Minimizing the Time to Value of Digital Modernization

6 MIN READ

April 08, 2022

6 MIN READ
Accelerating the pace of digital modernization

Many organizations know that digital modernization will allow them to increase market share and meet the specific needs of their customers/clients. However, stakeholders are often concerned that these initiatives will take too long to show value or, worse yet, will not influence the company’s core KPIs. That’s why it is important to take a value-oriented approach toward digital modernization.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to modernize has greatly increased. Even industries that traditionally do not rely on digital systems still need to improve rapidly, such as the auction industry. They understand the urgency of finding a way to meet rapidly changing customer needs. Organizations also realize that these are not short-term fixes. The COVID-19 pandemic simply accelerated a shift towards digital systems that was already in process.

Sadly, over the last few years, many companies got caught in the whirlwind of digital modernization and lost track of business metrics. 70% of modernization efforts fail to meet companies’ expected ROI. Ironically, this is largely due to not setting clear business objectives at the start of modernization. Companies need a modernization strategy that quickly addresses their specific needs.

Avoiding Generic Modernization Efforts

“If you need to modernize legacy applications, the best approach depends on the problem you’re trying to solve.” 

– Stefan Van Der Zijden, VP Analyst at Gartner

The first step to ensuring your company embraces a digital modernization effort that will boost time-to-value is avoiding the pitfalls of generic services. Many technology companies will prescribe the same solutions to every organization looking to modernize. If your internal and third-party teams do not have your company’s specific needs in mind, then there’s no way they’ll uncover a satisfying modernization solution, let alone one that is fast-to-value.

Multi-colored Tetris pieces coming together to make a whole with a blue background

Cloud migration, application integration, cleaning code, UI/UX improvements, and more are all tools that could eliminate the barriers to value in your legacy applications. Your current infrastructure will decide which of these will provide your company with the most meaningful ROI.

For example, in a recent article on digital modernization in healthcare, we spotlighted a digital pathology expert who noticed departments stacking technologies on top of each other with no regard for how they communicate. In this case, integration would be the most beneficial focus of digital modernization.

Targeting the Right Modernization Processes

Digital modernization does not exist for its own sake. It is a path your company can take to become more efficient internally and more prolific with customer-facing systems. That’s why the business value of modernization should be clear before diving into the underlying technological processes.

Recently, Programmers developed its Fast-Track Application Modernization service which works with (instead of against) your legacy systems. After seeing many companies build cutting-edge applications that never showed value, we knew there was a need to realign modernization’s focus with real business metrics.

Young professionals in meeting room on laptops reviewing application modernization services

Our Fast-Track service begins with a three-week business discovery phase. We take this time to understand the value of your legacy systems and the barriers preventing them from maximizing returns. This is how we avoid prescribing you solutions that you don’t actually need. 

Next, we develop a strategy that prioritizes the most valuable opportunities for modernization. And finally, we iteratively address these opportunities in 90-day modernization cycles. That way, your customers and internal stakeholders will see value every 90 days.

Final Thoughts

Launching a digital modernization initiative can be an intimidating task for CIOs. They want to ensure strong buy-in from decision-makers in their company and give users an enhanced experience rapidly. But development can fall apart when organizations blindly scrap legacy systems or invest too much into modernization plans that aren’t customized to their unique needs.

Consider working with the systems you already have and tailoring your modernization approach to what will bring your organization value quickly. Learn more about how our Fast-Track Application Modernization service uniquely benefits your efforts.

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