Digital Transformation - Framework

Initiating the Transformation

Time and again, my clients/ partners/ colleagues have asked me, 'Where do we start our transformation?' This simple question holds immense power. The answer to this question, can guide a firm toward its full potential or derail its progress. Thinking of an analogy it's like a train on a track: a small misalignment can lead to a very different destination.

Where do we start?

The right answer will be to start with a big vision and clear goals. However, that’s not how real world operates, and things aren’t always perfect. Things change, plans get derailed, and unexpected stuff happens. Hence having a good framework is so important. It helps teams stay focused and adapt to whatever comes their way and respond rapidly to changing business needs.

Introducing the BRAVE Framework

The BRAVE framework offers a structured approach to navigate the complexities of digital transformation. By focusing on vision, application, execution, business impact, and review, organizations can ensure alignment across teams and stakeholders. This framework helps prioritize initiatives, allocate resources effectively, and measure progress against defined objectives. Ultimately, the BRAVE framework empowers businesses to make informed decisions and achieve sustainable transformation outcomes.

Critical questions that we are trying to get an answer to like why, who, where, what, when etc. can be addressed through this.

• Vision: Start with the big picture. Why are we doing this?
• Business: What does this mean for our customers and internal teams?
• Application: Figure out the tools and tech we need. Where are we implementing this?
• Execution: How will we do it? which delivery methodology DevOps, Agile, Hybrid, Waterfall etc.
• Review: Keep checking in and making sure it's working.

How can I bring this to life?

Successful transformation projects, whether technology-driven or process-oriented, necessitate the involvement of multiple stakeholders and a clear understanding of desired outcomes. A holistic approach, beyond mere technological considerations, is essential. The BRAVE framework offers a structured approach to navigate this complex journey

The key questions that we should try and answer as part of any transformation are:

• Organisation – Do we have majority of the organisation covered by this process?
• Projects – Are we capturing the projects of all sizes?
• Blueprints – Does this roll-up the architecture design and companies’ vision to align at execution levels?
• Lessons Learnt – Can there be continuous feedback of lessons learnt?
• Next Generation Solutions – Can we ‘by design’ allow a free flow of ideas through the organisation?
• Initiatives Feasibility – Will it be possible to review/ change/ drop the initiatives at any stage i.e. are reviews built in?

What should be the distribution?

Finally, we need to address the distribution across these four quadrants and what the distribution should be. The optimal distribution of projects across various categories depends on a multitude of factors, including the organization's risk tolerance, industry position, and strategic objectives. While there's no one-size-fits-all answer, a good balance might look something like this:

• Execution – Most of the transformation project should be in this phase. If this is > 50% then either delivery is slow or too much work is in this bucket
• New Ideas/ Blueprint – This is where innovation happens, and the next generation of products/ services are developed. This part of the hopper needs to be sufficiently populated to get first mover or beat the competition.
• Reviews – The projects which were successful, failed, stalled or anything in the middle need to be analysed, lessons learnt and fed back for a continuous improvement process.

Now, the next big question is: what do we do next? How do we pick the best projects, justify them, and get them approved. Let's create a list of great ideas and see which ones we can make happen or let’s have a chat!