Can Digital Transformation be Planned?
Kapila Pilimatalauwe, Head of Digital Transformation, Atlas Axillia
Kapila Pilimatalauwe, Head of Digital Transformation, Atlas Axillia
Technology earlier on was relatively silent and very specific. There was a time when email was solely used to deliver simple messages to each other. With the constant evolution of the IT domain, it has become more than just the sharing of news. This evolution is incessant and is the basis of digital transformation. This offers companies a remarkable opportunity to bring innovations into the industries, which can be used in operation to manage an organization. When businesses started adopting digital transformation, they could increase efficiency, enhance customer experience, and implement automation.
In an exclusive interview with CIO Review, Kapila Pilimatalauwe, Head of Digital Transformation of Atlas Axillia, shared his valuable insights on how he and his team carried on to be a digital transformation leader in Sri Lanka.
Innovative Transformation for Distinct Objectives
The hardest part here is transformation; digital is just an element. "The journey of digital transformation is never ending, so planning ahead for a longer period of time is not prudent," mentions Kapila Pilimatalauwe. Conceptually it is possible to prepare for the long term, but when the concept itself changes with the dynamics of technology, being adaptable is a better approach.
The journey of Atlas Axillia has been a mix of technologies, namely the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Augmented Reality, harmonizing them to co-act and help the team accomplish small victories. The teams work on certain goals to achieve little milestones and improve continuously.
Initiatives in Better Effectuating Transformation
The word digital transformation was born quite recently, and it has become a relevant topic of discussion. Everyone is talking about digital transformation, but what is it exactly? It all comes back to the birth of data, the starting point of any decision you make. Data in its preemptive form is elaborated and converted with the help of technologies like AI and IoT to prescriptive information. This form helps you determine what is to be done with it.
The first and foremost advice Kapila Pilimatalauwe would like to give to industry veterans is not to rush. Transformation cannot be rushed; it is a process designed after analyzing various types of data available. Ensuring that the fundamentals of the organization are in place is yet another vital task at hand. Next would be to get the basics right. Finally, do not set unrealistic expectations.
When it comes to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), it is crucial to understand that it is the organization's backbone. Nine out of ten times, almost all ERPs are underutilized. When modules are underutilized, the company cannot get the maximum potential out of them. A proper ERP system integrates all the elements of an organization such as development, marketing, and supply chain, providing increased visibility, productivity, and efficiency.
Most of the companies in transformation fall short in the process and their mindsets. This prevents them from adapting to change in a better way, and they cannot leverage opportunities to learn and develop further. It is more crucial to address this issue than the systems and solutions because systematic solutions are easier to implement.
Best Practices for Effective Transformation Initiatives
Clients are looking for an end-to-end automated solution for their problems in the digital transformation era. They expect a system with minimal human input. The sophisticated technologies, such as the Power BI dashboard, are inefficacious if there is a data entry operator alongside punching everything in.
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The journey of digital transformation is never ending, so planning ahead for a longer period of time is not prudent
We live in a data-driven world where multiple data angles support everything we decide. It is crucial to bring updates regularly as the consumer might become impatient waiting for a product or service they want. A company would either have a product going through a distribution channel to a market or a service being provided to a client. In both the cases mentioned above, it is essential to know the consumer better by gathering the relevant information. How do you predict their behaviors? What data is available to you to understand what the customer wants? Questions such as the above are a good start in figuring out how to backchannel the information to further optimize the value chain.
Key Takeaway
The most important aspect to be noted when starting in the digital transformation industry is to have a balanced mindset. Along with the knowledge of the technology, you should also know the industry and the processes within it. This helps in boosting the efficiency of the organization according to the market trends and requirements. For example, in the manufacturing industry, if you want to bring in technology to improve the injection molding machine, not understanding the process will make an attempt unsuccessful. Knowing the industry, the process, and whether the method to proceed is an optimal solution to the concerned problem is critical.
