Transform your IT landscape with a strong digital strategy

With all the technological developments today, IT flexibility is the key to success. Is your organization still struggling with a fragmented IT landscape? Then there is a good chance that you have less grip than you would like. How do you navigate to a clear digital strategy that provides overview and control? In this blog, Pieter-Bas de Visser, Business Technology Consultant at Quatronic, shares his insights on how to tackle this challenge effectively.

Why a clear digital strategy is so important

At Quatronic, we support organizations in developing IT solutions, but a good IT solution doesn't just come out of the blue. This must be based on a solid strategy. We have noticed that many organizations, especially those that have been around for several decades, are struggling with an IT landscape that does not fully meet current business needs. Standard solutions that are not flexible enough have often been chosen, causing all kinds of workarounds, such as the use of “Excel” (shadow IT). In addition, business processes change with the times, while IT solutions often do not grow with them. A clear digital strategy is essential to create an IT landscape that optimally matches the business and is flexible enough to change with future developments. This not only improves the overall performance of an organization, but also increases customer satisfaction and strengthens competitiveness.

Our proven method: structured to success

In the six years that we are now active as Quatronic, we already have many organizations — including CC Retail — helped develop a strong digital strategy. This turned out to be so successful that we decided to lay down this approach in a structured method, identifying the most important priorities in a short time and making clear decisions for the future.

In four steps towards a digital strategy

Developing a digital strategy is divided into four clear phases. Each phase has a clear result, which in itself is very valuable. By structuring the process in this way, you ensure that you can not only formulate a clear digital strategy, but also implement it effectively. Ultimately, this leads to better performance and a competitive advantage.

1. Defining the problem and analysing the current situation

· Goal: Define the problem and analyse the current situation.

· Approach: Investigate how things are going now, analyse what the current processes are and what the organisational structure looks like. Identify dependencies, pain points, roles, responsibilities, and the state of the IT landscape.

· Result: By the end of this phase, you will have a clear picture of the current situation, which lays the basis for the next steps.

2. Determining the desired future and the vision and planning

· Goal: Establish a clear vision for the future and high-level planning.

· Approach: Define your digital ambitions: where do you want to be in five years? Based on this, we outline a clear and visual vision, so that the entire organization is inspired and included in the story. We identify the roles and responsibilities needed to achieve this vision. We are investigating which new processes need to be implemented, and also look at the technological fit. If there is a need for a better customer management system, we will evaluate what is already available and whether you can use it more effectively. If there is nothing, we will see which new system fits best.

· Result: The ideal vision for the future is fixed.

3. Roadmap and priorities

· Goal: Develop a roadmap to the future and set priorities.

· Approach: Analyze organizational needs, such as the need for a CTO or additional IT staff. Divide the way to the ideal future into manageable projects. Assemble teams and appoint project leaders, taking into account time, budget, and capacity.

· Result: A detailed action and communication plan and an implementation plan.

4. Implementation of the digital strategy

· Goal: Put the digital strategy into practice.

· Approach: Implement the steps and priorities as defined in the previous phases. In this phase, we often lead program management. Although we build IT solutions ourselves, we always remain objective. If it turns out that OutSystems' low-code platform is not the best solution, we can play a supporting role in achieving the strategy.

· Result: The new digital strategy has been implemented, with continuous evaluation and adjustments where necessary.

Want to know more?

Do you recognize the challenges in your own organization? Ready to take control of your IT strategy and make real progress? Then contact Pieter-Bas. We'd love to talk to you to find out how we can take your digital strategy to the next level. Take the step towards a streamlined, future-proof IT environment today.

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