Company readiness for digital transformations: Problems and diagnosis

Abstract

Digital transformation is one of the current trends of business development in modern economies. This article discusses the main problems faced by Russian companies in the course of digital transformations of their activities, and the tools for preliminary diagnosis of the company’s readiness for such transformations. Based on the analysis and synthesis of information from reports of Russian and international research and consulting companies, and relying on the results of scientific research by Russian and foreign experts, the authors identified seven key typical problems that most Russian companies may encounter in the initial stages of implementing digital transformation. The problems identified are ranked in order of their importance for the successful implementation of digital transformations. For the effective implementation of digital transformation, the authors propose to use the architectural approach in accordance with the recommendations of the TOGAF standard, which allows managing changes in a comprehensive manner, taking into account the needs, opportunities and constraints of both the business system and the IT infrastructure. The work substantiates the need for conducting the diagnosis of the company’s readiness at the initial stage of digital transformations. Such diagnosis can reveal the existing internal constraints that may become an obstacle to achieving the desired result of digital transformation. To identify the main adverse events, causes and problems of organizations with low levels of digital maturity, a method for constructing a tree of current reality has been implemented - an analytical toolkit for studying cause-effect relationships with undesirable features. Practical recommendations on the classification of causes and problems are provided to assess current readiness and plan for transition to the desired state of business system and IT infrastructure. The proposed approach will allow organizations to identify their problem areas, drawing on the consolidated experience of other companies, as well as to determine the possibility of their adjustment in order to create favorable conditions for digital transformations.