Why is it That So Many Organisations, in 2019, Still Have Not Found Their Way Around Mobility and Why This Can Have a Negative Impact on Their Digital Transformation Initiatives?

By Joseph Emmi, Enterprise Architect, Scottish Water

Mobile drastically changed the world, we know this, we constantly praise how much, over the last decade, the introduction of the iPhone disrupted the industry and Smart Phones forever changed the way we do things in our daily lives. However, in the corporate world, despite significant shifts, the many companies that have thrived or even been born under this “new world”, many more are the companies that still struggling to find their way around it, to properly deliver solutions and to obtain that so-much-sought-after ‘value’ that mobility was supposed to provide.

"We need to make sure we’re actually making things better, rather than just making things digital. These two things are not the same"

We are now adding to the conversation digital transformation, the great impact and benefits it will bring, but also how everything is going to be different this time; as is somehow it will balance the debt left from those failed or delayed mobility projects. This is the challenge and where the real problem lies on.

Promises, Expectations, Risk and Evolution

Mobility initiatives and Mobile First programmes brought the promise that everything within the organisation that could be mobilised, would be mobilised. Workflows would be faster and simpler, even in real-time, but most importantly, that almost everything imaginable could be at the reach of our fingertips through Smart Phones and apps.

Digital Transformation arises under a similar premise, this time at a bigger scale; the promise of enabling organisations to become fully digital. A compelling proposition, but a risky one if not done carefully, but also if omitting the lessons learned from the past experiences of delivering change through mobility.

Digital Transformation’s big risk, is to replicate and inherit the mistakes that have been made through mobility and Mobile-First programs; to work in isolation without considering other areas of the business from the beginning, but most importantly, to solely focus on technology rather the people.

Digital transformation does not work in isolation, nor it should be treated as a different “thing”, as a different initiative with different goals and outcomes. Instead, it represents the continuation of what has been done over the last few years through mobility and any technology-driven programmes and projects; but looking to help the organisation maximise the benefits as a whole.

Digital Transformation’s big risk, is to replicate and inherit the mistakes that have been made through mobility and Mobile-First programs

It is a holistic approach, but also a matter of evolution, not separation.

It heavily relies on the existent foundations built through mobility

It is impossible to think that anything that we are set to do or create today, will not be supported by mobile technologies in any capacity.

No matter the industry, or how long a company has existed, if a new business would be started today from scratch, it will be a digital business, and most likely based on mobile technology.

The Problem

The problem that many organisations face, is that they only focus on the technology: the apps, the devices, the infrastructure, the integrations; but not always, not enough, or not at all, on the people; the person the solution is meant to serve, and for whom it was created in the first place.

Projects and programs focus on the delivery of something, not the resolution of a problem, and that’s also how success tends to be measured after deployment.

How many meeting have started with the phrase “we need an app” ?

Do you? — What for, but more importantly, why?

If there’s no focus in understanding what the real problem is and what the users want and need, then the solutions are going to be based just on assumptions. When those questions are not asked, what we risk to do is, instead of solving a problem, digitally replicate one.

Those products and services that we admire, love, use daily, and that we try to emulate in our companies, are not the result of just joint technology, but the careful crafting of experiences. Moreover, they are the attention to what needs to be done for the users, and how technology can be used to amplify the benefits, but also simplify the processes.

Taking the time to understand people, is not only necessary, but the only way. Whatever solution is going to be created, if it is not helping others do their jobs faster, to make things easier or their lives better, then it is nothing more than a waste of resources.

The name doesn’t matter. The technology doesn’t matter

Mobile first, Digital Transformation and whatever comes next, if we continue to ignore people, we’ll continue to face the same challenges over and over again, just with different technologies and new names on the trends and the programs companies will create to undertake them; because no matter what, if there’s something that we should learn once and for all, is that, it doesn’t matter how much or how little, technology itself won’t solve any problems.