The DX Journey in the Enterprise and its Leadership
This article provides an overview of Digital Transformation ( DX ) and focuses on the transformation of environments that comprise Industry IoT systems or IIoT .
In many organizations , the DX initiatives are targeted at specific processes , example production lines . Some organizations take a more strategic view of DX with the primary aim of transforming the organization ’ s business model , value proposition ( and ROI ) and the way it delivers value to the market , potentially leading to the disruption of existing markets , the leapfrogging of competition , and the creation of new markets and fresh revenue opportunities . This article is focused on these types of organizations ( strategic view of DX ) and highlights the considerations and challenges that must be addressed during their DX journey .
By its very nature , DX at the enterprise touches multiple facets and areas 1 in the organization . For such efforts to be successful , the different stakeholders must be aligned with the overall objectives of the DX strategy and must be committed and involved to its execution . This can be quite challenging in organizations that have enterprise scale IIoT systems with all the complex IT- OT technical and organizational considerations that come with such systems .
DX at the enterprise also tends to span and spawn multiple projects that must be carried-out over prolonged periods of time . Such DX efforts should be broken down into manageable phases that are aimed at transforming individual processes . These processes must be carefully selected based on their proximity to profits , and their ability to rapidly generate measurable outcomes , and where the transformation efforts can yield valuable insight about the challenges and issues involved in the overall transformation effort .
To achieve all this , organizations should look at DX at the enterprise as a journey . This journey must be driven by a sustained program ( section 3 ) which is sponsored at the highest levels in the organization . Like all enterprise programs , the DX program must feature a well-defined mandate , a clear mission statement , an operational structure , a communication strategy , and a governance structure . The program must also be led by a “ DX Leader ” who is mandated and empowered by an executive sponsor to execute it and deliver on its objectives . Finally , the DX program team must represent the stakeholders involved in the DX effort .
Before embarking on a DX journey , organizations should explore important questions , the answers to which will greatly impact the DX vision , mission , and objectives , for example what are the main challenges facing the organization , what changes are needed to address them , can these changes be limited to specific processes or should they be more encompassing touching the whole
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Business model , functional , operational , and organizational . IIC Journal of Innovation 19