Digital Transformation Consulting
The phrase sounds grand. The work is ordinary: replacing paper forms, shared spreadsheets and long email threads with software that holds the information in one place and shows each person what they have to do next.
Companies get into trouble when they buy the software first and look at the process afterwards. We do it the other way round, and we do it in one department before touching the next, so that the business keeps running and the lessons carry over.
The sequence we follow
Repeated for each department in turn.
Choose where to begin
Usually the department with the most retyping or the longest delays, led by a manager who wants the change.
Map what happens now
We follow a real order, claim or job from start to finish and draw each step, each hand-off and each place it waits.
Fix the process on paper
Steps that add nothing are removed. The new flow is agreed with the people who will use it.
Decide: buy, configure or build
An existing product is preferred. Configuration of something you already own is next. Custom development is the last resort, used when the first two do not fit.
Trial beside the old way
For a short period both run together, so nothing is lost if the new system has a gap.
Review, then move on
What worked and what did not is written down before the next department starts.
Where companies usually are when they call
None of these is a failing. They are what growth looks like.
Paper job sheets
Field staff fill in forms that are typed up in the office days later. Invoices go out late as a result.
A spreadsheet per person
Each salesperson tracks customers in a private file. When one leaves, the history goes too.
Approval by email
Requests are buried under newer messages and nobody can say what is outstanding.
Software that does not talk
Accounts, stock and the web shop each hold part of the picture, joined by someone copying figures across.
Knowledge in one head
A long-serving employee knows how month-end is done. It is written nowhere.
Reports built by hand
The monthly management pack takes a week to assemble and is out of date on arrival.
What you are left with
Written so that a new manager could pick them up.
- A process map for each department reviewed
- A list of the systems in use and who owns each
- A recommendation per process: buy, configure or build
- Shortlisted products with costs over three years
- A data migration plan, including what to leave behind
- Training notes written for the actual users
- A sequence for the remaining departments
- Risks, stated plainly, with the person responsible
Mistakes we try to keep you from
Learned from how such projects commonly go wrong in any industry.
Changing everything at once
A company-wide switch on one date leaves no room to learn. A problem in one area stops every area.
Leaving staff out
Software chosen by management alone is resisted by the people who must use it. They also know where the process really breaks.
Copying the old forms onto a screen
A digital version of a bad form is still a bad form. The questions on it should be challenged first.
Ignoring the data
Ten-year-old customer lists with duplicates and dead addresses pollute a new system on the first day.
No owner afterwards
Without a named person responsible for the system, it decays into the next thing to be replaced.
Are we the right adviser for you?
We suit you when
- You run a small or mid-sized company and want practical steps, not a strategy deck.
- A senior person will sponsor the change and attend the reviews.
- You want the same people who advise to be able to configure and build.
- You prefer to pay for one department and judge the result before continuing.
Look elsewhere when
- You need an adviser on site full time in another country.
- The project is a group-wide ERP replacement across many countries.
- You are looking for a promised saving written into the contract. We do not make such promises.
- The decision has already been made and you want it endorsed.
Asked by owners and directors
How long does it take?
We give no fixed timetable, because it depends on how many departments are involved and how much time your staff can spare. After the first department you will have a realistic pace to plan from.
Do you sell software licences?
No. We earn nothing from any product we recommend, and licences are bought in your name directly from the vendor.
Will staff need to be technical?
No. If a system needs technical skill for daily use, it was the wrong choice. Training is written for the people doing the job.
What does it cost?
Discovery is paid work, scoped to one department. Build and configuration are billed by time at our published rates, with one invoice a month.
Can we stop part-way?
Yes. The engagement runs month to month, and every document produced up to that point remains with you.
Tell us which department hurts most
A few lines about how the work is done today is enough to begin. You will receive our reply within one business day.