In the digital world and beyond, technology is constantly evolving, making the need for a digital governance with efficiency crucial. Having worked in both startup environments and large corporations, I've honed an approach that balances governance with agility and simplicity to manage digital projects, which has been made possible after years of diverse experiences in Cloud, Cybersecurity, AI, Marketing, and IT (not only on the management side but on the technical level as well).
I wrote this article to summarize and share several insights regarding digital governance and digital efficiency, from the digital strategy (including digital adoption and digital transformation) to the project management methodology.
Digital Governance & Digital Efficiency
Digital governance refers to the framework of policies, rules, standards, and processes that guide and regulate the management and usage of digital information, tools, and technology within an organization.
Digital efficiency, on the other hand, focuses on optimizing the performance and impact of digital tools and technologies to achieve more with less effort and resources.
Here is a comparative table that outlines the key aspects of digital governance Vs digital efficiency:
| Aspect | Digital Governance | Digital Efficiency |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Framework of policies, rules, standards, and processes that guide digital initiatives. | Optimization of performance and impact of digital tools and technologies. |
| Primary Focus | Regulation and control over digital activities. | Improving productivity and reducing costs through better use of digital technologies. |
| Main Objectives | - Ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. - Securing data. - Managing digital risks. - Enhancing collaboration across departments. - Quality control over digital outputs. |
- Process automation to reduce manual effort. - Resource optimization. - Data-driven decision making. - Technology integration to streamline operations. - Innovation to improve processes and competitive edge. |
| Key Practices | - Developing and enforcing digital policies. - Regular audits and assessments. - Training and awareness programs. - Standardizing procedures to ensure consistency. |
- Implementing advanced technologies like AI and machine learning. - Utilizing analytics for insights and improvements. - Continuous review and adaptation of digital tools. - Integration of digital solutions across business units. |
| Benefits | - Better compliance and reduced risk of penalties. - Improved security and protection of assets. - Consistent and unified management of digital projects. |
- Increased operational efficiency. - Reduced operational costs. - Enhanced customer satisfaction through faster and more reliable services. - Agile adaptation to market changes. |
| Challenges | - Keeping up with rapidly changing regulations. - Coordinating across diverse teams and technologies. - Balancing security with usability. |
- Choosing the right technologies to invest in. - Training staff to use new systems effectively. - Integrating new solutions with existing infrastructure. |
While governance focuses on control and standardization, efficiency emphasizes optimization and innovation, both critical for a successful project.
💭 Before implementing any governance and methodology, I highly recommend understanding the company and the project and finding the best digital strategy in order to move on with efficiency.
Digital Strategy: Understand the Project and Prepare to Disrupt the Culture
Vision is Key, it’s Digital Strategy
A digital strategy is a holistic framework that guides an organization in leveraging digital technologies to meet its goals and enhance its market position. It encompasses both digital adoption and digital transformation, ensuring that all digital initiatives are aligned with the organization's overall objectives.
A clear and compelling digital strategy is essential for upstream digital governance then project management. Not only does it help to provide direction, it also gives meaning to the project, clarifies objectives, improves leadership effectiveness, and promotes resilience and agility.
Maintaining this vision helps in guiding teams through complex projects by focusing on impactful activities rather than just status and meaningless work.
Disrupt the Culture: digital strategy must come with a proper training and adoption phase, however, we must be prepared to face some opposition or sneaky behaviors on the road, some workers won’t accept to change their habits. This is where we come in, showing that we are here to:
- Simplify their work,
- Make it more enjoyable,
- Ultimately, to free up time.
☝️ UX/UI is essential in any digital strategy, digital adoption, or digital transformation project.
Simplicity Drives Success, the AI paradox
Some complex projects can generate frustration, the ability to distill complexity into simple, actionable items is essential. Some actionable steps include:
- UX/UI, limiting paperwork must not lead to more complexity in the digital realm. It’s also about limiting digital workload.
- Promoting innovative thinking by pushing the boundaries beyond conventional thinking (think outside the box), we must be willing to walk in other shoes to understand the process before tackling the simplification phase.
- Breaks down large tasks into simple actions.
⚠️ Beware of the AI paradox, have you ever tried AI reporting tools for your meetings? If AI is to help us, it does not mean that it simplifies our communication and work. We, as humans, must always hold the strategy and the complete picture of our projects. Responsible review and adoption of AI are essentials, not to mention the risk and compliance related to it.
Prioritization of digital tasks
Effective digital project management is not about checking off tasks, but about choosing the right tasks that impact the business. It is essential to prioritize work that advances project goals over tasks that are simply urgent but not necessarily important. Effective prioritization involves:
- Identifying what tasks impact the business most significantly.
- Focusing resources on high-value activities over routine status tasks.
Digital Governance Implementation Challenges Across Different Company Sizes
In smaller companies, establishing proper governance and methodology may sound like an unnecessary task due to resource constraints and the need for flexibility. Conversely, larger companies may face redundant processes and siloed departments that perform similar tasks, which can stifle innovation and efficiency.
Small Companies: May struggle with establishing stable governance and methodology due to limited resources and the fear of being slowed down.
Large Companies: Often face issues with process duplication, overly siloed departments, and complex bureaucracy.
Both scenarios require a tailored approach to digital governance that fosters a shared digital strategy and simplifies processes to avoid unnecessary complexity. This is where I believe the importance of market, budget, and project recognition comes in.
Comprehensive Understanding of the Project and Market
Before diving into the digital governance and methodology implementation, it’s vital to grasp the broader business context and market environment from the digital strategy. The market, budget, and project specifics will help to decide which technologies and platforms might be the perfect fit, e.g., which:
- Marketing Technology Stack (or MarTech Stack), CRM like Salesforce or Freshsales, etc.
- Framework for web development, CMS.
- Hosting and platform: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AWS, MS Azure, etc.
- WAF: Akamai, Cloudflare, Google Armor, etc.
Implementing Effective Governance with a Hybrid Methodology
I believe that a digital governance can only be implemented after a proper digital strategy, with a comprehensive understanding of the domain, market, budget and technologies involved.
This is also the moment to implement the methodology, while Agile methodologies (and Scrum, Kanban) promote flexibility and rapid iteration, they may not always be suitable for projects with well-defined scopes and budgets.
On the other hand, traditional Waterfall methodologies can hinder adaptability and slow down the project delivery in dynamic environments.
Hybrid Methodology Approach
A hybrid project management approach can offer the best of both worlds:
- Flexibility of Agile: Adapts quickly to changes and allows for iterative feedback.
- Structure of Waterfall: Maintains clear milestones and deadlines which are crucial for project tracking.
This approach prioritizes efficiency over strict adherence to a single methodology, which can often lead to excessive planning and not enough doing.
Conclusion on Implementing a Digital Governance with Efficiency
Efficiency in digital project management comes from choosing the right technologies from a clear digital strategy, a good understanding of the market, the project, and applying a strong governance alongside a proper methodology.
I recommend the hybrid methodology, with a dominance of a waterfall/classic approach first, meaning that I value digital strategy and prefer to move on with proper planning and control over the scope, ressources, and budget.
By adopting a hybrid methodology and focusing on simplification, prioritization, and effective communication, we can drive our digital projects to successful outcomes while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and resilience.
Did you find this article helpful? Feel free to share your thoughts and contact me for more insights.
