Questions about digital transformation you should ask your IT department
For digital transformation to be successful, your operations and IT departments need to work seamlessly together. Although this can be very hard to achieve, senior members may have visions which the IT departments can’t see as feasible. This can then lead to conflict and animosity.
We have summarised a list of questions which you should always ask the IT department. With these, we have supplied the kind of answers you should expect to hear.
#1 Sharing your internal systems to potential suppliers leaves you open to risk
You: Do we have a system in place to keep all of our solutions and data safe.
IT department: We have an IT security policy here, and everyone is trained on how to adhere to it. If there is a breach of policy we are all fully informed on what to do and how to act.
#2 Digital transformation requires you to exchange a lot of data with various people and customers
You: Do we have an API (application programming interfaces) which gives external solution providers access to our systems.
IT department: We have a strategy which is concerned with public and private APIs. We have clear, easy-to-access documentation for our APIs to ensure they are easily understood. Each time an API change happens, we carry out a thorough review process.
#3 Most enterprises have huge legacy systems which can’t be replaced easily
You: What is our DevOps strategy or our IT operations strategy?
IT department: Because our legacy system is so ingrained in the business we have thought about how front-to-back end integration can be achieved. We can either re-architect at the enterprise level, the business level or just take a practical approach.
#4 Digital transformation requires you to adapt quickly to changes
You: Is the whole of the IT department prepared for quick changes in business requirements? This includes training, policies and processes.
IT department: Yes, we have updated our onboarding process to ensure new starters are prepared for this. We have developed a culture of agility to make sure that IT employees are not intimidated by the pace of work or the constant changes that we could face. Everyone is aware that to achieve the success we strive for, change is a necessary part of our work.
#5 To be successful you need to have the necessary budget to constantly evolve and improve your digital solutions
You: Does the IT department have the right budget to ensure that solutions are always the best that they can be?
IT department: Yes in order to work out what budget we will need we have looked at the business from end-to-end and the digital opportunities which are available. We have spoken to the COO and the CEO to work out where change will come from.
#6 Digital transformation increases data and traffic
You: Do we have a scaling strategy in place which allows us to process more data?
IT department: Data can be accessed through APIs. The system owners are all held responsible for their data exchanges. This makes data easier to access and means that the correct department will have the right responsibility. We are always looking at new ways to analyse our data and make better use of it.
#7 The IT department should work in alignment with all other business departments
You: Our business and operations strategy is essential for success. Is the digital strategy aligned with our business strategy?
IT department: We’ve had meetings with senior leaders to make sure that the digital strategy is aligned with our overall business objectives and targets. The whole IT department is clear on how to achieve the targets. In order to align we thoroughly understood the key performance indicators and reporting cycles.
#8 To achieve success for your digital transformation strategy you need to have the right talent in your IT department
You: Execution of the strategy is vital, do we have the right talent to achieve success?
IT department: To develop our current talent we have worked with the learning department to create a culture of continuous learning. We have also looked into apprenticeship initiatives to ensure we get the best fresh talent. We have looked at our strategy at identified areas of weakness where we may need expert skills and knowledge.
