become more flexible. Some of the roles will be more permanent in order to provide structure and technical guidance, but your new digital culture with a continuous flow of initiatives will create new roles that evolve with its needs and pace. We will focus on key roles of people in the digital transformation and how we can empower them in Chapter 8.
The Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform offers powerful tools like Workflow, Power Platform, Cloud and Cloud automation tools, all of which help to automate time-consuming tasks. The team can also utilize robust Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning functionality best on internal teams’ capability and a vision for expansion on team capability by including some specific skills such as:
Software engineers, cloud computing specialists, and product managers remain key roles for companies seeking to roll out new products and services. DevOps leaders galvanize software development by merging development with operations, enabling companies to continuously iterate software to speed delivery.
Data scientists and data architects are also in high demand, as companies seek to glean insights out of vast troves of data, and transformations lean increasingly on machine learning and artificial intelligence.
In addition, IT departments supporting business-wide transformations also require UX designers, digital trainers, writers, conversational brand strategists, forensic analysts, ethics compliance managers, and digital and workplace technology managers.
It is evident that businesses and leaders need to accelerate digital transformation to survive and thrive in the current economic situations. The key questions that keep the leaders and businesses thinking are where to start, who are the key stakeholders, and how to get their buy-in for the necessary support and budgets?
Writing a business case for digital transformation is an exciting and challenging task; specifically, if it is your first one, it is an opportunity and will enlighten you with the great depth at the start, which helps in planning and success of the transformation.
The critical question you need to ask is: What business outcomes do you want for your customers?
As customer expectations continue to shift, it is important to have the C-suite aligned and CXOs sponsor and champion the digital transformation innovation. To make the sponsorship work, CXOs need to have a strategy, focus, planning, tangible commitments, and a communications strategy to drive impact within the organization. Some companies like Honeywell9 have taken it a step further and now call their employees Future Shapers. “Future Shapers are dreamers and doers.” As Ken Stacherski, Honeywell's VP Enterprise Transformation, shared, the company's internal motto is “The future is what we make it.” With those words in mind, Future Shapers are transforming Honeywell inside and outside for their customers. The business case will help drive the benefits and outcomes from the D365 implementation and shape the conversation on what post going live looks like. We will bring your attention to this in Chapter 9. Digital transformation by implementing Dynamics 365 is not a one-off project; it needs to be continuously nurtured and improved as the organization reaches new maturity. This will be covered in Chapter 10. We have included two appendix chapters that cover FastTrack with Dynamics 365 and key tools that are being used with Dynamics 365 to ensure a successful implementation for an organization.
We will also look at the case study of various businesses in three different sections and will bring you their experiences on leading their digital transformation with Dynamics 365, key decisions made during the journey, and their key achievements and outcomes from their digital transformation implementation.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 brings data together in the business, from different landscapes and ecosystems of the business. This is where insights surface from that data, and it is the vehicle used to translate that insight into action.
Summing Up
In this chapter, we have introduced the concept of Digital Transformation and how every digital transformation revolves around the customer, who is at the heart of the transformation. COVID-19 has accelerated the digital transformation in many organizations and reprioritized the case for change. Microsoft Dynamics 365 technology is instrumental in the digital transformation of many organizations and aided the acceleration that we will look at closely in the later chapters and in our case study sections.
Digital Future Checklist:
Transformation is not a project. It is a quest for continuous improvement to survive and thrive.
Think customer as the center of digital transformation.
Plan for your digital transformation in all areas—business model, customer experience, tech ecosystem, and the operations.
Build a problem-solving culture and experimentation should be at the core of it.
People build the culture, and for successful transformation, culture transformation is the key.
Key components for a business case are Scope, Decision Framework, Roadmap, Milestones, and Benefits.
Internal and external customers are equally critical for the transformation.
“Once something is a passion, the motivation is there.”
—Michael Schumacher
Notes
1 1. PWC, Experience Is Everything. Get It Right. www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/future-of-customer-experience.html.
2 2. 100 Stats on Digital Transformation and Customer Experience (2020). www.blakemichellemorgan.com/blog/100-stats-digital-transformation-customer-experience/.
3 3. Blake Morgan (2019). www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/12/16/100-stats-on-digital-transformation-and-customer-experience/#64cf2a123bf3.
4 4. Ibid.
5 5. Blake Morgan (2019)., www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/12/16/100-stats-on-digital-transformation-and-customer-experience/#64cf2a123bf3.
6 6.
