WHY IS THERE SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE IN BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TODAY?

The true number of business transformation project failure is underreported. Depending on which research you follow, the figure is between 70% – 80% of business transformation projects end in failure. There is five (5) main causes in business transformation failure are – lack of stakeholder involvement, lack of senior stakeholder support, changing requirement, incomplete requirements and poor planning.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH EXISTING APPROACHES?

Nothing. They are good at the purpose they were designed for, except they are now used for a different purpose, and that is not the original purpose they were designed for. Look at TOGAF® (The Open Group Architecture Framework) for example – it’s a framework for managing ‘technology’ or ‘technology changes’. It is not surprising, it was written by a “technology standards company”. They know and understand technology. What is happening is, TOGAF® is being used in business transformation projects that the ‘framework’ to manage the ‘transformation’, but it only focuses one thing – technology. It doesn’t focus on anything else other than Technology (it almost completely ignores, the other two (2) important aspects of the organisation – People, and Process(es)). It also ignores how to transition the business from the current state, to its desired future state. It effectively put the Technology stakeholders in the drivers set, to dictate to the Business what they think they want and literally throw it over the fence to the Business for them to work out if first it is fit for purpose, and then how to use and implement it.

HOW DOES HOBA® SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TODAY?

HOBA® solves the 70% failure rate in business transformation problem by addressing the causes that problem in the first place – by putting the Business back into control, to take control back from Technology and into their own hands, using a structured process and framework that was developed WITH the Business, BY the Business, to be USED and OWNED by the Business, putting the control back into their own hands.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS AND HOW DOES HOBA® HELP?

The biggest problem with business transformation projects is firstly the name. “Business Transformation” is incorrectly called or referred to as “Digital Transformation”. ‘Digital Transformation’ is a misnomer, it is not ‘digital’ per se that is ‘transforming’, it is the ‘Business’ that is transforming, and how it does or is doing that in this period of time is via ‘digital technologies’ (if ‘technology’ isn’t already digital, what were they before?). What this intentional confusion in the marketplace is causing, is it causes is an incorrect bias and focus on the ‘technology aspect’ only of the transformation, which by doing so completely ignores the Business aspects – that’s the Business Operations Stakeholders and their concerns, and the Processes those stakeholders carry out. HOBA® helps by putting the Business back in to control, to be very clear and structured with what is the Vision, Strategy, Objectives and Measures, what stakeholders are involved and need to be involved in the transformation and their decision making authority, the process to manage those decisions, scope and risks; what are the problems they want to address or opportunities they want to take advantage of; what benefits they want to realise from the transformation and when; what the future or Target Operating Model (TOM) needs to look like to achieve their Vision and Strategic Objectives and business benefits, and how and when will the changes be implemented. Everything and nothing more, only doing what needs to be done, to transform the business, not doing what is happening in the marketplace today and that is ‘creating reams and reams of colourful models and diagrams, that while beautiful, are in reality just “interesting but (sadly) useless”.

WHAT IS THE DESIGN PROCESS?

The Design Process is the 6-Step process used to implement HOBA® and manage the transformation from the very start, to the very end, implementation.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION IN THE MARKETPLACE?

The biggest misconception in the marketplace today with business transformation is that Clients are led to believe that they need ‘reams and reams’ of pretty colourful presentations to transform your business. This is a fallacy. This only creates expensive shelf-ware. What those ‘pretty presentations’ are designed for is to enable the transformation project to keep moving toward its end goal, transforming the Business. What the Clients are led to believe is those ‘pretty presentations are the actual goal of the project, and often celebrated and hang up on the project office wall with great bravado as if they were the goal of the transformation itself! What those ‘pretty presentations’ actually need to be is two (2) things – first, is they need to be understandable, and written in a language that the Business understands, so first they can understand what it and they mean, and then they can agree to it. Then second, then they need to be useful. A lot of Consultants and Consultancy’s wanting to impress their clients with great marketing, pretty presentations and long list of impressive acronyms and latest “it” words, but this just confuses the Client. What happens is the Consultants will present their ‘ideas’ (because that’s what they are, they have had one meeting with the Client, interpreted that into their own words and perspectives, and come back to them several weeks and months later, having not consulted with them through the process, thinking ‘they know their Clients business best (they don’t, the Client does!) and play back their 300+ page power-point presentation that looks impressive), they present it to the Client, the Client has no idea what it means or says (its written in a foreign language, literally), due to the time it’s taken, and the money it has cost at that point, the Client agrees to it in the room, then walks out the room, and completely ignores everything the Consultant(s) said. The transformation goes nowhere. HOBA® solves that problem, refer to the first question above.

HOBA® is trusted by the UK Government, FTSE-100 companies and start-ups to both set up, and also turnaround their failing transformations. HOBA® is used by thousands around to transform their business, and was made public for the first time in late 2018, after over 10+ years in use with private clients, published in The Business Transformation Playbook – How to Implement Your Organisations Target Operating Model (TOM) and Achieve a Zero-Percent Failure Rate Using the 6-Step Agile Framework’, reaching bestseller on Amazon in 6-categories including Project Management and Consulting, and made it onto the Best Business Strategy eBook List of All Time by BookAuthority, at no.30 (March 2021). See News for details.

CAN I READ A PREVIEW OF THE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PLAYBOOK?

Yes, you can download a FREE preview to The Business Transformation Playbook here.

Where Is Your Organisation on the Business Transformation Maturity Journey? | HOBA Tech

By Heath Gascoigne
August 12, 2024
Business Transformation, Enterprise Architecture
Post Views: 505

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Unlocking Business Transformation: Where Do You Stand?

In today’s fast-paced business environment, transformation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a necessity.

With the rapid advancements in Generative AI and other disruptive technologies, businesses that fail to evolve risk losing market share, staff, and, eventually, their competitive edge.

But how do you assess where your organisation stands in this crucial journey?

And more importantly, how can you ensure you’re not left behind?

In this blog, we’ll explore a comprehensive scale to measure your organisation’s maturity in business transformation and outline a process for effective transformation using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) framework.

Whether you’re a CIO, COO, or a transformation leader, understanding these concepts will empower you to navigate the complexities of business transformation successfully.

Heres what we’ll cover (click the links to skip to the section below):

NB – Click to expand images 📸

Measuring Your Organisation’s Transformation Maturity: The Five Levels

To truly understand your organisation’s transformation maturity, it’s essential to have a clear scale.

Here’s a practical model to gauge where you stand:

Level 1: The Chaotic Starter

At this stage, transformation efforts are fragmented and disorganised.

Actions are sporadic and lack a cohesive strategy, resulting in only partial success.

If your organisation finds itself at this level, it’s time to reconsider your approach to transformation.

Level 2: The Basic Practitioner

Here, transformation activities are more structured, relying on fundamental processes and specialised resources.

While systematic, the approach is still in its early stages and might not fully integrate with broader organisational practices.

DOWNLOAD THE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TOOLKIT E-BOOK!

Download the e-book and gain the skills to lead your transformation using the HOBA® Business Transformation Toolkit 👉

👀 "70% of business transformations fail, yet companies keep blindly following outdated methods designed for IT systems. It’s time to wake up, challenge the status quo, and lead with a proven framework. 📈 #TransformationTruth #HOBA #Leadership

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

Level 3: The Systematic Achiever

Transformation practices are well-defined and systematic, with clear goals and allocated resources.

This level also involves integration with other practices within a service management system, ensuring a more cohesive approach.

Level 4: The Optimised Performer

At this maturity level, transformation practices are highly organised, with continuous performance monitoring and evaluation.

The integration within the service management system is robust, facilitating ongoing improvement and adaptation.

Level 5: The Transformational Leader

Organisations at this level not only excel in executing transformation practices but also continuously enhance their capabilities.

They are agile and adaptable, leading industry standards and innovations.

The PDCA Framework: A Roadmap to Effective Transformation

Embracing transformation requires more than just adopting new technology; it demands a strategic approach. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) framework offers a structured method to navigate this journey:

Develop a detailed plan outlining the changes needed and the expected outcomes.

This initial step is crucial for setting a clear direction.

Implement the change on a small scale to test its viability.

Conduct pilot studies or small-scale projects to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed transformation.

This allows you to gather insights and make adjustments before a full-scale rollout.

Analyze the results of your test phase. What worked? What didn’t?

Reviewing these outcomes helps identify successes and areas needing improvement.

Use this analysis to refine your approach and prepare for broader implementation.

Based on your findings, take action to implement the changes on a larger scale.

Ensure that the improvements are integrated into your organisation’s practices and continuously monitor their impact to maintain progress.

Why This Matters to You

No industry is immune to the effects of rapid technological advancement. From public sector organisations struggling with bureaucratic delays to private sector businesses racing against competitors, the need for effective business transformation is universal.

As Heath Gascoigne (Me!), creator of HOBA and author of the Business Transformation Playbook, aptly puts it:

🚨 “Transformation isn’t optional—it’s survival. If your organisation isn’t evolving, it’s dying. The market waits for no one.”

🚨 "Transformation isn’t optional—it’s survival. If your organisation isn’t evolving, it’s dying. The market waits for no one." 🚀 #BusinessTransformation #SurvivalOfTheFittest #InnovationOrDie

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

The ability to embrace and execute effective transformation strategies will determine whether your organisation thrives or falls behind.

Engage with Us!

We want to hear from you! Where does your organisation fall on the transformation maturity scale?

What challenges have you faced in your transformation journey?

Share your experiences and insights in the comments below.

For those ready to take the next step, check out HOBA’s Agile Business Transformation Framework, trusted by thousands of practitioners worldwide, including the UK government.

It’s your go-to resource for setting up, executing, and scaling successful business transformations.

Looking for the Upskill and Join the Top 30%? Everything you just read in this post is covered in here plus so much more! 👉

💡 "Adopting new tech isn’t enough. If your business can’t transform, you’ll be left behind—AI or not. Get serious or get left behind." 🌍💼 #DigitalTransformation #AIRevolution #Leadership

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

Ready to transform your business? Contact us to explore how we can help you accelerate your transformation journey.

Conclusion

Understanding where your organisation stands in the business transformation maturity journey is the first step towards achieving meaningful change.

By utilising the PDCA framework and evaluating your maturity level, you can develop a strategic approach to transformation that aligns with industry standards and prepares you for future disruptions.

Don’t wait for the next wave of technological change to catch you off guard. Embrace transformation today, and ensure your organisation remains agile and competitive.

For more insights and guidance, visit HOBA or contact us for personalised support.

Thank you for reading this!

Sincerely,

Heath Gascoigne

P.S. If you want to join our Business Transformator community of 2,000+ like-minded Business Transformators, join the community on the Business Transformator Facebook Group here.

P.P.S. If you want to learn more about business transformation, check out The Business Transformation Playbook here.

For more information, visit https://www.hoba.tech

Heath Gascoigne

Hi, I'm Heath, the founder of HOBA TECH and host of The Business Transformation Podcast. I help Business Transformation Consultants, Business Designers and Business Architects transform their and their clients' business and join the 30% club that succeed. Join me on this journey.

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Unlocking Business Transformation: Where Do You Stand?

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