Service 05

Digital transformation

Transformation is a big word for what in practice comes down to a series of small, sensible decisions in the right order. I help work out that order and make sure the first steps pay for themselves, so the rest is fundable.

Why big plans stall

The classic transformation plan opens with a three-year end state and the investment that goes with it. The trouble is that the world changes faster than the plan, and the organisation loses patience halfway because nothing visible has improved yet.

The opposite mistake is just as common: buying loose tools everywhere without coherence, until you have twelve subscriptions that do not talk to each other and nobody knows where which data lives.

What the service covers

A route map where every phase produces something on its own, so you can stop after any phase without it having been wasted.

  • Baseline

    Which systems run, who uses what, where the duplication sits and which data is collected but never used. That picture rarely exists.

  • Tech stack evaluation

    What stays, what goes and what needs replacing. Often part of what you already own turns out to be perfectly adequate once configured properly.

  • Phased route map

    Three to five phases, each with its own result and its own budget. The first phase is always something that earns money or removes cost within a quarter.

  • Coaching during delivery

    Usually not as the executing party but as a sounding board: sitting in on supplier choices, reading quotes, and stepping in when a phase drifts.

How it runs

  1. 01

    Three to four weeks of baseline work

    Conversations across the organisation, from the board to the people using the systems daily. Those two groups rarely hold the same picture.

  2. 02

    Route map and first phase

    The map plus immediate delivery of the first phase, so something tangible exists before the enthusiasm drains away.

  3. 03

    Quarterly coaching

    A steady rhythm of reviewing and steering, with an evaluation each quarter. If it goes well, my role shrinks on its own.

What you end up with

An organisation that modernises step by step, without ever hitting a moment where everything is torn up at once.

  • A route map where each phase justifies itself
  • A first phase that shows a result within a quarter
  • Fewer overlapping subscriptions and clearer data ownership
  • A team that can run the later phases itself

What it costs

What an engagement costs depends on its scope and on how many systems are involved. I work with a fixed price per phase rather than open-ended billing: you know what a phase costs before it starts, and you decide after each one whether to continue.

I only quote a figure once I know what we are talking about. That takes a half-hour conversation, at no charge.

Whether this fits

This works well when

  • a lot of separate tools have accumulated over the years
  • you want to modernise but the shop has to stay open
  • the board is willing to decide per phase rather than all up front
  • someone internally wants to own delivery

This fits less well when

  • you want a party that carries out the whole rebuild itself
  • the organisation is mid-acquisition or mid-reorganisation
  • there is budget for the plan but not for the first phase

Questions about transformation

How long does a full engagement take?

The baseline and route map are done within a month or two. Delivery runs one to three years depending on ambition, but it is not a continuous project: it is separate phases with decision points between them. Many companies do two phases, find that is enough, and stop.

Do you deliver it as well?

The automation and the AI parts yes, those are the other services. For things like a new ERP or a new webshop I work with suppliers and sit on your side of the table during selection and delivery. I earn nothing from those suppliers, and that is deliberate.

What if we want to stop halfway?

You can, and the phasing is built for it. Every phase produces something usable in its own right. There is no point at which you are left holding something unfinished that only becomes valuable once the rest is done.

Let's discuss how I can help your business grow

A short call is enough to tell whether there is a good fit. No sales pitch, just an honest read on what is possible.