Digital Transformation

Whatever industry you work in, our world is becoming increasingly reliant on many different digital technologies. Our world is becoming smaller because we are able to use technology to connect our businesses and lives across the globe.

And it's not just the evolving digital and virtual technology that's bridging the gap - data is increasingly both universal language and currency. Data is the common output of all types of technology, and what we do with the data and how we acquire it are more important than ever.

A Wide Divide 

While we can all agree that digital capabilities are increasing at an exponential rate, visit any handful of websites and access any number of web-based applications, and you will find a significant gap between use of technology and quality of implementation.

Have you ever had an issue implementing a digital solution? Whether it's a new app development or simple landing page, these issues tend to boil down to two main culprits:

Using the right technology for the job, and evolving the technology to match the current requirements, both for the business and the end user.

Quality of execution and implementation, which requires systems-based thinking, root cause analysis, and knowledge of past and current technologies.

Data is King

Once upon a time... software development was all about the software. These days, the back-end -- the database and the data captured within it -- are the foundation for any quality digital solution.

When developing any kind of digital solution, thinking about the data and the data output must come first.

I once worked with a start-up that had outsourced the development of their application. While the front end of the application performed beautifully, the database was ill-conceived and poorly built. As a result, the start-up had to spend a significant amount of money and resources to re-build the database after its beta implementation. Not ideal.

Cost and time can be avoided by not only thinking about the front end workflow and user experience, but also how data will be captured, and how it needs to be analyzed. Building insights from a well-constructed database saves time in data prep and visualization.

Looking to the Future

The digital evolution continues, as we look to both development and the data that surrounds it to provide meaningful and lasting solutions.

Some thoughts to consider as we collectively look to the future:

• What digital solutions will help us adapt in a changing world?
• How do we optimally leverage digital capabilities to enable greater virtual access to our businesses and brands?
• What technologies and resources are needed to not just "keep up" but actually advance our position?
• How can we empower ourselves to use the data available to improve services and products, as well as understand our audiences?