Fit for transformation: how can you diagnose readiness for transformation?

Oct 03, 2023

sales, marketing and service

Still too many companies rush into large-scale transformation projects without knowing whether they are ready to embark on this journey. And yet, having a clear view on business readiness is a fundamental element for successful transformation. Diagnosing readiness for transformation is vital to address potential issues and to seize emerging opportunities proactively early on in a new project.

Why assess business readiness?

Today, transformation projects and budgets are getting larger, touching more parts of the business and posing huge risks if something goes wrong. Did you know that big-budget projects have a higher risk of failure? Many of those projects don’t realize the expected benefits because of specific obstacles and blind spots, such as:

leadership underestimates the complexity and impact of projects;
the organization is not used to or ready to deal with (certain types of) change;
it’s unclear how projects support the organization’s strategy and vision;
the organization is unaware that data is polluted;
the people in the organization don’t have time to actively contribute to transformation projects;
there’s no structured monitoring of project progress;
communication is ineffective.

Additionally, part of change and project management budget is often not spent on the most value added activities or where it’s needed most. By diagnosing transformation readiness, an organization can gain a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, and plan accordingly to address them with the appropriate budget. For high-impact projects, it’s essential to identify the areas that could put projects at risk or even the whole organization in jeopardy.

Assessing fitness for transformation is not only valuable for preparing for a specific project, but also a way of fostering a culture of continuous improvement, adaptation and innovation. As business readiness stimulates a proactive mindset, strengthens agility and cultivates a culture of adaptability, it’ll also make your organization more change-ready for the future.

The key to readiness: the Business Readiness Scan

Time is generally the best doctor, but that’s definitely not the case with transformation projects. Scanning business readiness before the project has even kicked off is key to diagnose transformational pain points upfront and will function as a catalyst and a guide for successful organizational transformation. But how exactly do you get started? We at delaware have developed a Business Readiness Scan to help you achieve the full benefits of your transformation projects.

What’s the Business Readiness Scan all about?

delaware’s Business Readiness Scan is a survey that polls (a sample of) the people in the organization that will be impacted by the transformation and/or that have been involved in previous transformation projects. By including diverse profiles in the scan, organizations can better understand potential concerns and attitudes towards the transformation and act proactively to maximize buy-in and adoption. The scan measures the readiness in 6 key areas:

leadership,
operational capability,
organizational and change capability,
communication,
KPIs,
strategy and vision.

As such, the scan identifies areas that are underperforming and require additional attention throughout the transition project and indicates where potential opportunities lie.

The customers that have used the scan appreciated the concrete output: a detailed and targeted action plan will set the transformation project on a successful path before it has even kicked off, saving time and resources later on. Ideally, the Business Readiness Scan is repeated at key moments during the project to monitor the progress and to check whether the focus areas and action plan are still relevant or need adjustment.