The Basics of Digital Transformation (With Case Study Examples)

Most organisations are on a digital transformation journey. Your organisation may be more advanced or less advanced than others, but either way, there is valuable insight to be learned from reviewing and looking at other examples.

Digital Scotland

In the Digital Strategy for Scotland, “Scotland’s Digital Future” outlines the steps that are required to ensure Scotland is well placed to take full advantage of all the economic, social, and environmental opportunities offered by the digital age. The Four main themes are:

• Connectivity – Digital Connectivity ensures that everyone in Scotland can access high-quality digital connectivity is a priority for the Scottish Government. This underpins their economic strategy – helping businesses reach new markets; while ensuring that people can work flexibly wherever they are in Scotland. The desire is for Scotland to have world-class digital infrastructure that supports high-quality digital services anywhere, at any time, on any device.
• Digital Economy – By raising the awareness and use of digital technologies and platforms across Scottish businesses, and increasing the supply of skilled women and men which employers will need to deliver these improvements, growth will be delivered to Scotland’s Digital Economy
• Digital Participation – The Scottish Government is committed to increasing digital participation and ensuring that all of Scotland is able to enjoy the social, cultural, and economic benefits of the internet. This theme seeks to ensure that businesses, whatever their size, and the people of Scotland, whatever their location, age or income, can choose digital-first. It is essential that everyone has access to the right technology and are capable and confident in its use at home and at work.
• Digital Public Services – The aim is to accelerate the pace of digital transformation to deliver improved, user-focused digital public services and to drive innovation and efficiency in the Scottish public sector. The digital transformation of public services plays a decisive role in the public service reform program. Endorsed by all parts of the Scottish public sector, the digital public services strategy positions digital transformation as a key enabler for public service reform.

Applying these themes to your own organisation’s position is key to helping enable digital transformation. Organisational buy-in is vital to the success of Digital transformation

Digital Transformation Service

The Scottish Government’s Digital Transformation Service (D.T.S) helps public sector organisations across Scotland to deliver against the Strategy. They provide some great examples of success.

Case Study As part of their digital transformation journey, Disclosure Scotland initially tried traditional “waterfall” delivery methods. They then realised that they needed to adopt an agile approach to have a successful outcome. When Disclosure Scotland realised that they did not have the in-house skills or experience to progress with this new approach, DTS began working with them. DTS was able to provide strategic support to help make key decisions, as well as provide operational support when engaging with suppliers.

A key focus area was the need for a technical/enterprise architect and D.T.S was able and willing to offer that role in support of senior levels in the organisation. The skills required also included engaging with suppliers where they embraced the Crown Commercial Services DOS (Digital Outcomes and Specialists) framework. This Framework enabled Disclosure Scotland to have resources onsite within their 10-week target. The Digital Specialist Frameworks and others like G-Cloud 9 offer public sector organisations a quick route to market that has already been vetted by the UK Government. Knowledge and use of the Framework illustrates a high level of digital maturity and can be considered good practice with regards to procuring technical expertise.

The procurement process itself was a multi-tiered process of evaluation where they identified 5 suppliers for contact, and although they only appointed 1 they were extremely impressed by 3 out of the 5.

Digital Transformation Example – Government Digital Service

Perhaps one of the best examples of a positive digital transformation that you have probably engaged with is the Government Digital Service itself. The Government Digital Service started by building Gov.Uk. And continued by redesigning 25 of the most important services.

So now when you are renewing your MOT and completing a Self Assessment Tax Return or paying your company’s PAYE is extremely simple. They embraced the new way of thinking.

Scotland’s Digital Future: Delivery of Public Services strategy sets a number of objectives for the effective use and management of public sector data, both to improve service delivery and to promote economic growth. A Data Management Board was established to ensure a cohesive approach is taken across Scotland.

A core component of Digital Transformation and Maturity is the organisations use of Data. The Smart Cities Maturity model, for example, developed by UrbanTide in partnership with the Scottish Government highlights data as one of the key components to develop.

The Data Management Board met for the first time on 7 June 2013. The group provides strategic direction and overview across the various data workstreams: linkage, innovation, Open Data (including spatial information), and sharing. Click this link to see the remit. To support this the Board has published A-Data Vision for Scotland and associated Strategic Action Plan.