4 Benefits of bringing in a digital transformation consultant

Creating a roadmap of your digital transformation journey is an essential step in the process, but unless you are clear on your strategic priorities, aligning all the pieces is a difficult process.

Some business owners are cautious about bringing in external consultants out of fear of high cost or offering a generic action plan that is difficult to implement. That’s why it’s important to find a consultant with a combination of technical knowledge, change management skills and implementation experience.

The right consultant doesn’t just identify a gap in your plan. They are an integral part of the process, working to understand both the current traditional and digital side of the business.

Here are a few reasons why you should bring in a digital transformation consultant to get the most out of your journey.

A consultant takes the time to learn your business and goals

Achieving optimal efficiency isn’t a simple case of just understanding your systems, there is a critical need to understand the process and people impacted by change. Strategic consultation services are needed to identify project milestones and delivery targets that minimise disruption to your operations.

A key component of this journey is finding a solution that works best for the client. Each company has their own processes and challenges, so while there may be similarities to other businesses, a good digital transformation consultant takes steps to understand these.

Your consultant should recommend a solution that supports your business goals and helps you to overcome challenges that are hindering your performance. This should include a comprehensive transformation strategy that demonstrates how the implemented solution improves efficiency, while still being flexible for growth.

They assist with change management in your business

Your digital transformation project isn’t isolated from the rest of your business processes. A McKinsey & Company study found nearly 70 percent of respondents found their top teams changed during their digital transformation journey — further reason why you need a consultant who understands your business. Understanding your company’s current position is key to developing a digital transformation roadmap and engaging with stakeholders along the way.

For a successful transformation, your consultant will include change management in their strategy, drawing on their implementation experience to develop a tailored strategy. Delivering a valuable solution to any business needs more than the systems to work together – your team does too.

A consultant can enable you to bring additional insight to your solution

Even if you are already underway on your transformation journey, working with a consultant and digital delivery specialist can enable greater context and better insight into your operations.

For companies that are reliant on operational data to present in reports or meetings, having a single repository as a source of truth helps you to build your capability for reporting, performance visualisation and analytics.

To give you an example of how this can work:

1. Requirement gathering

Nukon was approached by an Australian manufacturer who wanted greater visibility and access to their operational and performance data from multiple systems. Through a process of consultations and requirement gathering, Nukon specialists identified and implemented a solution that would streamline the data integration process and increase information sharing.

2. Making data meaningful

The manufacturer was already using OFS software, so Nukon was able to leverage the wealth of downtime and quality data already being collected. This was combined with other information such as energy consumption/prices, DIFOT (logistics KPI), and production volume attainment.

This data could then be visually represented in an easy-to-read dashboard that stakeholders, the production team and business owners could refer to. In addition to getting greater access to this data, it was also automatically generated into reports that required no manual data entry.

3. The end result:

• Hours of manual data entry was no longer required.
• Client had real-time data visibility to enhance production efficiency.
• Accurate real-time data was accessible to any stakeholder within the business, ensuring no gaps in knowledge.
• Data could be structured to display in-line with client’s requirements.
  

4.What can happen from here:

With the retrieval of real-time data, manufacturers in this stage of the process can work with their consultants to optimise the metrics being monitored. Combining data sources enables the ability to drive new insights, which might include a comparison of energy efficiency when running different products.

Continuing to build from this point could include the collection of more information in ‘problem areas’ of your operation. By identifying and targeting further areas for improvement, you can begin planning for the next stage of improvement, such as an MES upgrade or the roll out of process automation.

They can connect you with key partners

A digital transformation consultant connects with you the niche specialists and technology partners that are the best fit for your business needs. Look for a consultant who can enable the most cost-effective solution, and who solves complex business challenges by working with you to identify the key partner who will transform your business.

Successfully digitising your business requires a combination of software and implementation expertise, which is why it is incredibly valuable to work with someone who understands the field of technology partners.

Driving continuous improvements

The biggest benefit of working with a digital transformation consultant is the ability to drive long-term impacts and continuous improvements within your business. As an impartial collaborator, consultants bring their combined knowledge of digital offerings and supply chain operations to your business.

Remember that engaging a consultant doesn’t always require a substantial investment. Digital transformation consultancies such as Nukon can implement solutions that give value for a low investment. That allows you to prioritise improvements within your business and continue to drive improvements over time.

Make a confident decision when it comes to your digitisation journey and gain full visibility across your processes with incremental changes. To set your business up to scale business-wide improvements, download Nukon’s cheat sheet for integrating IT and OT manufacturing systems.

About Nukon:

Nukon is a digital transformation consultancy and delivery specialist, helping to guide companies towards greater performance visualisation and digital operations.

Nukon specialise in delivering independent, custom-designed solutions that combine strategy, analysis and technology to give visibility into key business processes, so they can be optimised.