WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO GOVERN THE DIGITAL JOURNEY OF ORGANIZATIONS?

For some years now we have noticed worldwide a movement of transformation of the business of organizations, which we can consider as irreversible, and which has as some of its main drivers the need to maintain and grow (or even survive) in markets whose characteristics constantly change in the blink of an eye, the opportunity to expand the customer base beyond those who are closest and the increasing demand for agility in meeting demands (all with cost efficiency).

The response to this movement has required organizations to implement coordinated initiatives both in information technology and automation, focused on objectives such as:

• Reducing paper circulation by digitalization the Backoffice processes
• Integrating the entire value chain
• Creation of digital platforms for integration to ecosystem or create your own platform
• Massive use of data for learning and decision-making support

The set of these initiatives are what we call the Digital Transformation Journey, or simply Digital Journey.

For an organization to be able to follow this digital journey to ensure that the benefits expected by the business are obtained within the budget, with risks under control, optimized use of resources and engagement of the main stakeholders involved, it is necessary:

• Evaluate the current and future application of digital technologies,
• Directs the planning and execution of technology plans to meet business objectives,
• Monitor compliance with policies and the performance of processes in relation to expectations.

These principles form the core of the Digital Governance discipline.

A Digital Journey in an organization should always begin with the establishment of a Digital Governance Model or Framework, with the main purpose of establishing responsibilities and authorities for decision-making about all digital initiatives, products and services relevant to its context of digital transformation.

Among the main types of decisions to be made are those who establish the strategic direction for digital initiatives in the company, the establishment of policies on what the organization can and cannot do on the Internet, and the agreement on the digital standards to be used.

Just as technology management and governance practices require specific knowledge and skills, the skills required to implement a Digital Governance framework are important and vital for resolving the many pains that technology managers often face to ensure that Digital Journeys undertaken bring, in fact, the expected value to their organizations, whatever their size and segment.