Learning from Our Current Digital Failures to Make a Fresh Start

As an overarching concept, digital is the evolution of businesses and their use of all aspects of technology, because, optimally, everything going forward in our lives is increasingly interoperable, interconnected and flexible. Few firms are fortunate enough to start with a clean sheet or modern full-stack platform and are grappling with legacy technologies, workflows and data. Cultural mindsets developed from working environments constrained by older tech habits and obsolete processes are one of the most serious challenges to successful digital progress and evolution.

The conceptual goal that is much talked about, but terrifying and mysterious to many professional people, is the concept of digital transformation, a much overused buzz phrase that has been around for over 10 years. Digital strategy goals and aspirations can come from many sources to exploit opportunities and mitigate business challenges but actually pulling the trigger and executing them is another thing entirely. Who actually is capable of executing forward thinking digital infrastructure changes is the burning question in business leadership minds, and past generations of IT implementation overruns don’t inspire courage to drive change.

This PoV discusses  some current challenges in the in betweenie period between old IT and new digital and suggests we are at ‘the end of the beginning’ of digital understanding, because the world around us is changing faster and faster. Fundamentally new business approaches are increasingly essential to take advantage of digital developments and remain competitive in our ever more connected world.