Much has been said in recent years about digital transformation; what it entails, what scope it covers within an organization and what steps must be taken to carry it out efficiently. But no one questions that this is absolutely unavoidable to ensure the competitiveness of companies.
In the first place, it must be assumed that the digital transformation of a company supposes a cultural-organizational change of it; it is not a mere transformation of paper into a file. It is a change in the way of doing the tasks of each of the elements of the company, from any of its areas or departments.
That “paper” or content that is received from any source (email, paper, web page, etc.) must be transformed into one more element of a large database and, from that moment, into an analytical source, which it can provide – when related to other existing data – much more valuable information than when considered individually.
For this, and for it to be a true digital transformation, all administrative, financial, human resources, logistics processes and, in general, all the areas that make up the organization, content and technology, must be analyzed. It is necessary to make a comprehensive study of all the information of the company and integrate it into a single relational database and, in this way, to be able to start taking full advantage of the enormous information that a company generates.
It is about examining all the departments of an organization, studying how they interrelate and thus defining the necessary workflow or information flows, to redesign processes with a view to increasing efficiency, control and cost reduction. And it is that the digital transformation is directly related to the process efficiency.
The most efficient strategy carries a return on investment. By automating processes, workflows are predictable and dynamic, and we eliminate repetitive tasks, while gaining greater insight into the business.
This is achieved with a single business database where all available information from the various departments can be accessed through an intelligent search. What is intended is, with the right tools, to have a better understanding of the business through the power of data. Logically, always giving the pertinent authorizations and under strict compliance with the Data Protection Law and other legislation applicable to each flow. Likewise, a change of attitude and behavior on the part of the entire organization is essential. Digitization is key for companies to be competitive.
systems used
- ECM systems (Enterprise Content Management). They put all the information (digital, analog and that arrives through all possible channels: mail, EDI…) in a timely manner throughout all the processes and the value chain in a single place. What we achieve with this system is to organize all the company’s information, which allows us to speed up repetitive tasks by ensuring that they are always carried out in the same way. Creating, through a workflow system, that the appropriate people are informed at all times of the tasks/documents that are received and what each one must do with it.
- BPM (Business Process Management). Consisting of the optimization of business processes through management, allowing the identification of those that can be outsourced. The aim is to achieve a modern business management by processes applying a unique methodology between Organization, Systems (IT) and Business.
- OCR data capture systems. Optical Character Recognition software captures the data contained in the document, stores it in a file, in a format that recognizes the data, and easily retrieves it for use in other applications.
- RPA robotics system. Robotic Process Automation is a type of technological automation that is transforming the way companies operate. RPA software robots interact and communicate with a company’s systems and applications to streamline processes and reduce the workload on human resources. Robotic process automation software differs from similar solutions in its flexibility and ability to efficiently integrate workflows throughout the enterprise.
It must be done with flexible technological solutions that adapt to any reality, especially considering the changing future that every company faces. yes
However, investing in processes and tools is not enough for digital transformation to be implemented in the best way. It is essential that the company is aligned with the new strategy. Each organization must explore its own possibilities and determine what its roadmap will be.
Signed: Laura Garrido López, founder and partner of BWD Digital Transformation Spain
