The current crisis has forced a great many companies to radically change their existing ways of working overnight. The scepticism towards working from home in many sectors was suddenly no longer an obstacle. Companies suddenly had no choice but to continue employing their staff whilst they worked from home. It is now crucial to continue embracing digital processes even after the crisis is over.

Changing processes, leaving behind established routines and paths, and finding and shaping new ones always involves effort. This is because the change has to be implemented on several levels. In most cases, the technical aspect can be changed very easily. Finding the right product to solve my current problem is a quick task. Does this mean, for example, that we will no longer need Microsoft Teams, Zoom or GoToMeeting once the crisis is over? Because we’ll all be back in the office by then? Or do we see the shift in technology as an opportunity to connect with our staff, colleagues and so on?

Many projects fail because staff were not, or did not become, involved in them. Those involved in the project were not convinced of the benefits and therefore did not participate with enthusiasm; they were not fully on board. And today? The loss of the beloved office and the inconvenience of working from home are discussed surprisingly little. Because there is no alternative. So why isn’t a similar pragmatism applied to projects within the company? Why aren’t we working together towards the project’s success?

There is no alternative to the digitalisation of processes

Now that applications for short-time working allowance and/or liquidity support have been submitted, it is time to reflect on the company’s own processes. A tax adviser and chartered accountant told me last week: „I need to work with my client to document the processes. Only once this is set out in writing can we see where the problems and opportunities lie within the processes. Because writing things down slows down and deepens the thought process.“ He went on to explain: „With the software, I can describe the processes and visualise them at the same time. Changes to the visualisation or the description affect the other.“

If we as business owners do not address the processes within our companies now, we will fail to capitalise on the momentum generated by the ad-hoc digitalisation driven by the current crisis. We will simply fall back into old patterns of behaviour. One business owner told me the following at the start of the current crisis, after his company had been forced to close: „Before the crisis, we had no chance of changing processes whilst business was up and running. We’ll now be taking a close look at our processes and, once the crisis is over, we’ll restart our business in a different way, with revised processes. If not now, then when?“

Launch of a digitalisation project

On Friday, we discussed with a partner how the Launch of a digitalisation project proceeds. During the discussion, two perspectives emerged. I refer to the first approach as the „waterfall method“. For example, it is recognised that too much paper is still being handled within the company, resulting in decision-making times that are too long, and so on. So it is obvious that a document management system needs to be introduced. A Google search is carried out to find providers who, ideally, also have an interface with the company’s own ERP system. They are then contacted, presentations are held, the solution wins them over with its functionality and appeal, and once a commercial agreement has been reached, the project gets underway. In the best-case scenario, the processes are then developed in collaboration with the project participants, the software is implemented, and only then are the processes documented.

Personally, I am convinced that a different approach is the right one. As a first step, I ask the management or those responsible to describe the current problem, the situation and why the problem exists, as well as what knock-on effects this situation within the current process is having on the organisation as a whole. The information gathered is already incorporated and recorded in the ‘as-is’ documentation during this stage of the project.

In the next step, I speak to those involved in the process and ask them to show me how things are currently done. It’s very important that I don’t comment on anything; I’m simply „learning“. The „as-is“ documentation is updated, and I begin to note down recommendations for action at each stage of the process. My ideas on how this could be resolved. I then ask those involved in the process to join me in imagining a blank slate and, in the spirit of ‘make a wish’, to tell me how they would most like to design the process, and to explain why the process should be one way or another. This information is also recorded in writing in the ‘as-is’ documentation and compared with my recommendations for action.

In the next step, we discussed the proposed processes with senior management and/or the relevant managers, who, incidentally, had not been present during the discussions with those involved in the processes. A consensus was reached very quickly between senior management and those involved in the processes as to what the processes should look like in future.

The ‘as-is’ documentation has become the ‘target’ documentation!

The first step is to select and find a supplier who will receive the requirements documentation as the basis for their quotation and the subsequent presentation. All project coordination is based on the requirements documentation; changes to the processes are discussed within the team involving all project stakeholders and then agreed upon jointly.

The major side effect – which is actually the best thing about it – is the fact that everyone is integrated into the project as effectively as possible. The management and those in charge have had a say, as have those involved in the process – and everyone is committed to the project as if it were their own idea, their own project.

Conclusion: My personal experience shows that documenting the current state, deriving the target state from this, and the subsequent implementation have always led to the greatest project success, and to date no project has had to be abandoned. To avoid having to revisit the company in a few weeks’ time, driven by a rush to take action, NOW is the time to assess your own current-state—Documenting processes, to reconsider this and derive the target from it.