When people talk about digital transformation, they tend to jump to the topic of technology pretty quickly ? often recalling some cool new AI-powered gadget they read about or showing off their favorite mobile app. While these moments can be pretty interesting (and fun!), I inevitably find myself redirecting such conversations to something far more important than tech: The problem. Because digital transformation should be fueled by a desire to solve a problem, not just a need to build the latest and greatest this or that.

Begin with these 4 steps to get your organization?s digital transformation off on the right foot:

1. Understand the problem that needs to be solved.

Digital transformation isn?t about building or buying the coolest, most technologically advanced solution on the market. It?s about identifying your business? pain points ? or the pain points of your customers and/or employees ? and determining how technology can help you address them.

Consider beginning with:

• User / customer research
• A business analysis
• A market analysis
• Development of a technology strategy

2. Know how technology fits into your workflow.

This means approaching digital transformation as an operations project, rather than an IT project. Doing it this way supports alignment with your business? strategic goals and helps ensure your effort delivers the value it should (minus the costly work-arounds that can come when you create in a silo).

3. Standardize, standardize, standardize.

Because digital transformation is never a ?one and done? proposition, it?s important to standardize everything that surrounds it ? from your approach to training, implementation, and support to how decisions will be made specific to monitoring, management, security, and the evolution of your technology roadmap.

4. Keep the conversation going.

Digital transformation isn?t an end state, so keep the conversation going with both your leadership team and users. Doing so will help position you for success as needs change and opportunities are created over time.

Tiffani Collins is Solutions Management director with PointClear Solutions.

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