Throughout the time we have been offering our services, we have been surprised to find a great deal of variability in the success that clients achieve in carrying out their own implementation projects. Some projects come to fruition and others end up accumulating obstacles until they pile up and slow down along the way to the point of even dying on the shore.
Top management commitment
What are these variables that cause the project of trying to eliminate paper in the plant, opting for digitalization and the propulsion of Industry 4.0 to end up being an absolute failure?
Management, of course, bears much of the responsibility for leading the implementation leadership of such a project. The following are some of the reasons why an implementation project may have its days numbered due to the company’s management:
Lack of awareness of the advantages of Industry 4.0
Many companies opt for Industry 4.0 as a matter of trend, image or simply because the customer demands it, but they are not clear about why they really want it. This fact causes them to lack a precise understanding of how this digital transformation can benefit their business model.
This can lead to unstructured investments and the implementation of advanced technologies without a sound strategy, making it difficult to realize significant improvements in efficiency and productivity.
The use of spreadsheets such as Excel, while useful in certain contexts, does not constitute true digitization, as organizations may continue to rely heavily on manual processes and not optimize the efficient collection, analysis and use of data.
Lack of data-driven decision making culture
The lack of a data-driven decision-making culture can be a significant obstacle for organizations in the era of digital transformation, where the entire global environment is changing at an exorbitant pace.
When there is not an ingrained mindset to use information and analytics to support decisions, companies can fall behind in adopting more advanced technologies and fail to take full advantage of the data they generate.
To fully embrace digital transformation, companies must promote a data-driven culture, encourage evidence-based decision making and consider more advanced technology solutions to manage this information.
Lack of a clear roadmap
The lack of a clear roadmap and the tendency to approach digitization projects as if they were megaprojects without properly cementing the foundations can lead to a misconception of the approach to implementing digital transformation.
It is essential that organizations establish a sound strategy and focus on developing a solid foundation of digital capabilities before embarking on larger initiatives. You cannot start the house from the roof. This involves fully understanding your needs, resources and objectives, as well as the gradual adoption of digital technologies and processes. A more phased and strategic implementation can increase the chances of success and ensure that digitization is aligned with each company’s specific goals and context.
Paralysis by perfection
Perfection paralysis is a pitfall that many companies fall into, obsessing over finding the ultimate and optimal tool for their needs.
This pursuit of the “perfect tool” often leads companies to stagnate, endlessly delaying their digitization projects. Instead of moving forward and adapting to available solutions, many organizations end up in a cycle of indecision, which not only delays their digital goals, but can also leave them lagging behind competitors that take a more agile and adaptive approach.
2. Confronting the feared resistance to change
Intrinsic human nature to resist change
Many managers trying to implement change within a certain organization will know that resistance to change is inevitable. Resistance to change is a common phenomenon in any organizational environment, as people tend to be comfortable with the familiar and may show reluctance towards new ways of working.
It is part of the human condition, and yet history shows us that, over time, many technological innovations have become fundamental pillars of society and business. It seems incredible that the vast majority of these technological implementations have gone through protests, revolts and even revolutions in their earliest stages.
Ideal attitude for dealing with resistance to change
To overcome this resistance to change, it is essential to have clear and effective communication that explains the benefits of digital transformation and how it will improve employees’ lives and overall operational efficiency. In addition, involving team members in the decision-making process and providing them with opportunities to acquire new skills can help reduce resistance and increase successful adoption of technology changes.
We often hear phrases such as “that’s the way things have always been done” or there is a certain lack of enthusiasm on the part of the workforce to adopt this change to digitalization. Imposing the direction you want to take is not the best possible strategy. In fact, it is everything to be avoided. Active listening and left-handedness are fundamental strategies. Therefore, it is necessary to take a fully collaborative attitude towards those whom we intend to convince about the use of digitalization in our organizational environment. The so-called “soft skills” will be essential to address this issue.
Make them feel involved
Perhaps, an operator has a proposal to offer or a detail in the software design is not the most comfortable for them. The simple fact of finding a solution that helps to make their life easier contributes to the staff feeling more involved in the digitization project.
Actively involving employees in the digitalization process, making them feel an integral part of the project, generates a sense of ownership and fosters collaboration. This, in turn, creates an environment conducive to digital transformation, where synergies flow more effectively, as employees feel motivated and committed to the success of the project.
Reasons for convincing personnel to make the change
It is necessary to convince them that, with paper, they will take more time to perform tasks without any productive value and that through digital controls, they will impute data more quickly and will be able to check the results in a more enjoyable and intuitive way to feel more productive and important within the organization.
Identify the bone and take it to your site
Another strategy to carry out is to identify that hard nut to crack, that person who is most resistant to change. If we focus our efforts on that person and even give him or her responsibilities so that he or she can train others, we would be killing two birds with one stone.
3. Standardization as a flag
What is the best remedy for all the problems inherent in the implementation of a digitization process? There is no better panacea than standardization. Here are some tips regarding standardization that are key when leading a digitization project:
Putting everything in writing
Lack of clarity in processes and the absence of well-defined guidelines can create an environment of uncertainty that demotivates employees. When procedures are vague and constantly changing, workers may feel that their efforts are wasted and are reluctant to collaborate in implementing changes. This can lead to stagnation in the organization, as employees prefer to maintain the status quo rather than embark on a project without clear guidance.
In short, uncertainty, poorly defined processes and the lack of clarification of the precepts to be followed result in shifting areas that end up plunging personnel into absolute stagnation. The mentality of an operator who is told about things that are not assigned internally and whose argumentation is not clear and varies over time translates into the following words: “What am I going to make an effort for if nobody clarifies anything for me, there is no written document or even those at the top don’t seem to have it clear? It’s not worth it to me, I’m going to continue as I was”.
The importance of documentation
Documentation and standardization of procedures are fundamental pillars in the implementation of effective change in any organization. These documents provide clear guidance to employees, establishing well-defined expectations and processes.
This includes everything from the frequency of use of devices and defect catalogs to procedures for emergency situations and the use of digital tools. As with external ISO standards, the creation of robust internal documentation is equally crucial to ensure a smooth transition to digitization success. In addition, this contributes to effective knowledge management within the organization, ensuring that best practices are passed on and maintained over time4.
4. Monitoring and continuous improvement
The specifications of a digitization project are not static, they vary over time.
Let’s not forget also that there are certain aspects such as the variation of production demand, organizational changes in personnel, new lines of business or the imposition of more demanding quality standards by the customer while digitization is being carried out in the plant.
For example, let’s say that the critical points of a certain product have changed because it has been found out that the end customer has had more incidents in those specific points during the last two months. In this case, it is important to carry out an exhaustive follow-up of the implementation of the project in order to make the pertinent decisions. Perhaps it is necessary to change the software programming to vary the location of these critical points.
Perhaps it has also been detected that there is more demand in a certain product family than usual, so it is necessary to react by focusing on digitizing a new range of controls for that particular product family. A new shift change also entails the acquisition of more technological devices to cover the data imputation during this new shift.
An implementation project requires continuous analysis to avoid obsolescence and stagnation along the way.
5. Personnel
The right people
The right choice of team is crucial to the success of an online digital implementation project. Often, the mistake is made of thinking that those individuals who are high performers in their current roles will be best suited for a digital project.
However, productivity on a task does not guarantee adaptability or aptitude in a digital environment. The skills required for such a project may vary considerably from the day-to-day skills someone might have previously demonstrated.
It is essential to recognize that there are different profiles within a team. On the one hand, there are the operational profiles, those who execute specific tasks and who excel in day-to-day operations. But a digitization project also needs more analytical profiles, people who can look at the big picture, understand data flows and come up with innovative ideas to improve processes.
These analytical people can identify opportunities and challenges that others might overlook. Therefore, when building a team for a digital implementation, it is vital to balance these skills and find the right mix to ensure the success of the project.
