From Digital Adopter to Digital Leader

It was a short-term fix, but supply chain leaders now see the long-term effects—and many are discovering lackluster results. After four years of rapid transformation, it may be time to plot a new path forward.

How can you move from accelerating digital transformation to achieving digital realization?

It starts by addressing three critical areas that may be holding you back from delivering measurable ROI on tech investments. Here’s how to overcome those challenges to unlock the full potential of your investments.

1. Lack of supporting data infrastructure. When organizations rush to adopt digital solutions, they often forget or forgo establishing the necessary technology infrastructure and data practices.

Without these supports, companies are stuck with incomplete, inaccurate, and inaccessible data, making it difficult to leverage the vast amounts of data necessary to fuel AI systems and advanced analytics.

Solution: Centralize and clean data. The first step toward robust data infrastructure is to clean up existing data, break down information silos, and implement strong data governance policies. At a minimum, that should include centralizing data management, establishing unified access controls, and implementing basic data hygiene measures that ensure accurate, consistent, and high-quality data across the organization.

2. Technology innovation outpaces organizational capacity. Outdated legacy systems and poorly integrated platforms make it difficult to adopt and scale new technologies. If companies haven’t planned to invest in modernized systems and continual updates to their digital solutions—and the necessary skills to support them—they are forced to react to change instead of driving it.

Solution: Upgrade your tech stack and upskill your employees. Plan to update or upgrade your applications and platforms regularly. Build these improvements into your technology roadmap from the start.

You also need to invest in developing your workforce and empowering employees with the skills they need to leverage AI, data analytics, and other advanced tools. Ongoing training and upskilling are particularly important given the ongoing skills gap.

3. Losing sight of the customer experience. When companies focus on internal digital transformations, they often lose sight of the most important aspect of business growth: the customer.

In an industry where fast, dependable service is paramount, supply chain leaders can’t afford to overlook customers’ changing needs and expectations. Those who fail to adapt to customer preferences and anticipate needs will lose out to more agile and responsive competitors.

Solution: Connect use cases to a broader strategy. Instead of treating digital investments as isolated efforts, align technology initiatives to your broader business strategy and value propositions.

Begin by identifying core business processes that can be made more efficient and cost-effective—and consider targeted ways that AI tools and other advanced technologies can add value in those areas.

Before rolling out AI solutions across the entire organization, prototype projects and test solutions in targeted areas to ensure they deliver the desired outcomes. Establish clear goals and measurable KPIs to track the success of these initiatives, ensuring they deliver real, quantifiable results.

Remember, digital transformation is a continual journey, not a destination.