Choosing a Digital Transformation Partner

Published 07/08/24 under:

With 1 in 5 digital transformation projects branded a failure, it’s no surprise that digital transformation is seen by many businesses as a painful process, even though it’s never been more important for businesses to keep up with the pace of technological change to maintain their competitive advantage.

In our survey, “Driving Success in Digital Transformation”, we interviewed 100 IT Leaders with decision making responsibility for digital transformation within their organisations. The survey data gave a fascinating insight into the challenges organisations encounter during their digital transformation journeys, and the key factors which determined their success or failure.

One clear indicator of success was the way businesses accessed support to deliver their projects. In particular, a hybrid approach integrating specialist digital transformation consultants with internal teams stood out as the most effective method.

It follows, then, that choosing the right digital transformation partner is a critical factor in ensuring success. So what are the critical factors when selecting a third party consultant?

Hybrid working practices

When selecting a specialist digital transformation consultant, IT leaders prioritised the ability to embed staff within their business, with 79% stating that this was an attribute they looked for.

Our survey data showed that this was a highly effective approach. When specialist digital transformation consultants were used as part of a hybrid approach, 90% of digital transformation projects were considered successful, and a significantly higher percentage were rated as being “very successful”.

The right skillset

It goes without saying that the right skillset is a key factor to consider when selecting a third-party digital transformation consultant. But what skills should you be looking out for?

In our survey, a IT leaders cited a range of factors which they believed were behind the failure of previous digital transformation projects. Amongst them, leadership, budget control and technical knowledge were all common choices.

This represents a broad skillset and suggests that at some level, the skills an organisation should be looking for will depend on their current internal capabilities. Some projects will require specific technical knowledge that is lacking internally, while other organisations will have the specialist technical skills but may lack the ability to effectively plan and deliver a complex digital transformation project.

While this might suggest that businesses need to identify the gaps they’re missing ahead of time, an alternative approach may be to seek a consultant who can effectively audit your current situation and support you to identify and fill skills gaps, wherever they may sit. With IT leaders stating that they looked for digital transformation consultants who could act as a trusted advisor (the third most popular factor), seeking this collaborative approach is likely to be the best option when selecting a digital transformation partner.

A strong track record

Consultants’ track record was, unsurprisingly, a top priority for businesses seeking support with their digital transformation efforts. In particular, our survey participants stated that they wanted a partner with specific knowledge of their sector, and this factor ranked second in the overall list of desired attributes.

It makes sense that consultants who already have a strong background in your sector will find it easier to add value to your projects, bringing with them prior experience and learnings from businesses facing similar challenges. While we agree with this thinking to an extent, there is a caveat, however.

While it can be comforting to see that a consultant has successfully tackled what looks like a very similar project for a similar business in the past, this can be an illusion. Every business is unique and even those within the same industry or sector can have stark differences in internal processes, infrastructure and resources. This can mean projects that appear identical on the surface are in reality extremely different.

Instead of simply demonstrating sector experience, we believe a consultant who’s a good fit for your business should be able to identify and understand the specific challenges your business is facing and cite previous projects which were similar beneath the surface. While this might mean they’re referencing previous projects in a different industry, being able to understand the fundamental issues you’re facing and draw comparisons with what may at first appear to be very different projects could suggest a much deeper understanding of the situation you’re in.

Trust Kerv Consult with your critical business projects

Here at Kerv Consult, our survey data backed up a lot of what we already understood about digital transformation from managing numerous projects for a wide range of clients. With an impressive track record of delivering on time, within budget and against objectives, our customers trust us to bring the big guns when it matters most.

To find out more about how we could help make your next project a success, contact us today.