define and capture how to measure your team’s efforts with individual metrics/key performance indicators (Why is your work important? How will you measure your efforts?)
6. Execute and Communicate Your Progress:  Execute your work plan in sprints and iterate and evolve your solution along the way. (How are you progressing?)

By following the six steps outlined in EDTF and by being pragmatic, programmatic, and consistent in its execution, organizations can streamline their efforts, mitigate their risk, and increase the chances of success in their digital transformation.

It is important to note that while the steps in the EDTF can be modified as appropriate, having a plan and following a structured approach can lead to better outcomes. Ultimately, adopting the EDTF can help organizations stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.

Coming Attractions

Stay tuned for our next exciting article to improve and facilitate your digital transformation efforts.

About the Author

Hello, I’m Ron Berry and I am the managing director of the Eastan Group. At The Eastan Group, we have the expertise and capabilities to help companies navigate these challenges and achieve their goals. Our deep understanding of the digital landscape allows us to help companies protect and build their existing business.