How to Get the Full Effect of Your Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is more than an IT project – it is a total restructuring of how you create value. Through our work with players in both the public and private sectors (such as Kartverket, DSB, the Police, the Hamar Municipalities, the Norwegian Tax Administration, Equinor, the Brønnøysund Register Centre, Nordic Innovation, and Lerøy), we at Halogen have distilled nine essential learning points.

These insights are the core of our methodology, and the goal of this summary is to start the dialogue about how your organization can navigate the next steps.

Here are Halogen's nine most important success criteria for an enduring digital transformation:

Part 1: The Foundation

You cannot build the future on an unstable base. The first steps are about order and architecture.

1. "Put your house in order": Before you can extract value from data, you must have control over quality, structure, and ownership (data governance). Without a robust data foundation, all subsequent measures become risky. The question is: Do you know exactly what you possess?
   
   

2. Establish the Data Platform: Data must flow. A modern data platform is the technological engine that enables efficient utilization and secure sharing. It is the bridge between storage and value creation.
   
   

3. From Storage to Use: Data should not just be stored; it must create concrete value. Organizationally, you must understand how data is a part of your products and services to deliver better user experiences and decisions.

Part 2: Think Ecosystem, Not Silo

Strategically, the transformation must lift its gaze beyond the organization itself.

4. Think Platform Economy: Market logic is changing. You must think beyond your own silos and consider how your data and services can be integrated with others to create value in broader ecosystems and networks.
   
   

5. Set Goals and the Target State: Where are you going? What is the vision? A target state based on different scenarios can help define the transformation journey. A good target state provides direction for everything from investments to recruitments.

Part 3: Technology Meets People

The biggest pitfall is often the gap between new technology and the people who are supposed to use it.

6. Bridging: Success depends on connecting the technological with the organizational. This requires active change management, competence development, and a willingness to revise established work processes.
   
   

7. Design as Translator: Designers have a unique ability to translate complex technology and data into meaningful, intuitive user experiences. We are the bridge builders who ensure that the technology actually creates value for employees and end-users.
   
   

8. Create Learning Arenas: Continuous learning and exchange of experience are a prerequisite for handling the rapid pace of change. Ensure you establish arenas for learning, exchanging experiences, and working together.

Part 4: Missing Instruments

9. Framework Conditions: Our experience shows that regulatory and financial support schemes often lag behind the pace of transformation. This means you must be proactive in influencing and navigating the external frameworks – not just adapting to them.