Insights
Jasper Kehrli: There are a lot of reasons at play here. One of them is the rapid change in the technology and business world. What is considered technologically innovative today is often already outdated tomorrow. This makes it difficult for companies to keep pace with implementation and forces them to constantly adapt their goals. This makes it all the more important to have a clear stance as far as why you want to transform — and a clear strategy that provides orientation.
Another challenge is the disconnect between the vision and the operational implementation. This is where shared understanding of roles, expectations, and priorities — along with clear communication — come into play. Taking a hierarchical view makes this disconnect grow. So, to overcome this gap, companies can apply a change of perspective that places the user at the center. From there, through a positive organizational culture paired with clear processes and functions, the requirements of the business can be met with both the applicable technology and the employees behind it.
A Venn diagram illustrates these relationships clearly:
The complexity of selecting, implementing, and integrating new technologies can also make it difficult to achieve goals. Inefficient legacy systems or a lack of IT infrastructure can slow down the implementation of digitalization projects.
JK: Every customer is unique and has individual requirements. People often assume that means they need to find new solutions. Actually, though, from a technical perspective, these requirements can generally all be implemented, and usually are compatible with existing systems. Based on our experience, we recommend using proven standards as a guide to make the program more cost-effective in the long term. This applies to both the initial implementation and the ongoing maintenance.
The challenge is to spend more time at the beginning finding a common denominator for the program’s requirements. Involving all stakeholders early on and clarifying requirements at an early stage are investments that pay off. The later needs are identified, the more expensive implementation becomes.
Technologies, data, and artificial intelligence are all crucial for transformation. Ultimately, however, success depends on the people who are prepared to apply new processes in changed structures under ethical guidelines.
JK: We are not trying to reinvent artificial intelligence and present the topic — or even gateB — as a savior. Rather, we offer a structure for key "cornerstones" (guard rails). This way, our customers can act appropriately in their own context, both from a legal perspective and from an ethical point of view. We support them in developing clear guidelines and policies based on their values to ensure that they use data and technologies like AI in line with their goals and those values.
At the same time, we develop the first use cases at an early stage, whether that’s around content management, customer service, marketing campaigns, or journey orchestration. Together, we discover the opportunities with the greatest potential.
At our Roundtable in March, for example, we will talk about important use cases in connection with generative AI.
JK: Our main goal is to improve our clients' projects by introducing the right systems and processes for the respective organization and its employees.
To do this, we take a holistic approach from two perspectives: the what and the how. The former refers to the right system selection based on clear requirements for processes, organization, and employees. We help our clients pick the right long-term solution by reviewing their existing technologies and exploring the outlook for new technologies, all with clear guidelines in place.
Secondly, we collaborate with the client to chart a course forward with the program and the required change management. The goal is not just technical. We don't just want a "usable system," but one that’s functional for and accepted by the team — in other words, a "used system."
This is the only way we can tackle the challenges of a digital transformation program in a targeted way. With this approach, we are driving up the percentage of companies that achieve their digital transformation goals.
Senior Consultant & Project Lead
Over the past decade, Jasper has assisted both small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in optimizing their processes and organizations to prepare them for the digitalized future. At gateB, he collaborates closely with our clients to ensure that the focus extends beyond the system landscape to encompass the organization itself, its processes, and the people who execute them. This approach guarantees the successful implementation of digital transformation in everyday operations.
