The simple answer: No, digital Transformation takes far more than technical capabilities.
The reality is that digital transformation takes strategic, long-term thinking and planning, coupled with a clear vision that is communicated and understood by everyone—not just by a select few. Technology in and of itself is not the silver bullet of digital transformation success. It’s just one component of a much bigger whole.
In Part 1, we focused on a common misstep of digital transformation that too many companies make—tasking a handful of people with implementation.
Digital transformation takes a village; everyone in an organization has a role to play in its success.
In this blog post, Part 2, we turn our attention to another misconception—that technology alone will transform your organization. Technology will help support and move the needle of digital transformation; however, it alone will not offer sustainable transformation. In fact, technology could actually prolong your digital transformation success or, worse, completely derail it. We also dive deep into one of the most transformative platforms on the planet, ServiceNow.
With research showing that one in every two companies is failing to execute on its digital transformation efforts, it’s critical to understand all the pieces of transformative success. To avoid being on the failing side of the digital transformation equation, you need to understand how technology factors in, and what the right technology is to help support your short- and long-term goals.
Crossfuze has seen transformation take place both successfully and not so successfully over our past 18 years working with large to enterprise-sized organizations. Being a ServiceNow Gold Partner with the No. 1 customer satisfaction rating score, we know the role that ServiceNow should play in digital transformation and, more importantly, how to implement strategic thinking and planning to achieve digital transformation.
It is when an organization combines strategic thinking and planning that it goes from good to great on its journey to quickly transform.
Let’s dive into the world of ServiceNow digital transformation and identify ways to use strategic thinking and planning to deliver on your digital transformation goals.
Your CFO doesn’t speak “code.” The wizardry of the inner technical workings of ServiceNow has no meaning or value to CFOs. What they care about is whether ServiceNow can deliver on its promise to rapidly generate triple-digit ROI—and move the needle of digital transformation in the right direction. That’s exactly why the development of a business case is critical. But not all business cases are the same. A business case for ServiceNow must clearly outline the expected ROI of the platform and the speed at which it will be realized. (To understand how a ServiceNow business case can go from good to great, and instantly convince your CFO that your project is worth funding, be sure to view this webinar.) Remember that progressive companies require a clear vision and economic argument for ServiceNow. Are you in the best position possible to outline a compelling business case for ServiceNow to your CFO? It’s up to you to create a business case that will resonate with your CFO.
Are we there yet? The journey to ServiceNow success can sometimes feel like the annoying child on a roadtrip who keeps asking, “Are we there yet?” When you reply “no” to that child, you aren’t guessing at the answer. Even before you started out on your vacation drive, you or someone else mapped out how to get there, and you know how much farther you’ve got. Your journey to ServiceNow success is no different. You want to map out your path to reaching your ServiceNow vision early, before you begin any form of implementation. This roadmap to success is what can make or break the future of your ServiceNow investment—and even your career. A long-view roadmap that spans 3-5 years is how you’ll ensure that every twist and turn of your journey is done with a clear understanding of what is needed, why, and when, as well as a clear understanding of what platform wins to expect at each juncture. If you want to deliver meaningful wins early and often, you cannot underestimate the need for a long-view roadmap. Even your developers will thank you! (To learn more about successful roadmap development, watch this webinar, How to Achieve ServiceNow Roadmap Success.)
To import or to not import your data—that is the question. As companies prepare to import data into ServiceNow, they tend to think big and import more data than they should. Technical proficiency can tell you how to import all of this data, but not if you should. To figure out how much data is too much and what data is important and what isn’t, you want to develop a comprehensive, long-term data plan. That’ll give you confidence about what data to import, when, and how.
Whoa! Slow down before you speed up. The most technically competent ServiceNow developers can implement any functionality and capability you ask for. But the real question is whether it’s strategic and wise to do so. Plowing ahead too quickly puts the project at risk of not directly addressing the pain points and productivity needs of end users—and thus potentially sets up the project for user disappointment out of the gate. Moreover, the solution ends up being perfected inside a vacuum, with little to no two-way communication with the audience(s) who will actually be using your solution. Your best bet is to slow down and connect with users. Ask them to review progress and give feedback. Incorporate that feedback, and stay focused on why you’re developing the solution in the first place—for your users.
Over-engineered + over-customized = Overwhelmed. ServiceNow comes with built-in best practices. Veering off into custom configuration can cause your risk to quickly balloon, especially if you’re new to the platform. In our time working with client development teams, Crossfuze has witnessed firsthand how well-meaning developers can get a bit too ambitious with the platform, creating something so sophisticated and complex that maintaining it becomes daunting and extremely cumbersome. To guard against this outcome, adequate oversight of your technical implementation team’s activities is critical. In addition, this is where a long-view ServiceNow vision and implementation roadmap come in handy. (For more information, be sure to check out the following resources for tips on developing a Vision, Business Case, and Roadmap.) Your vision and roadmap will keep you honest and focused on what is being built and why. It will force the team to stay on course and true to best practices at every step of the way.
ServiceNow technical proficiency is a core component of digital transformation, but it should never be at the top of your priority list. To succeed at digital transformation, you should focus on building a CFO-friendly business case, creating a long-view roadmap, developing a comprehensive data management plan, letting your end users help establish your pacing, and guarding against over-customization.
If you’re feeling encouraged by what you’ve read but still struggling with paving a clear and accelerated path forward, we’re here to help. Just reach out to us at LetsTalk@crossfuze.com.
In case you missed it: Part 1: Digital Transformation Takes a Village
Recommended Reads:
Looking to immerse yourself into a story about ServiceNow transformation? Check out our 10 Pillars of ServiceNow Success eBook Series. Click on any of the book links below to begin your journey …
Book 1: 10 Pillars of ServiceNow Success
Book 2: 10 Pillars of Customer Service Management Success
Book 3: 10 Pillars of ServiceNow Digital Transformation for the Non-IT Leader