
This is the last in our series discussing How Data Will Strengthen Your Digital Workspace Strategy. The previous posts looked at how the data available in your organisation will give you the insights you need to make timely improvements, then showing how developing these foundations will allow you to make the most of your opportunities.
This final post will show how, using the right data insights, you will have devised better solutions - enabling employees to be more productive and ensuring your organisation can provide better services more efficiently.
Using the data you have and the updates you’ve made, for the next steps you’ll explore:
Your processes - removing friction and blockers to improve end-user productivity.
New user experiences - enhancing existing digital services - by leveraging microservices.
Use of your applications - using digital adoption platforms to unlock their true value.
The Discovery Phase
As with the previous work we’ve done, we will start with a review of the data available.
Human Insights
What worked? And what didn’t?
Throughout this program you’ve identified individuals across the business who are valuable, sharing their insights and creative thinking. Ensure this team is recognised for their value, encouraged to continue providing their support and empowered to voice their opinions.
This work should be ongoing, allowing the business to continually develop and improve - while also ensuring employees feel listened to.
Digital Insights
Investigating the user journeys followed by your employees as they carry out their work, will identify time sucks and potential workflow simplifications.
Can we stop users having to switch between applications to complete simple tasks? And this is where we can again identify manual elements which could be digitised to enhance productivity and ease frustration.
Reviewing system data will provide some insight for this work, however conversations with end-users will be necessary to ensure you have real clarity and the best solution.
The Define Phase
Learning from the information you are gathering is essential to define outstanding issues and their potential solutions.
Human Insights
Reviewing feedback from your employees will help you answer some very important questions - are staff fully engaged and empowered? How does turnover of staff compare to other organisations? Are you attracting and retaining the right people?
As an organisation is the digital-first/agile focus being maintained, and how is it benefiting individuals and results?
There are two focuses here; one is clearly the benefits to employees to engage and empower, the other is enabling your people to perform at the highest level.
Digital Insights
The improvement to systems and processes will continue, enabled by ongoing reviews and feedback.
Microservices can be developed to work with existing large-scale applications, breaking them down into individually functioning components for ease of use and flexibility. These might be event-driven, automatically notifying users when approval is required, or enabling the quick and easy notification of events when input from users is required.
The value of existing systems is being extended through such developments, as well as the potential for microservices to allow for personalisation of system front-ends. This allows for existing systems and data to create new value for your organisation.
The Recommend Phase
Understanding desired business outcomes is, of course, necessary at every stage of your workspace development. Linking KPIs to your business outcomes allows your organisation to identify positive digital behaviours and measure technology ROI.
Human Insights
Finding, keeping and enabling the right people in your business is essential. This is a fundamental driver for your workspace strategy - so keeping the needs of your teams at the heart of your review and planning is crucial.
Consider training needs; these can be improved and streamlined by creating personalised, in-app, digital experiences for individuals - accessible the way each party prefers and simple to monitor and engage with.
Communication methods and strategies can be enhanced to provide flexibility and opportunity. Having the right solutions available will be a valuable step forward, then ensuring all users are comfortable with these offerings and are able to identify appropriate solutions for their needs will be the next step.
Digital Insights
Having reviewed your systems and digital architecture, you are now able to provide better solutions - with optimised tools and resources. These new systems and processes will become your new baseline - your improved digital workspace - but it doesn’t end there.
The opportunity to rebuild will never be far away, with re-envisioning of your systems necessary as you look ahead to the future. As I’ve said before, this development will be continuous.
As Your Digital Strategy Strengthens - Don’t Stand Still
Continuous improvement is necessary in all areas of your business, your workspace strategy is one small part of that.
Whatever new developments are just around the corner may provide minor improvements or the need for large-scale change; understanding the impact will require review, investigation and analysis.
By the time you’ve completed one cycle of your Digital Strategy work, it will be time to look again - returning to the work we identified in the article Know Your Numbers Build Your Value.
So, how is your workspace strategy developing? If you want to discuss your own workspace development, I’m happy to help.
About the Author
I'm Terry Chana. I am an innovation strategist that connects customer, employee and brand experiences. My passion lies in building ecosystems to solve business problems by combining creativity and technology.