Organisations worldwide over all industries are performing digital transformation (DX) proposals -- and for good reason. In case completed fruitfully, execution of modern technology drives competitive advantage and formulates business operations much more real-time.

On the other hand, the journey to the DX finish line is unluckily sometimes much more of sprint than a marathon, as speed is the currency for organizations to finish the procedure.

It asks the question, how can business leaders execute a swift digital transformation while gathering the success and benefits that these proposals guarantee? We spoke with Jamshid Rezaei, CIO of business communications specialist Mitel, to find the answer to this and other DX-related questions.

BN: What advice do you have for organizations looking to develop a successful digital transformation strategy?

JR: Primarily, understand that any digital transformation attempt is not only about your organization's technology -- but also about your people and data. Companies require including and empowering their employees when it comes to their DX journeys and let them participate actively in this transition. So as to make things apparent for these people, you must create achievable goals for teams across all levels to map towards. And most essentially, the companies, who consider customers the number one precedence, will they at last bring benefit for the customer. If the answer is no, you need to reprioritize the initiatives ahead.

BN: You mention companies should look to empower their employees on their digital transformation journeys -- how exactly do they do this?

JR: Many believes that DX is a one-time project, when in reality it's a continuous effort that requires a culture shift in the organization such that employees are open to change. To let the employees during this process, companies should first do whatever they can to help them be as productive as possible. Provide employees with the right tools for productivity and collaboration to enable their communications with each other, and automate processes that don’t require a human touch to relieve their workloads.

BN: Bringing into line on objectives seems easier said than done. How can business leaders establish features and communicate these goals to their teams?

JR: So happy that you asked this because I firmly believe that the industry does not discuss this DX step nearly as often as we should. It’s common for business leaders to jump right into the execution of an initiative, but that could be their biggest mistake. For the strongest foundation and direction, teams require asking themselves what they are hoping to achieve with their DX., what is the focus of the individual projects that make up the process? Fostering customer success? Building partner relationships? While this may cause more upfront work, companies can avoid internal friction and have clear benchmarks for success. Identifying the end goal will help to better prioritize projects and keep teams on track.

BN: What mistakes have you seen companies make in their digital transformation that you would caution others against?

JR: More than half of digital transformations are being led by IT teams. This might sound like it makes perfect sense, but it actually might be a company’s downfall. IT is best equipped to handle the technology transformation; however, it’s important to pair these tech-focused people with more business-minded people who understand customers' needs and the organization's goals. To speak to this during our digital transformation at Mitel, we formed an IT Business Technology group that brings together the skills of business-focused professionals with the smart of IT experts.