As we get closer to the end of 2021 executives everywhere finalise budgets and strategies for the year ahead. It’s usually a crazy, busy time that, for some, equals high stress and lots of negotiations with their team on what should be the highest priority.

For the new year, and many more to come, there will be an increased focus on digital transformation initiatives, the non-negotiable aspect of every organisation’s strategy. Both locally and internationally, companies have faced the unexpected challenges of becoming more agile and transforming their business scope and scale through technology.

While few have had success, many more are struggling with three critical categories which hold the secrets to successfully shifting from an Industrial Era company to one that thrives in the Digital Age.

How will these concepts be uncovered?

For many executives, it will be through research and lots of reading, while for others it may be returning to school to join the droves wise enough to unlearn and relearn in preparing for the long road ahead.

And that timeline is no secret. It will be at least five to 10 years before we see more companies make the majority shift towards controlling their digital operations.

For those suffering through the wilderness of uncertainty, here are three buckets that simultaneously hampered many on their paths and hold the keys to success:

1) People

The Achilles heel of digitalisation which we’ve talked about before. Why? Because it somehow is still the most significant blind spot for many leaders. People and leadership are primary enablers before tech can add scale and speed. There’s a formula that seems to work to ensure the right people are in the right place for digital transformation. It requires innovative thinking, agile decision-making, and, most importantly, recognising “no sacred cows”.

2) Process

Being clear on the transformation process begins with the vision of what it will deliver. Many companies have struggled without having a picture of how tech will solve their customers’ problems. In addition to having this clarity, a transformation road map tailored to the business needs and a customer journey should be a minimum requirement from every board. And let’s not forget how the people and the processes will work together to deliver short- and long-term outcomes. The key to performing well is knowing where you are, who you are, and who you need to become successful.

3) Partners

A partnership model seems to be the best approach to tackling the challenge by leveraging external expertise (which is the norm) or through sandboxing internal talent to work in new ways toward target outcomes. The Jamaica Technology & Digital Alliance (JTDA) boasts members who can act as partners on your company’s digital transformation journey, including often-overlooked local companies.

These three categories have inherent secrets uncovered by those who successfully managed to brave the new frontier. Others will have to chart new courses, some through trials of fire, to survive and thrive or perish in the wilderness.