5 Business Process Modeling Tips for Digital Transformation
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The evolution of computers over the last 20 years has made it possible to utilize them nearly in every industry. Businesses started to implement digital solutions in their workflow by following the digital transformation process model. This helps to streamline the processes and improve the customer experience. In this article, find tips, examples, and ideas on a small business digital transformation that will help you to advance your business model.
What is digital transformation?
Implementing digital technologies to create or modify business processes is called digital transformation. Most companies decide to undergo the process of digital transformation for multiple reasons. One of them refers to the necessity of staying competitive in the market, and the utilization of modern means makes it possible.
The process of digital transformation is often misinterpreted as simply digitalization. However, there is a significant difference between these notions. Digitalization implies that a company integrates IT solutions on the basis of the existing business model without changing it. Meanwhile, digital transformation denotes a significant change in the business model, triggering the alteration of the organizational and operational processes.
What is a digital transformation process model?
To undergo the process of digital transformation smoothly, it is necessary to prepare a deliberate plan for that. It would clearly illustrate step-by-step instructions on how to integrate IT solutions and modify existing business processes.
As a rule, a typical model for the digital transformation process consists of several stages. When it refers to paper documents, for instance, they are going digital and then systemized properly, which makes it much easier to get access to and modify them. When it comes to the digitalization of marketing, there would be a shift from traditional marketing channels to digital ones.
Process modelling is a simple way to display, strategize, and manage change for your different stakeholders’ requirements. It’s an uncomplicated way to examine the different ways in which work is executed within your organization. Refer to BABOK® Guide, Chapter 10.35 on Process Modeling for details on notations used including flowcharts, activity diagrams, and business process model and notations [BPMN]), as well as usage considerations.
Examples of digital transformation ideas
The core principles of digital transformation imply the modernization of all the processes by taking them to the next level. This refers both to the technological capacity and the workforce in the company.
When it comes to digitalization, the upgrade and modernization of the equipment is the first thing to do. It can be the modernization of the IT infrastructure or the installation of the most recent software. This allows digitalizing the work processes, which subsequently leads to the streamlining of routine tasks and granting more space for creativity.
As for the workforce, digital transformation implies obtaining new skills and knowledge. Once some modern IT systems are implemented, employees have to learn how to work with new tools in order to improve customer experience and enhance productivity.
Best tips for small business digital transformation
Innovations are usually aimed at helping businesses in their activity, but they also require plenty of investment. In fact, the allocation of resources for digital transformation is often left behind in small businesses. Even if you are on a budget, there are several tips on how to adjust the business model in order not to skip the advantages of digital transformation.
Benefits of digital transformation
Before altering your business model according to the principles of digital transformation, you need to decide how it could be beneficial for your company. Think about the operational and organizational processes that could be streamlined owing to digitalization. Based on that, you will be able to select technological solutions for the implementation.
Discuss the idea with employees
To take the most of digital transformation, you need to explore which processes it could change for the better. In order to comprehend every detail about that, communicate with your employees at all levels who will tell you their overview of the operation processes in their departments. After gathering plenty of information, prepare a plan and present it to the board of directors and other managers to drive the digital transformation business model.
Invest in technology
The investment in technology is inevitable once you decide to undergo digital transformation. Whether it is the updated IT infrastructure, cloud services, or modern software programs, financial resources are necessary for their implementation.
Outsource tasks
Small businesses may take advantage of the outsource opportunities once they decide to go for digital transformation. For instance, instead of buying software for digital marketing and hiring professionals in this area, companies may refer to agencies that are specialized in providing such services.
Once companies go digital, the creation of business websites is inevitable. In order to help more people, access such websites, their optimization for search engines would be needed.
The SEO techniques mentioned at brandglowup.com are capable of bringing your website to the top. Link building is considered to be the most effective one, so companies may benefit from the backlink service to find the right platforms that would link back to their business websites. You can look for more here to find any assistance or information.
Evaluate your strategy
In order to assess the effectiveness of digital transformation, you should determine milestones when the evaluation would be made. Analyze the metrics related to your business activity and see how the transformation of operational processes influences your profits.
IIBA’s Business Process Map checklist is a useful tool to help you capture the different steps. For an example of a process narrative, refer to this example of handling personal auto claims to walk through the process description, roles, narrative, and visual representation of the business process map.
For more practical scenarios including, how to talk and communicate to executives, how to manage logistics for elicitation activities, when to verify vs validate requirements, and understanding business rules and business processes, explore IIBA’s KnowledgeHub for Members. Gain access to templates, checklists, videos, and many more tools that can be applied to your everyday business analysis practice.
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About The Author:
Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.