Why this book on leading digital transformation?

Amongst the excitement of artificial intelligence, crypto, cloud, robotic process automation, and 3D printing are cautionary tales of failure in moving from strategy to execution.  Despite the existence of countless examples of failed digital transformation and innovation efforts for Executives to reference, many of the same root causes continue to permeate into new attempts.   For example, a digital transformation is not something that is bought or acquired and a transformation is not a one-time event.  Foundational investments in skills, projects, infrastructure, and stabilizing existing IT systems must occur.  Planning must be spread across not just the new investments, but also the old investments, because even the decision to eliminate technology requires a plan to securely manage data migration or parallel processing of new and replacement systems.  As a seasoned technology leader, you must take stock of your own competencies and avoid many of the recurring themes identified in failed stories from Kodak, Nokia, Yahoo, Sears, or more recently GE Digital.  Although there is no true on size fits all approach to lead a digital transformation, treat this book as your personal investment in time to find the right mix of people, process, and tools that will be unique to your leadership style and your own organization that will help you in leading your organization through its digital transformation journey. 

What’s inside the book:

Part 0: The Digital Transformation Leader’s Challenge 

What is a digital transformation?  

• Digitization 
• Digitalization 
• Digital transformation 

What is a digital organization? 

Why a single digital project is not a digital transformation initiative. 

The problems to avoid when accountable for a digital transformation initiative 

• lack of a business strategy and business case for change 
• lack of an approach 
• cultural resistance to change 
• unable to finance the desired amount of change 
• unable to resource the desired amount of change 
• lack of readiness 

What every digital transformation leader needs to know 

• Technology should not lead the need for a digital transformation initiative 
• Every organization can be divided into two parts 
• An enterprise wide transformation starts with the business model 
• What are the current concerns with the current operating model? 
• A governance model must involve scope, activities, risks, and roles. 

Part 1: Solving the need to define an approach 

A blueprint for a digital transformation initiative 

• Elements of a framework 

• Language 
• Method 
• Tools 

• Knowledge repository 

• Set a vision and move from digital aspirations to actions 

• Purpose 
• Vision 
• Context 

• Follow a four phased method  

• Discover  

• Pain points 
• Business model 
• Operating model 

• Define  

• Digital use cases 
• Priortization framework 
• Digital strategy 
• IT strategy 

• Sourcing 
• Roadmap and implementation plan 

• Deliver  

• Stabilize, modernize, transform 

• De-risk  

• Change management 

• Set three target benefits  

• Agility  
• Innovation  
• Operational excellence  

• Select your transformation scope  

• Client experience  
• Digital products and services  
• Employee experience  
• Operational excellence  

• The foundational change elements of a digital transformation 

• Culture  

• agility 
• risk 
• innovation 

• Workforce 

• workforce modernization 
• workplace modernization 

• Data 

• data strategy 

• data governance 
• data management 

• Digital technologies 

• What is SMACIT? 
• Social 

• Mobile 
• Analytics 
• Cloud 
• Internet of things 
• Blockchain 

• Digital signatures 
• Aritifical Intelligence 

The four key perspectives of a digital transformation 

• Ways of working 
• Ways of funding 
• Ways of sourcing 
• IT Modernization 

• Measure the initiative and not just the projects 
• Six critical success factors (CSFs) 
• Maturity model 

 
Part 2: Solving the what to transform challenge 

What you need to answer. 

• Where are we today? 
• Where do we plan to be in the future? 
• How are we going to get there? 

Architecture accelerators  

• Digital principles 
• Digital capabilities 
• Business transformation categories 
• Business model 
• Organizational structure 
• Workforce 
• Business processes and data 
• Products and services 
• A framework of frameworks 

• Enterprise architecture MVP  

• Iteration 1 
• Iteration 2 
• Iteration 3 

• Business architecture MVP 

• Iteration 1 
• Iteration 2 
• Iteration 3 

• Reference models and architecture 

• Business capability models 

• Technology capability models 
• Digital reference architecture 

• Digital platforms 
• Operational backbone 

• System of systems 

• Systems of engagement 
• Systems of integration 
• Systems of record 

• IT Operating Model 

• Rewire the enterprise with an architecture metamodel 

The three primary deliverables  

• Follow Pareto’s 80/20 principle 
• Current state architecture 

• 10 questions in 10 minutes 

• Target state architecture 

• Architecture building blocks 

• Architecture roadmap 

• Architecture trade-offs and decision making 

• Transfer of risk 
• Simplicity 

• Total cost of ownership 

• The 5 Rs of application rationalization 

• Re-architect 
• Re-host 
• Refactor 

• Replace 
• Retire 

• Develop a three streamed chanage management strategy 

• stakeholder management 
• communication management 

• digital literacy 

 
Part 3: Solving how to lead a digital transformation  

Effective leadership types during change initiatives 

Autocratic leadership (me) 

Laissez-faire (you) 

Democratic (we) 

Structure 

• A transformation office or a transformation lead? 
• Organizational alignment 

• Integrated planning 

• Portfolio and backlog 
• Business architecture 

Leadership roles and where transformation should reside 

• Chief Digital Officer 
• Chief Transformation Officer 

• Chief Information Officer 
• Chief Technology Officer 

• The importance of recruiting and partnerships 

• Internal champions of transformation 
• Peers 

• Talent pipeline 
• Industry 

• Create your digital strategy 

• Requesting the business strategy                
• Setting the technology strategy 

• The digital transformation journey 

• Stabilize to manage risk and integrity  
• Modernize to be more effective and efficient  
• Transform through a culture of innovation 

• Deliver change in multiple iterations 

• Sustain the effort after the initial enthusiasm wanes 
• Readiness assessment 
• Portfolio backlog 
• Parallel operations 

• Governance model 

• Set the priortization criteria 

• Value 
• Cost 
• Risk 

• Assess against a maturity model 

• Budgeting and the cost of transformation 

• Agile costing methods 
• Financial considerations 
• Digital competencies for corporate services 
• Digital competencies for IT 

 
Part 4: Solving how to modernize while transforming 

• Most of your changes will be modernize, not transform 
• Workforce modernization 

• Product teams 
• Digital literacy 

• Collaboration and productivity tools for a hybrid workforce 
• Experiments and continous learning 
• Low code and no code platforms 

• Workplace modernization 

• Network enhancements 

• Office space 
• Digitization 

• Service modernization 

• Data as an asset 
• Business process transformation and optimization 

• IT modernization 

• Hybrid IT 
• Software Defined Data Centre 
• IT as a service 
• Application modernization 

• Acquisition modernization 

• Sourcing as a strategic capability 

 
Part 5: The Digital Transformation Toolbox 

Frameworks 

• ArchiMate 3.0.1 
• IT4IT Reference model 
• APQC IT Process model 

Templates 

• Business strategy map 
• Business capability model 
• Technology capability model 
• Architecture governance 
• Technology bricks 
• Service catalogue 
• Digital scorecard 
• Skills assessment 
• Career Ladder 

Reference examples 

• Higher Learning 
• Federal Government 
• Industry 

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