Lecture: Leading Business Transformation as a Consultant

Introduction

Focus: Leading business transformation as a consultant
Common drivers: Moving to the cloud, implementing digital strategies, agile processes
Challenges: Both internal and external factors

Weak Sponsor Engagement
- Sponsors not dedicated full-time or prioritizing the project
Lack of Clearly Defined Roles
- Unclear responsibilities within the transformation team
Failure to Assess Capabilities
- Lack of understanding of team members' skills and capacities
Inconsistent Communication
- Sporadic communication; information sent to wrong people
Inaccurate Effort Estimations
- Misjudgment of the work required for transformation
Lack of Momentum
- Difficulty sustaining long-term projects (e.g., 15-18 months)
Wrong Timing
- Market or industry changes affecting implementation
Difficulty Letting Go of Legacy Systems
- Resistance to abandoning old processes and systems

Strategic Vision
- Clear direction: Why the transformation? What is the end goal?
Effective Execution
- Turning plans into action, integration into the company
Identifying and Handling Challenges
- Recognize and address major hurdles
- Examples: Leadership legacy issues, broad customer demands
Use Modern Tools
- Transition from legacy tools to modern solutions

Culture
- Promote ownership, empowerment, customer-centricity
People
- Prioritize mindset over knowledge; trainable knowledge vs. inherent mindset
Clear Objectives
- Focus areas might include improving client experience, reducing time to market
Compelling 'Why'
- Strong motivation for team and organization members
Adaptation
- Willingness to let go of past methods/past successes