5 Key Observations For Digital Transformation: The Road to Disneyland
Do YOU remember or miss the days of the summer road trip?
As I have talked about in a previous post ... in 1976 we set out on a journey to drive across Canada, down through the United States and back up the eastern seaboard to home in time to start the new school year.
I am pretty sure my parents tried to set expectations with my brother and I about the trip...things like:
how long it would take
why we were driving...not flying
why we were camping...not staying in hotels
what we would see along the way
My parents also spent about a year planning before we ever left the driveway...
They had laid out the Atlases (yes...I said it...it was the days before GPS) to plot the course
They had budgeted for the trip and knew what they could afford in gas...food...camp site fees and entertainment
They knew how long they could drive each day and the places we would stop along the way so we could complete the trip in time to get back in September for the start of school
They were focused on the big picture on how this trip would improve our lives through exceptional experiences
My brother and I paid NO attention to any of this detail...nor did we listen or care about all the places we would see and the people we would meet along the way. All WE heard was that we were going to Disneyland.
It would take us over a month to get there and I am reasonably sure we asked every day about it. We were so focused on getting there that some of the things that should have "wowed" us along the way (like the rocky mountains, or the giant redwood forest)... we paid very little attention to. It was nice and all...but WE were promised Disneyland.
The Link to Digital Transformation and the Client Experience
So that feeling of anticipation of getting to Disneyland really isn't much different than what we experience as our organizations embark on the digital transformation road and improving the overall client/partner/colleague experience.
With that as the backdrop...here are a few observations/lessons learned a couple of months into my new role...
Take Time to Plan and Scope The Project. This may sound obvious but once it is "announced" that there are people looking at the project...the clock starts ticking and anticipation/expectations take on a life of its own. Don't be rushed and take the time to plot your course...know the stops along the way (milestones) and how much it will cost. Everyone will be eager to "get out of the driveway and on the road" but planning is critical for success.
Be Realistic About Budget. Organizations don't have an endless bucket of money for digital projects so taking into account resources, timeline and other costs is important. The bottom line is there are trade-offs...tough decisions and potentially missed expectations about what you are getting and in what time frame depending on what you can afford. In the case of our summer vacation...if we had been "rich" people we could have flown to Disneyland...gotten there much quicker and stayed in hotels. This would have been much more than we could afford and would have been a lot of money for just couple of days worth of experience. We would have chewed up all of our budget on that one thing to get there faster and missed out on so much more.
Understand Foundational Requirements. Even though it isn't flashy...there are foundational things that are critical to making the overall Client Experience work and get you where you want to go. These things take time, money and resource. Do YOUR best to set expectations and continuously reinforce WHY this is SO important. In some cases...you may have to delay your project until the foundation is in place. In the case of the summer holiday...we needed to buy the truck and camper well in advance of our trip. There were a lot of other items required to outfit it and we needed time to figure out how it worked. All these other elements were required before we put it to the test and scale of our EPIC road trip.
Think End to End. All the emphasis on digital products and customer experience seem to be on the requirements for that functionality...the Statement of Work...the development and the launch to production. At that point if the project has been delivered on-time and within budget everyone celebrates and declares victory. We need to ensure that as we embark on the digital transformation road that we anticipate and over-think all the other elements to be successful. It's not JUST about getting there it's what resources do we need to support it once we get there...what other tools are required that we don't have today... are we trained or have the documentation to know how to troubleshoot if we run into problems...and do we know what additional costs are required to sustain the functionality going forward.
Understand and Manage the Impact to the Team. Everyone is enthusiastic and eager once you have an exciting destination to work towards. Even though you have explained the risks...the potential challenges and how long it will take everyone cheers "let's go!". At some point along the way the team begins to feel the reality of the long road they have embarked upon and all the things that need to be done to not only get them there...but what it will take post production to safe passage into the business. In the case of our trip...my Mom would talk about being in close quarters for months as well as the long days of driving and that it would eventually wear on us. This was particularly evident once we had finally gotten to Disneyland and still had a LONG way to go to get home. They had to motivate us and keep us moving forward with all the other wonderful things that was still in store even as we basked in the memory of that Disneyland moment.
What they ultimately did was teach us all the elements and tasks that go into creating exceptional experiences
In Closing...
There are several other analogies and thoughts that come to mind that I will leave for another day. The key for me out of all we have talked about is...
Set expectations...be clear about what you are (and are NOT) getting... continuously communicate... think end to end... understand that it takes as long as it takes... and know that the journey is richer than any single destination
I would also say that once you have laid the foundation and made the choice of your experience going forward you can get there faster and cheaper than you did the first time. In my case... we moved the family to Arizona in 2006 where we are a 6 hour drive to Disneyland. Over the years my kids went for lower cost...less time and more frequently than I ever did!
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
What do you think of the analogy of the long road trip in relation to Digital Transformation and Client Experience?
Do YOU have a better story or connection that illustrates all the things we need to contemplate or consider?
From the five observations above...which one resonates most with YOU?
What other observations would YOU add?
As I come into my last of my first 90 days in the new role...any advice for me?
Thanks for reading and remember...YOU make a difference!
Please continue the conversation by liking…commenting or sharing this article. You can also follow me on twitter @marciedwhite or LinkedIn
