Don’t start your digital transformation project from technology

Don’t start your digital transformation project from technology. That’s where you’d think, right? There’s a new tech out there that’s heating up the media, and you’ve just gotta figure out what to do with it.

But that’s wrong, actually. That’ll cost you a lot of transactional overhead and a lot of false starts.

Start, instead, with your purpose. Oh no, you’re already saying: not that again. But yes! What I mean by that is start with a clear and easy-to-articulate — three-to-five word — distillation of what it is your business exists to do and is trying to do at scale.

Then work through how that should shape your brand, the experiences your customers have, and so on.

Then think about the data you’ll need to capture to measure whether you’re being effective

Only then should you think about the technologies you will use to amplify and accelerate the alignment between your strategic organizational purpose and what people outside of your business are seeking when they come into contact with your company.

That’s the process I’ve long called human-centric digital transformation. When you start from this approach, you’re sure to create more memorable experiences, more resonance, more traction with customers.

And you’ll have a lot fewer false starts with the buzzy technology trend of the moment.