Digital Transformation Part 3: Mapping the Journey

image by cottonbro studio

In previous installments of this series, we discussed the importance of understanding your business’s strategic ambitions and honestly evaluating your current position before embarking on any substantive business change. With that foundational work completed, it's time to build a strategic roadmap to guide your transformation journey.

Building a Strategic Roadmap

A strategic roadmap isn’t just about specific software release dates or timelines—it’s about defining clear, incremental goals that align with your business's long-term digital transformation outcomes. 

Here’s how to build an effective roadmap:

• Main Goals and Objectives: Clearly define the primary objectives of your transformation. These goals should already be outlined from earlier stages of your process.

• Obstacles and Limitations: Understand the challenges, limitations, and time constraints that might affect your projects. Knowing these upfront will allow more opportunities for proactive solutions where possible.

• Initiatives and Projects: Identify the projects that will contribute to your transformation goals. Break down your larger objectives into actionable initiatives.

• Prioritisation: Not everything can happen simultaneously. Prioritise initiatives based on impact, feasibility, and business readiness.

• Cross-Project Dependencies: Understand the dependencies across initiatives. What skills, third-party support, or resources are required to move forward?

• Timelines and Feasibility: Create realistic timelines based on available resources, cross-project dependencies, and overall impact on business-as-usual (BAU) activities.

image by RDNE Stock project

Now, us planners can get very wedded to the roadmaps and plans themselves, looking at that list above you can understand why, a HUGE amount of work and consideration goes into it. The output can feel very precious when you've worked so hard on something, so I'm sorry to tell you, but the plan is not the point and the plan itself has no actual value. The planning process is, however, incredibly valuable because it means a lot of factors and possible impacts have been considered, so you don't just set off over-enthusiastically. So it NEEDS to happen, but I don't want anyone to believe, once they have created a change roadmap that it's immutable.

It also shouldn't be created in a vacuum, the BAU activities of your organisation should have been considered as you developed your strategic roadmap but you also have to make sure to get buy-in from across the business during its creation, so people know what's coming. They can alert you to any other blockers or impact factors you may not have had visibility of. Once the first agreed version is done you should also present this to the necessary stakeholders so they are clear on what is going on, and are on board. Change cannot happen without people championing it, accepting it, and participating in it, so do not drop it on them with little warning and no engagement

Part of what you also have to accept and must communicate to the business overall (but certainly to the stakeholders) is that this roadmap is not a static or one-off document - it’s a living, breathing guide that will adapt and shift as you deliver, learn, and evolve. The process of digital transformation is fluid, and so your strategy has to be as well. Expect changes in priorities as new opportunities or challenges emerge, and be prepared to re-evaluate and pivot when necessary.

A great example of this adaptability comes from LEGO’s digital transformation journey in the early 2010s. At the time, they were facing a rapidly evolving digital landscape and shifting consumer preferences. Instead of rigidly sticking to a pre-defined plan, LEGO embraced a dynamic roadmap approach. They responded to emerging trends, such as the growing demand for online interaction and virtual experiences, by introducing initiatives like LEGO Digital Designer. This tool allowed users to build virtual LEGO creations, blending physical play with digital engagement. But LEGO didn’t stop there - they continuously iterated and expanded their digital offerings based on customer feedback and market trends, introducing online communities, AR experiences, and mobile apps like LEGO Life.

Their ability to adapt and innovate was driven by their flexible roadmap. It was updated regularly to reflect new insights, technological advancements, and changing consumer needs. This approach kept them ahead of the curve and allowed them to remain competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Your roadmap should evolve as you gain insights - whether from data, customer feedback, or internal reviews. Establish regular feedback loops and engage with stakeholders to ensure your strategy remains aligned with both your business objectives and the broader market. This dynamic approach will help you stay agile, reduce resistance to change, and foster a culture of continuous improvement across your organisation.

Now that you have your roadmap in place, how do you decide what to tackle first? In the next part of this series, I’ll explore practical strategies for prioritising initiatives in your business change program.