08Aug
4 Keys to Digital Transformation Project Success
How to make your document capture, workflow or document automation project work.
We have all seen failed technology projects, and sometimes search for the reason for failure. Was it the large scope? Did we choose the wrong technology? Did the consultants steer us wrong? In today’s world, we know that technology works, but many times it is the “people factor” that gets in the way of success. Below are some keys, in our experience, that are required for any digital transformation project success.
- Management Support – Imagine the scene, sitting in a conference room with a CFO, having just presented a document capture solution that would revolutionize how the company would do business. The CFO sat, pondered, and then said, “Wow, I can see how that would change our company for the better. But my people would just never use it, they like their paper.” True story. Like with any project, if you don’t have executive buy in and support, it will never be successful. Make sure you have an executive sponsor on the business side that has an investment in the project’s success.
- Don’t Try and Boil the Ocean – moving to any paperless technology can be a massive cultural change within any organization. It amazes me that organizations like to take on more than they can handle, and usually set their sights on massive projects right out of the gate. How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time. We often recommend customers take on a smaller initial project, and find a high impact problem they can solve quickly. This helps staff get accustomed to the whole process, and can give a great story for follow on projects.
- Focus on Process Improvement – Moving a process to digital is a great chance to revisit the way you do business, and re-engineer for maximum efficiency. Don’t just take your current workflow and translate it to digital. Take the opportunity to collect input, and really improve the process. An example might be Accounts Payable Processing. Maybe you currently have AP clerks scanning documents, and with your new document capture solution, you want to move the first step scanning to the mail room.
- Use a Solid Partner – Finding a partner with expertise in document automation, workflow or document capture is an absolute requirement. There are so many intricacies to laying a solid foundation for growth, and implementing digital transformation technology. This is a huge key for success of your project, and you should always have experts on your project team to make sure things move along smoothly.
Thoughts? Other keys?