Technology Changes What's Possible. People Determine What Actually Changes.

When organizations decide to modernize their digital ecosystem, there's usually a sense of excitement. And there should be! The demos are compelling. The capabilities are impressive. The possibilities feel endless.

After months (sometimes even years) of discussion, budgets are finally approved, stakeholders are aligned, and the organization is preparing to implement technology that promises to transform the way it operates.

We've found that, in the midst of this excitement, organizations often make a big assumption about what modernization will mean. This assumption has the potential to cause frustration down the road but can very easily be avoided.

This article expands on my recent conversation with Tina Nelson, Senior Product Strategy Director at Optimizely. If you'd rather watch than read, you can view our full discussion here:  ▶ Watch the conversation

The big assumption 

Once the new platform is live, we'll finally move faster. We'll create content so much faster. We'll launch campaigns faster. We'll be able to expand into new channels faster.

These expectations are reasonable and modern platforms absolutely make these outcomes possible. But they don't make them inevitable.

Technology changes what's possible.

People—and the operating models they work within—determine what actually changes.

Why some organizations never realize the speed they expected

Imagine implementing a modern CMS or commerce platform. The software is faster, the authoring experience is better, content can be reused across channels, and AI accelerates creation.

But, approvals still require five people, marketing still waits on product information, creative still hunts for the latest assets, and teams still coordinate work through emails and meetings.

Has the technology improved? Absolutely. Has the organization become dramatically faster? Not necessarily.

The bottlenecks simply moved into a newer platform.

Before you start configuring software, understand how work moves

One of the most valuable parts of any modernization initiative happens long before implementation begins.

It's asking questions like:

• Where does work get stuck today?
• Who spends time waiting?
• Where is information recreated?
• Which activities add value and which simply coordinate work?
• If the new platform went live tomorrow, what would actually be different?

These deceptively simple questions force organizations to think beyond the technology itself so they can begin designing an operating model that will allow them to get the most out of their investment.

Modernization is about more than better software

The organizations that realize the greatest return from modernization efforts are redesigning how work happens when they implement new technology, in the places it matters most. Sometimes this means making minor tweaks to the process here and there. Sometimes it means overhauling workflows. The important factor is the willingness to change.

Technology unlocks new capabilities, while organizations unlock the value of those capabilities by changing the way people work together.

Continue the conversation

If you're thinking about implementing a new platform and want to make the most of your efforts and investment, we can help. Reach out here and one of our experts will get in touch.