This document provides an overview of accelerating digital transformation. It defines digital transformation, outlines reasons to accelerate it, and discusses key pillars and clear winners. It also covers technologies driving transformation, roles in driving it for boards, executives, business owners and consultants. Finally, it provides a checklist and common points of failure for digital transformation journeys.

1. ACCELERATE YOUR DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY
by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
A Masterclass
for Board Members, C-Level Execs & Business Owners

2. COPYRIGHT
Be kind, quote the source, don’t share for commercial use
This document is copyrighted property of the authors (Future Software Resources
Ltd and Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho) and it is for the exclusive use of the person to
whom it has been issued. The authors may take legal action against any
unauthorized use of this document.

3. OVERVIEW
Every business begun before the boom of the Internet now faces the
same challenge: How to transform to compete in a digital economy?

4. OVERVIEW
● Introduction to Digital Transformation
○ Definition
○ Reasons to accelerate your journey
○ Key Pillars of Digital Transformation
○ Clear Winners of the Digital Age
○ Technologies Driving Digital Transformation
● Driving Your Digital Transformation Journey
○ What is your DT Persona
○ The role of a board
○ The role of C-level Executives
○ The role of a Business Owner
○ The role of a Consultant
● Digital Transformation Checklist
● Points of Failure
○ Lack of support from the top
○ Change Management
○ Skimping on the budget
○ Lack of local technical support
○ Lack of skilled staff
○ Ignoring Data
○ Lack of Process Documentation
○ No Business Continuity Planning
○ Insufficient IT Security

5. INTRODUCTION
The last 10 years have been about changing the way people work.
The next 10 years will be about transforming your business
- Aaron Levie

6. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Rethinking your business in the Digital Age
Here are my two favourite definitions:
Digital Transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new —
or modify existing — business processes, culture, and customer experiences to
meet changing business and market requirements.
Digital Transformation is turning your business into a 21st century organization that
is strategically driven by technology & data and focuses on innovation at the
intersection of Technology and Human Behaviour.

7. REASONS TO ACCELERATE YOUR JOURNEY
Rethinking your business in the Digital Age
Here are a few reasons to accelerate on your Digital Transformation journey
● Digital as a Resilience Strategy: The ongoing pandemic has forced us all to
rethink strategies and accelerate DT. COVID is a great diagnostic test that has
served up major gaps in technology & service delivery.
● Consumer Culture is changing: We are seeing massive changes in Consumer
culture and only an amazing Customer Experience (CX), winning Digital
Marketing strategies and simple yet innovative products can ensure that
customers stay with you.
● The Challengers are here: Challenger Brands are disrupting more and more
industries. The order of the day for established brands is accelerate innovation
and agility or die.

8. KEY PILLARS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Rethinking your business in the Digital Age
1
Customers - Digital allows co-creation,
2-way communication, and value flow.
Leverage your customer networks and
invest in your customer experience.
2 Competition - In the Digital Economy
collaboration and partnerships are key -
even with competitors. Sharing data and
resources benefits everyone → e.g Open
Banking / Network Economy
4
Innovation - Rapid prototyping must become
order of the day. Fail fast and keep innovating.
Innovation should be deeply embedded in your
culture and organisational DNA in order to win.
5
Value - Adapt your value proposition in a world of
ever changing customer needs, consumer
behaviour and challengers. Invest in building your
future consumer base (Millennials & Gen Z). Invest
in developing products.
3 Data - Use data to enhance CX,
conversion driven marketing, effective
cross selling, decision making, hyper
personalization and process optimization.
6 Strategy - Digital first is a business strategy.
Technology is no longer a tool, it is a core survival
strategy for your business. Strategy should touch
on customer experience, process automation and
supply chain optimization.

9. CLEAR WINNERS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Rethinking your business in the Digital Age
Clear winners are brands that have invested in:
● Customer Experience (CX): In the Digital Age the customer calls the shots →
invest in your customer experience and remove all friction points → Zappos,
Monzo Bank
● Platforms: Go beyond products & build platforms that leverage the network
effect → Zoom, Netflix, Air BnB, Uber etc.
● Embedding Innovation in their Culture: Drive innovation from every business
unit → Amazon, Google
● In their people & workplaces: There is no Digital Transformation without
people they must have the right skills and have a workplace that allows
them to collaborate, innovate and be productive → Google, Facebook

10. TECHNOLOGIES DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Rethinking your business in the Digital Age
1
Digital Marketing - Web Development,
Social Media Management, SEO, SEM,
Content Development, Branding &
Content Marketing etc.
2 Emerging Technologies - Blockchain,, AI,
VR, AR
4
Data Analytics - Big Data, Business Intelligence,
Data Mining
5
Automation / Efficiency / Productivity Mgt. -
Cloud Services, Video Calls, E-Learning, Intranet,
Collaboration Tools, Project Management Tools,
Survey Tools, CRM, ERP, BOTs etc.
3 Cloud / Hybrid Infrastructure - Cloud first or
Hybrid models
6 IT Security - Firewall, Endpoint Protection,
Penetration Testing etc.

11. DRIVING YOUR DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION
The biggest part of our Digital Transformation is changing the way we
think - Simon Sinek

12. WHO ARE YOU?
What’s your Digital Transformation Persona?
● Digitally Challenged: little or no understanding of digital
● Digital Thinker: little direct interaction with digital but you conceptually
understand digital
● Digital Disruptor: You have been deeply embedded in digital
● Digital Leader: You have substantial experience of running a traditional
business that leverages digital in a significant way.
● Digital Transformer: You have led or participated in a digital
transformation of a traditional business.

13. DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Who should drive your Digital Transformation?
Anyone driving Digital Transformation should:
● Grasp the potential impact of digital technologies
● See technology as a strategic driver that is fully integrated in your overall
business strategy rather than a platform or tool
● Have a Customer Centric approach and care about CX
● Have a clear picture of the role that data plays in futureproofing your business
● Understand the new competitive dynamics disrupting your industry
● Identify the competencies and behaviours needed to lead successfully in a
digital age
● Understand the cybersecurity threats, risks and vulnerabilities linked to
integrating technology
● Understand the interwoven nature of Digital Marketing & Digital Technologies

14. DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Defining the role of a board
● The board is central to determining corporate strategy and championing
projects and investments that deliver it, thus Digital Transformation should be
driven from the very top of the organisation.
● A board should have at least one board member who is a Digital Transformer
and understands Digital Transformation, Technology trends etc.
● The board must engage more frequently and deeply on strategy and risk -
annual reviews no longer work.
● The board must understand how digital first challengers can upend business
models and be proactive in challenging management

15. DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Defining the role of C-Level Executives
The CEO, COO, CIO, CMO, CHRO and CFO must all be involved in driving Digital
Transformation:
● Digital Transformation is not an IT Initiative - digital is an enabler for purposeful
enterprise-wide transformation and innovation
● Traction really starts to take hold when C-Level Execs collaborate and
coordinate holistic digital transformation initiatives
● CIOs must become strategic business partners and must be involved in business
strategy development and implementation
● CMO must work closely with the Digital Transformation Team / CIO
● C-Level Execs must make transformation a top strategic priority
● Business outcomes need to drive and measure digital transformation success
● Bottom line optimization is great, but should not be the only factor that drives
your Digital Transformation

16. DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Defining the role of Business Owners
Depending on the size and stage of your business, business owners should:
● Understand Digital Transformation and Technology
● Engage frequently and deeply on strategy and risk - don’t leave it all to your
CIO / CTO
● Understand how applications interconnect and how extensible they are
● Understand where and how the applications house your data
● Understand what technology risks and threats you are exposed
● Understand what competitors and challenger brands are doing
● Be in tune with global trends

17. DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
The role of a Consultant
Depending on whether you have the in-house capacity to design your strategy,
oversee and manage the implementation you should consider finding an IT Partner
that can support your transformation and:
● Is able to conduct an IT Audit
● Has a deep understanding of your business processes and industry landscape &
regulations
● Is able to develop a strategic digital transformation plan for you
● Is able to select & deploy applications that can integrate into your processes
seamlessly and ensure interoperability
● Has a deep understanding of the Technology you deploy and is not only
focused on selling

18. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION CHECKLIST
“At least 40% of all businesses will die in the next 10 years... if they
don’t figure out how to change their entire company to
accommodate new technologies.” - John Chambers

19. Digital Transformation Checklist:
● Audit to define current state and target state:
(Processes, existing tech, infrastructure, network, security,
strategies, consultants, applications people, leadership,
customer centricity etc.)
● Customer Journey Mapping
● Strategy Development
○ Customer Centricity
■ Product & Service Delivery
■ Customer Service
■ Omni-Channel Experience
■ Frictionless
○ Technology
■ Cloud, Hybrid or local host
■ API Strategy
○ Data & Data Analytics
○ Cyber Security

20. Digital Transformation Checklist:
● Strategy Development
○ People
■ Change Management & Communication
■ Employee Experience & Culture
■ Maximize staff Efficiency
■ Recruiting & Talent Management
■ L&D Strategy → Upskilling
○ Budget:
■ Ensure you calculate future cost
■ Eradicate double spend caused by overlaps
● Implementation: Design for operations approach to
implementation, development and delivery
powered by analytics, lean techniques and
automation.
● Tracking: Auditing your organization at strategic
intervals will allow you to track your digital progress.

21. POINTS OF FAILURE
There is no alternative to Digital Transformation, visionary companies
will carve out new strategic options for themselves - those that don’t
adapt will fail. - Jeff Bezos

22. Lack of Board / C-Level Buy in
● The most common point of failure is lack of board
and / or C-Level buy in
● The lack of collaboration in the C-Suite
● Not seeing Digital Transformation as an investment

23. Cheap is expensive - DT is an investment strategy
● Like everything in life cheap usually turns out
more expensive → don’t save on your
technology - invest in IT!
● Digital transformation efforts are still often viewed
as cost centers instead of investments. To
change the perception, leadership teams need
ROI metrics, and ways to tie innovation projects
to business outcomes.

24. Change Management is key - make sure that
everyone is carried along
● Ensure your people understand your digital
transformation vision & strategy
● Ensure that you involve teams in process mapping
and application / technology selection
● Be strict when introducing new systems - be a role
model in using them → signal the right thing
through your actions in order to cultivate the right
behaviour

25. Support is key - make sure that you have adequate
IT support services
● IT without support is a NO NO!
● Ensure good support is available locally
● Ensure that you sign SLAs that focus on support
services for all applications / systems you deploy
and include upgrades & updates where necessary
● Understand the modalities of your support
agreement properly, calculate cost of support
when your organisation scales

26. Get your workforce 21st century ready, keep their
skills up to date & figure out how to retain talent
● Technology changes every 5 seconds → your
people don’t
● You need to upskill & train continuously using an
integrate LMS
● Assess training needs during Performance
Reviews and make digital skills core
competencies
● Are you investing in the right talent? Do you have
succession planning?
● What are you doing to mitigate against high
turnover of technology staff?

27. Data is the new gold - don’t play with it:
● What if all your data was gone when you woke up
this morning?
● Data is the new gold → without it you are nothing -
start acting like it
● Collect Data Points, build institutional knowledge
● Have a list of your critical data and where it is
housed and the risks it is exposed to
● Have rules around data processing, entry,
management, transfer and retention to ensure
clean and useful data

28. Document like your life depends on it -
standards, policies, processes, procedures they
should all live in documents:
● Have a playbook and a policy for everything
● As you transform don’t forget to update your
policies, processes & procedures accordingly
● Develop standards, update them as the
technology changes and make sure they are
well documented
● Let your people imbibe and stick to your
processes & policies

29. Think about Business Continuity
● Are you set up to run your entire operations
remotely
● Do You have a Disaster Recovery & Business
Continuity Plan
● What are your biggest technology related risks?
● How do you assess, mitigate and keep track of
risks

30. Think about data and IT security risks
● You will get hacked - what is your response plan?
● What rules do you have around downtime -
ensure vendor SLAs align with internal KPIs
● Have you conducted a vendor risk and supply
chain risk assessment?
● Have you ever conducted penetration testing &
vulnerability scans
● Do you know the IT Security status of your digital
assets?
● Are your people your biggest IT security risk? Do
you conduct risk assessments?

31. Think about data and IT security risks
● Do you document incidents & find the root cause
● Do you have the right governance in place
● How do you rationalize your cyber security
spend? Do you have overlapping applications?

32. What Next?
● Think about your Digital Transformation Journey
● Engage your Team - Craft your Vision
● Start Working on your Digital Transformation Strategy
● Implement - Implement - Implement
● Transform - Transform - Transform
● Optimize - Optimize - Optimize
The Future is DIGITAL….The Future is NOW!

33. There is no knowledge that is not
power.
Questions?

34. CONTACT US
info@futuresoft-ng.com
www.futuresoft-ng.com
@futuresoftng
2nd Floor Chic Afrique House,
3 Thorborn Avenue, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.