I’m pleased to announce the release of a new piece of research I’ve been working on––for a few years, collectively!–with my research colleague Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter Group. The report, The Six Stages of Digital Transformation, outlines a maturity framework to help companies advance technology roadmaps, business models, and processes to compete in a digital economy.
After several years of interviewing those helping to drive digital transformation (we call them “change agents”), we have identified a series of patterns, components, and processes that form a strong foundation for change.
The Six Stages of Digital Transformation reflect the state and progress of an organization in motion. The stages are defined by the digital transformation elements that are present in an organization’s current position or its immediate roadmap. Although presented as six distinct steps, companies may not migrate through each step on a linear path or at the same speed. These six distinct stages are:
- Business as Usual
- Present and Active
- Formalized
- Strategic
- Converged
- Innovative and Adaptive
Collectively, these phases serve as a digital maturity blueprint to guide purposeful and advantageous digital transformation. Our research of digital transformation is centered on the digital customer experience (DCX) and thus reflects one of many paths toward change. We found that DCX was an important catalyst in driving the evolution of business, in addition to technology and other market factors.
Within each phase, we assess the following criteria:
As digital transformation involves many departments, leaders, and an overall cultural shift of an organization, there is no set prescription for its strategy and implementation. Instead, this report was developed to share common milestones and best practices by those leading transformation in companies such as Discover, GM, Harvard, Lego, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nestlé, Sephora, and Starbucks, among many others. Like the imminent customer journey you will develop, the path from phase to phase is not a linear experience. Use these best practices within the report as your guideposts.
Jaimy Szymanski 