Data visualisation for digital transformation
Successful digital transformations depend on several factors e.g. alignment of the transformation objectives with strategic goals, leadership, and the quality of the work performed.
This article focuses upon perhaps the most important – people in the business owning the transformation process. This means that the people responsible for the services involved should set the transformation objectives, design the transformation process, and own the outcomes.
This however is the most difficult objective to achieve.
Data visualisation however can vastly improve the chances of success.
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Take Abi for example. She played a pivotal role in ensuring the work performed by her engineering contracting company was quoted correctly, and that completed work was signed off by the client with invoices matching the final quote.
This involved a work management system, several spreadsheets, a finance system, and a great many emails.
Unfortunately failures happened e.g. incorrect invoices and work not invoiced.
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A digital transformation project automated much of the workflow in order to remove the chance of error, speed up the process, and improve the client experience.
Abi was critical to the project. She knew what mattered to the client and why problems arose.
But technical consultants drove the transformation project. Although Abi worked with them to get the process right she felt that she was losing ownership of the process. It now operated through technology she had not designed and had no ability to influence. If a problem persisted why should she care and what could she do?
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FiguringOutData.com were engaged in a separate piece of work. However we provided a data visualisation solution that allowed Abi to regain ownership of the process.
Although most of the workflow was automated Abi had access to all the data involved.
She was also equipped with state-of-the-art data visualisation tools and the skills to use them.
Some of the old problems did indeed persist. But using the right tools Abi was able to spot them happening before they impacted the client. She worked outside of the workflow to create a temporary fix. She then offered expert input to the consultants who could stop the problem from happening again.
She could also develop kpis for the process that hadn’t been included at the time of the workflow design.
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Digital transformation is an essential way forward but it can build new risks to the business as quickly as it reduces others.
Data is critical for understanding how well transformation is delivering its objectives and how to improve what’s been done. Data visualisation tools provide the process owners with the insights they need.
Paul Clarke
Director
FiguringOutData.com