6 Keys to Unlock Business Value with Digital Transformation
How you can leverage business value with new digital trends and technologies.
Written by Vegard Ottervig on
New technology and solutions are exciting, but the key question is: how will this impact revenue and the bottom line?
Even if you see the potential, stakeholders may not. Here are six focused keys to unlock business value with digital transformation.
1. Get an Orientation
Digital transformation is the impact of rapid digital innovation on core business functions and processes.
Ask three questions: what to improve, how to do it, and why it matters for revenue, cost, or customer value. Align on whether the goal is growth, efficiency, or both. This clarity makes it easier to create a targeted corporate strategy and secure buy-in.
2. Receive Blessings from the Leadership
Prepare a concise business case with ROI projections, risks, and success stories. Visualize data with charts and KPIs. CIO.com highlights cases like Walmart and Ferguson that can inspire stakeholders.
3. Gather the Team
Build a cross-functional team with only the skills required: project management, architecture, UX, development, CMS, content, accessibility, SEO, QA, ops, and data/AI expertise. Support them with a productive technical platform and agile collaboration culture.
Read more: How to lead a successful digital team »
4. Spot the Weak Links
Audit processes end-to-end. Fix bottlenecks first—manual steps, redundant approvals, legacy tools. Outsource or eliminate non-core activities to free resources for high-impact work.
5. Introduce Agile and Lean Principles
Adopt modern working principles with short iterations, feedback loops, and rapid prototyping. Try frameworks like design sprints, Jobs to be Done, and LeanKit. Partner with HR to manage change and upskilling.
6. Measure Business Value and Reiterate
Track KPIs tied to money and speed: conversion rates, cost-to-serve, customer satisfaction, and adoption. Use data to refine continuously and double down on initiatives that work.
2025 Trends to Watch
- Agentic AI & copilots: Use AI agents to automate workflows and decisions, not just assist tasks. McKinsey Tech Trends 2025
- Composable & low-code delivery: Accelerate innovation while keeping governance and security in place.
- Edge computing & IoT: Real-time insights for logistics, retail, and manufacturing.
- Sustainability & ESG tech: Optimize energy usage and comply with climate and reporting regulations.
- EU AI Act readiness: Start aligning with risk classification and transparency requirements before August 2026. IAPP – AI Act Timeline
Bonus: Keeping Up to Date
Find Sources
Follow trusted sources like CIO.com, MIT Sloan Management Review, McKinsey, Gartner, and Accenture for fresh insights.
Set Up a Feed in a News Aggregator
Use Feedly or Google News to consolidate updates into one feed.
Set Up Google Alerts
Create alerts for “digital transformation”, “agentic AI”, “low-code”, and “EU AI Act”: Google Alerts.
Search Social Media Hashtags
Follow #digitaltransformation and #agenticAI on LinkedIn and X for peer insights.
Partake in Communities
Join forums like Digital Leaders and GrowthHackers to exchange strategies and case studies.
First published 9 October 2019, updated 8 October 2025.
