Avoid digital failure – take charge of your
digital destiny TODAY!
digital destiny TODAY!
This glimpse
of the future was crafted by: Danielle Bond
of the future was crafted by: Danielle Bond
Look around you the next time you
catch a plane or wait in a queue at the bank – everyone is on their smartphone,
faces buried in a sea of emoticons, 24/7 email and constant notifications from
social networking sites. The iPhone has been hailed as an intuitive, fast-fix
for the technically challenged amongst us. Buy an iPhone, and your individual
‘digital strategy’ solutions are solved.
catch a plane or wait in a queue at the bank – everyone is on their smartphone,
faces buried in a sea of emoticons, 24/7 email and constant notifications from
social networking sites. The iPhone has been hailed as an intuitive, fast-fix
for the technically challenged amongst us. Buy an iPhone, and your individual
‘digital strategy’ solutions are solved.
In the same way, countless
organisations are looking to software vendors to solve their digital woes and
the adage “There’s an app for that” is fast becoming synonymous with
streamlining core business processes. Sometimes, this equates to being smart
about things – but are we relying too heavily on these conglomerates for our digital strategy?
organisations are looking to software vendors to solve their digital woes and
the adage “There’s an app for that” is fast becoming synonymous with
streamlining core business processes. Sometimes, this equates to being smart
about things – but are we relying too heavily on these conglomerates for our digital strategy?
In a world where ‘buying’ an
individual digital strategy has become as easy as purchasing an off-the-shelf
smartphone – what will it take for organisations to own their digital destiny – and why do they need to?
individual digital strategy has become as easy as purchasing an off-the-shelf
smartphone – what will it take for organisations to own their digital destiny – and why do they need to?
There’s value in in-house!
To secure the possibility of
‘connecting the dots’ between its projects, and through this the possibility of
evolving, a company must take charge of its own digital strategy. Sometimes,
this means moving away from vendor solutions to in-house innovations because
plainly put, there’s no copy and paste for innovation.
To secure the possibility of
‘connecting the dots’ between its projects, and through this the possibility of
evolving, a company must take charge of its own digital strategy. Sometimes,
this means moving away from vendor solutions to in-house innovations because
plainly put, there’s no copy and paste for innovation.
Uber, for instance, made a
decision to forego a vendor-owned operating platform. Choosing instead to
remain in charge of their destiny, and acutely aware of the value of the
commuter data they were collecting, they built their own. This alone has helped
secure them a future in which they can choose to evolve. Next level expansion
into, say, transportation modelling; dynamic pricing of their services
based on demand; and even collaboration with city authorities based on their
monopoly is possible. They’ve secured their future.
decision to forego a vendor-owned operating platform. Choosing instead to
remain in charge of their destiny, and acutely aware of the value of the
commuter data they were collecting, they built their own. This alone has helped
secure them a future in which they can choose to evolve. Next level expansion
into, say, transportation modelling; dynamic pricing of their services
based on demand; and even collaboration with city authorities based on their
monopoly is possible. They’ve secured their future.
Likewise, The Economist is
calling McLaren a tech company amongst ‘speed merchants’. All carmakers are “in
the business of hurtling drivers towards 200mph” (The Economist), but McLaren
realised success off the back of selling its cars as the most technically
advanced.
calling McLaren a tech company amongst ‘speed merchants’. All carmakers are “in
the business of hurtling drivers towards 200mph” (The Economist), but McLaren
realised success off the back of selling its cars as the most technically
advanced.
It has renamed itself McLaren
Technology and Ron Dennis, its boss, is convinced that McLaren’s tech business
will be its “biggest and most important part in years to come…”
Technology and Ron Dennis, its boss, is convinced that McLaren’s tech business
will be its “biggest and most important part in years to come…”
Using skills honed in analysing
the vast quantities of data generated by motor racing, it is developing
analytics software for the likes of GlaxoSmithKline and KPMG.
the vast quantities of data generated by motor racing, it is developing
analytics software for the likes of GlaxoSmithKline and KPMG.
It’s good to look to your
vendors, but it’s better to look to your clients
The first rule of product development is understanding, but this is often also
the most forgotten.
vendors, but it’s better to look to your clients
The first rule of product development is understanding, but this is often also
the most forgotten.
Large organisations build their
success upon providing customers with what they want. They match a product with
a need, and they charge for doing so. Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to match an
off-the-shelf digital product with a legitimate digital need.
success upon providing customers with what they want. They match a product with
a need, and they charge for doing so. Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to match an
off-the-shelf digital product with a legitimate digital need.
In the world of infrastructure we use Building
Information Modelling (BIM) software to conduct Building Information
Modelling; we use architectural drawing software to produce architectural
drawings. But what happens when there are too many of us doing things in this
way? Often times, we’re not peddling the ‘best solution’, just the easiest one,
and engineering and architecture services have been rapidly commoditised upon
this precept.
Information Modelling (BIM) software to conduct Building Information
Modelling; we use architectural drawing software to produce architectural
drawings. But what happens when there are too many of us doing things in this
way? Often times, we’re not peddling the ‘best solution’, just the easiest one,
and engineering and architecture services have been rapidly commoditised upon
this precept.
Sometimes, it’s only through
truly empathising with not only what a customer wants, but why they want it,
that will lead to the creation of innovative experiences and products that
together form the basis of new digital services. Professor Clayton M.
Christensen, one of the world’s foremost experts on innovation and growth,
believes executives fail because they don’t ask the question: What job would
consumers want to hire a product to do?
truly empathising with not only what a customer wants, but why they want it,
that will lead to the creation of innovative experiences and products that
together form the basis of new digital services. Professor Clayton M.
Christensen, one of the world’s foremost experts on innovation and growth,
believes executives fail because they don’t ask the question: What job would
consumers want to hire a product to do?
Christensen writes in his book
Theory of Jobs to Be Done: “When we buy a product, we essentially ‘hire’
something to get a job done. If it does the job well, when we are confronted
with the same job, we hire that same product again. And if the product does a
crummy job, we ‘fire’ it and look around for something else we might hire to
solve the problem.” A bold digital strategy based on a previously uncovered
customer need will lead to new ways of operating and new capabilities.
Theory of Jobs to Be Done: “When we buy a product, we essentially ‘hire’
something to get a job done. If it does the job well, when we are confronted
with the same job, we hire that same product again. And if the product does a
crummy job, we ‘fire’ it and look around for something else we might hire to
solve the problem.” A bold digital strategy based on a previously uncovered
customer need will lead to new ways of operating and new capabilities.
Organisations need to take the
time to stop and think about a client’s brief. They should interrogate it from
every angle so that the macro-solution they eventually create is the result of
answering the multiple micro-questions that they have unearthed throughout this
painstaking, yet purposeful, process.
time to stop and think about a client’s brief. They should interrogate it from
every angle so that the macro-solution they eventually create is the result of
answering the multiple micro-questions that they have unearthed throughout this
painstaking, yet purposeful, process.
The benefits of this diligent and
future-focused approach will stand the test of time and create long-term value
from using sustainable, renewable and flexible models, built with the most
up-to-date, physical and digital, tools and applications that are available
today.
future-focused approach will stand the test of time and create long-term value
from using sustainable, renewable and flexible models, built with the most
up-to-date, physical and digital, tools and applications that are available
today.
Beware the speed merchants
If we created a blueprint for
digital failure, it would have at the very top of that list a propensity toward
haste. Products are slapped with the words ‘plug and play’ and ‘all in one’ and
suddenly everyone is in the queue for that ‘something new’…until it fails.
digital failure, it would have at the very top of that list a propensity toward
haste. Products are slapped with the words ‘plug and play’ and ‘all in one’ and
suddenly everyone is in the queue for that ‘something new’…until it fails.
Digital strategy isn’t an
overnight recipe and doing ‘the next big thing’ isn’t necessarily the next
right thing. Only thinking in the here and now and imagining solutions based
only upon your current reality is a sure way to fail. What we need are more
solutions that solve not only today’s digital dilemmas, but tomorrow’s as well!
Organisations must keep one eye on the here and now, but also look ahead and
plan for a future which is only predictable in its uncertainty.
overnight recipe and doing ‘the next big thing’ isn’t necessarily the next
right thing. Only thinking in the here and now and imagining solutions based
only upon your current reality is a sure way to fail. What we need are more
solutions that solve not only today’s digital dilemmas, but tomorrow’s as well!
Organisations must keep one eye on the here and now, but also look ahead and
plan for a future which is only predictable in its uncertainty.
If we want to gain control of our
digital destiny, we need to stop allowing vendors to drive our digital
strategy.
digital destiny, we need to stop allowing vendors to drive our digital
strategy.
(Aurecon has launched a new futuristic blog! Called Just
Imagine, it provides a glimpse into
the future for curious readers, exploring ideas that are probable, possible and
for the imagination. This post
originally appeared on Aurecon’s Just
Imagine blog. Get access to the latest blog posts as soon as they
are published by subscribing
to the blog.)
Imagine, it provides a glimpse into
the future for curious readers, exploring ideas that are probable, possible and
for the imagination. This post
originally appeared on Aurecon’s Just
Imagine blog. Get access to the latest blog posts as soon as they
are published by subscribing
to the blog.)
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