Presentation Recap: Measuring the Maturity of Your Digital Transformation Efforts

 

By N. Christine Aykac, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMP
Project Coach/Learning Strategist, Acuna Consulting

I presented at the PMI Virtual Experience Series 2021 on 6-7 October 2021, a global event attracting more than 42,000 attendees. My presentation, “Measuring the Maturity of Your Digital Transformation Efforts,” focused on the key elements of transformational change and a simple way to measure the maturity of your organization’s digital transformation efforts. During the presentation, attendees submitted numerous questions, and I have chosen some of these questions to respond to here.

Question 1: What do you think the top 3 skills will be in 2022 for project managers to be successful?

I find it is easier to learn technical skills than interpersonal or power-skills because artificial intelligence cannot replicate power skills. My top three skills are critical thinking, problem-solving and communication. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Future of Jobs report 2020, skills gaps continue to be high as in-demand skills across jobs change in the next five years. They also predict that critical thinking, as well as problem-solving, will be much more important. In addition, WEF lists other skills such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility. However, without learning how to communicate better with our teams, stakeholders, having other skills and being a subject matter expert will not be enough.

Question 2: Looking forward to hearing what you have to say about cybersecurity.

First, not just project managers but any professional should have basic cybersecurity knowledge. Cybersecurity knowledge will become must-have knowledge for project managers, especially those working within IT organizations. 

Question 3: How do you manage continuous improvement when the upper managers do not have the desire to move on?

Small steps; doing something is better than doing nothing or giving up. Sometimes, I don't even call it continuous improvement, but I add small activities into the project activities and ensure my team understands the concept and helps me to look at ways to achieve improvements, regardless of how small it is. Also, remember that continuous learning is part of continuous improvement activities. I always arrange lunch-and-learn sessions and invite project managers and experts willing to volunteer their time.  

Question 4: Can you please provide a case study of a company that did digital transformation?

There are companies out there that accomplished their transformation goals for a period of time, like implementing big data strategy and managing their customer data with the help of machine learning tools much better. However, I don't believe anyone of them can say that they completed a digital transformation. As I discussed during my session, digital transformation is a journey. As you reach a certain point, new ideas, innovations will emerge, and you have to adjust your course accordingly. 

Question 5: Would there be specific examples of how you would assess each of the 5 areas of your business?

I do not recommend asking too specific questions in the initial survey, but you can ask if they like to be contacted with the follow-up survey and/or are open to talking to the team. In this survey, I recommend asking the basic questions for each dimension, such as: Based on your knowledge and experience, what do you think is the level of each dimension?

Your result chart should be something like this:

Question 6: What are the differences in collective thinking, high-performing teams?

When we talk about high-performing teams, we look at the result - they completed all the assigned tasks, achieved their goals, etc. You can reach this point with standard team-building activities. Especially if you are working with seasoned professionals, you will reach a high-performing state in a shorter time. However, are you getting the best out of them? Are you able to use their expertise to achieve a better outcome? You may notice that even collaborators have quite different approaches. You need to bring them to a collective thinking state to ensure you get the best results out of them.

Collective thinking is a way of obtaining a comprehensive understanding of problems and issues and coming up with better ways to tackle them. Therefore, I see collective thinking as a tool to help us achieve transformational change for the current and sustainable future.

Collective thinking involves listening to multiple perspectives and embracing multiple points of view to develop a more sophisticated approach to problems. Keep in mind that complex issues require intelligence beyond that of any individual. Yet, in the face of complex, highly conflictual issues, teams typically break down, revert to their rigid positions, and cover up deeper views. The result is watered-down compromises. Collecting thinking, however, is a discipline of collective learning and inquiry. Thus, it can serve as a cornerstone for organizational learning by providing an environment where people can reflect together and transform the ground out of their thinking and acting.

Question 7: What are the tools to get to a collective wisdom state?

Tools, techniques and methods you use to create high-performing teams and solving problems will be quite helpful. Otherwise, it is a slow-moving process.

As I mentioned, it is important to set the principles upfront, such as establishing trust, respect and transparency. It starts with bringing them together because when any group of individuals comes together, each brings a wide range of unexpressed differences in perspectives.

If you have a problem that requires a root cause analysis to resolve, you can apply the steps introduced in the presentation.

Question 8: This maturity looks to me very similar to the Capability Maturity Model. Is this the case?

Yes, it is based on the capability maturity model (CMM); however, it is a simplified version because we want to get a high-level idea of how every user in the organization is feeling/thinking about the digital transformation. CMM is a quite complex model. If you apply the same complex model, you may not be able to measure your transformation efforts, especially from a people's perspective.

You may access this presentation on demand through 31 January 2022. Visit PMI Virtual Experience Series 2021 for further details on accessing this and other presentations.