With digital transformations, the first step is the hardest: Success stories from three RecordPoint experts

When the time comes for a company to undergo an operational makeover, they rely on the guidance of experts to help illuminate a path forward. These major shifts are often defined as digital transformations, which McKinsey describes as “the rewiring of an organization, with the goal of creating value by continuously deploying tech at scale.”  

Translate that into plain English, and it all boils down to a simple concept: using technology to continuously improve the way things are done within a company.  

While digital transformations can be focused on any part of an organization, our expertise falls squarely in the realm of helping folks modernize, streamline, and secure their data estate and information management processes. For some organizations, that might mean shifting from physical to digital records, or on-premises to cloud systems. For others, it’s a straightforward migration from one EDRMS to another. Regardless of the specific challenge at hand, the end goal remains the same: a comprehensive, dynamic data inventory that allows complete data visibility, allowing organizations to reduce risk, maintain compliance, and make better decisions based on their data.  

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With more than 25 years of experience between them, RecordPointers Shelly Wang, Mick Sowl, and Lauren Hubner have contributed to dozens of digital transformation projects.  

Here’s what they’ve learned, starting with the hard stuff.  

‍The change management challenge

Before embarking on a digital transformation project, perhaps the most significant hurdle organizations face isn't technical — it's human. Even when leaders recognize a need for improvement, the reality of actually making those changes can be fraught with friction. Without a thorough understanding of who the changes will effect and how, any digital transformation project is susceptible to becoming dead in the water.  

The people these changes will affect most are the end users – the ones who actually work with your information on a daily basis. These folks have the responsibility of upholding the policies and practices that are established during a digital transformation, and can vary from organization to organization. Most often, end users are records managers, IT managers, information governance officers, or similar, but in some cases, the end users can be the entire team.  

"One of the most significant challenges customers face is change management," Lauren  says, “if end-users do not comprehend the reasons behind the change or the benefits it brings them, they may resort to circumventing the new system or reverting to outdated, inefficient structures."  

And resistance to change can manifest in many ways. As Shelly explains: "Digital transformation projects can be difficult when they involve legacy systems that have complex integration with various parts of the organization." When existing systems are so deeply integrated into the inner workings of an organization, users can be intimidated by the idea of having to adapt their ways of working, especially if they perceive the change to be not worth the effort.  

In Mick’s view, the problem largely stems from a lack of buy-in from end users. “Often, changes are dictated from leadership/management, and the recipients of the shift do not feel involved in the project and are resistant to change,” he says.  

Key to the success of the project is the rapid demonstration of value to the end user, Mick says, “A few years back, we had one major customer whose stakeholders were struggling to understand the value of the project. To help demonstrate the value we were providing faster, we started them off with big bucket categorization, which instantly equipped them with great record categorization and gave them a clear path forward for categorizing their records.

New fear unlocked: the unknown

Beyond the discomfort brought on by change management, there’s an even more significant challenge that often needs to be overcome: fear of the unknown.  

As Shelly explains, ambiguity is often at the heart of the issue, “Often, clients get into a digital transformation program with either an overly ambitious or vague idea, without a clear strategy illustrating how to get to the end result.”

Before organizations can begin their digital transformation in earnest, they first need an honest understanding of their starting point. While some companies might have existing practices in place that mean their information estate is in good shape – meaning they can effectively manage all data throughout its lifecycle – others face much larger obstacles to getting started.

“Taking the first step is always the most difficult,” Mick says, “as we initiate our customer implementations, it’s always difficult for customers to first get a baseline of where their organization is at.”  

“When moving to a digital world,” Mick continues, “organizations have to first understand their current record topology. To do this, they must understand where their data lives and what type of data it is, which can be a mammoth undertaking. Once organizations make this realization and understand the effort required, they can be hesitant to start down that venture.”

"We often see organizations that have spent years – or even decades – with a lack of appropriate record management procedures or policies in place," Mick explains. "Once a digital transformation project is set up, the team immediately has a huge hurdle to get over. There is generally a lack of knowing what is out there, and how bad the situation may be."  

Without a real understanding of the problems at hand, it can be difficult to change course.  

The people factor

While change management and fear of the unknown can be a major challenge to reaching objectives, people themselves can present obstacles in the process as well.  

We asked Lauren to walk us through a typical scenario where people are adding friction: “Clients often encounter challenges when digital transformation projects are solely delegated to the IT team, which usually lacks the authority to make critical decisions or to motivate reluctant business units to engage actively,” she shares.

“This situation is particularly evident when the project requires end-users to adapt to new processes and significantly different software,” Lauren continues, “without the necessary authority granted to project teams, business units may simply refuse to participate, cooperate, or utilize the new system.”  

Of course, to overcome these challenges, communication is of the utmost importance – but not too much of it.  

“There exists an optimal balance between excessive and insufficient consultation, especially when implementing changes to end-users' daily tasks,” Lauren says, “it’s essential to find a middle ground that balances adequate end-user consultation to gain a comprehensive understanding of the business while maintaining a realistic approach to design.”  

Critical factors for success

Now that we’re got a clear view of the obstacles that can complicate digital transformation projects, let’s hear from our expert Lauren about her best advice for overcoming them.

Factor 1: Executive support and effective stakeholder engagement

Before embarking on a digital transformation project, get buy-in from the leaders who can help move your project along.  

As Lauren says, getting broad, early buy-in can lessen friction: “When a project's scope encompasses the entire organization, it is advantageous for both the project and its sponsor to secure the support and commitment of high-level leadership. This backing helps to minimize resistance." Better yet, finding a few change evangelists to help drive enthusiasm for the new ways of working can facilitate an even more successful transformation.  

Factor 2: Clear strategy and implementation planning

Develop a clear, well-defined strategy and implementation plan before making any changes – especially when it comes to data.

Emphasizing the importance of working incrementally, Lauren continues, "When it comes to data transformations, adopting a proven iterative approach that has been tested and refined prior to broader implementation is essential. This approach should take into account various factors such as working hours, network throttling, batching, and critical Day 1 Information."  

Factor 3: Effective communication and training

Prioritize clear communication about project goals, timelines, and benefits, and set regular check-ins with stakeholders to ensure they know what’s happening.

"While data migrations can be complex and require careful planning, at their essence, they involve transferring data from one system to another," Lauren says, "The real difficulty lies in effectively communicating the project's goals to end users and providing adequate training and support for new systems, especially beyond the project's duration."

With many transformation projects, roles and responsibilities are spread across multiple third-party teams, who each help with different parts of the project. And while teamwork is critical to the success of a digital transformation, taking it up a notch by combining efforts can make a big difference in the project’s outcome.  

As Lauren puts it, “When a customer trusts us with the full migration and platform implementation process, things work so much smoother. We’re able to not only help them do away with outdated file shares and systems, but we also get to help them work out how to set up their information architecture to work best with the RecordPoint system. It’s a best-case scenario when a project encompasses both the migration away from their old system as well as the setup of the new one.”

Factor 4: A smart data management platform

Our experts might be biased – but they’re certainly not wrong. Implementing a data lifecycle management platform like RecordPoint can be a critical factor in a successful transformation.

How exactly does RecordPoint make a difference?  

Mick breaks it down for us. “The RecordPoint application allows agencies to continually manage their data. Unlike other solutions, which take snapshots in time of an organization’s data, RecordPoint is ever present, continually monitoring data repositories and providing an organization with an up-to-date view of their data.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  

“Once data is in the RecordPoint application, it opens a vast range of abilities, allowing organizations to see their data through a single lens,” Mick says, “From there, a number of RecordPoint tools can be utilized to provide value. Classification Intelligence helps manage large and diverse data sets, categorizing records at scale, while enterprise reporting ensures that everyone – not only record management teams – to understand and act on their data.”

Lauren explains that this level of comprehensive data visibility helps with the communication factor. “It lets users more effectively communicate the scope of their organization’s compliance obligations and maintain consistent information management.”

Better yet, the perks of using RecordPoint extend beyond the platform itself, especially for smaller organizations. “For clients with limited resources,” Lauren says, “utilizing external consultants, like the RecordPoint Professional Services team, provides as an essential operational service, allowing information managers to concentrate on the strategic direction of their organization while ensuring that the day-to-day operations of RecordPoint are efficiently managed.”

Beyond the powerful features of the platform itself and the Professional Services team behind it, a transition to the platform can also result in cost savings. “We had one government agency customer who needed to retain a significant amount of data, but wanted to cut costs at the same time. Instead of migrating all these archived records to another system, then managing it through RecordPoint, the customer simply migrated them directly into RecordPoint . That meant they didn’t need to be stored or managed anywhere else – it's all safe and protected in the RecordPoint platform, which reduced storage costs significantly,” Lauren says.

The bottom line? Take the first step

For organizations about to kick off their digital transformation journey, Mick offers some encouragement.  

"DON'T WORRY! So many organizations find themselves in a situation where, for years, data management has not been at the forefront of their agendas,” he says, “but the biggest move an organization can make is to take that first step."

Taking that first step will look different at different organizations. But regardless of your circumstances, you should consider your answers to these questions before digging in:  

• Have you taken into account all relevant stakeholders and secured the necessary business and executive buy-in?

• Do you fully understand the data you aim to transform, both in its technical aspects and its application within the business?

• Have you identified enthusiastic change champions who will test the process and provide feedback essential for refining the methodology throughout the project?

Meanwhile, Mick stresses the importance of flexibility and organizational unity.

"Be agile, understand surprises will happen, if an organization understands this – and is ready to pivot or adjust their plans – they will be in a much better place than an organization who is too structured in their methodology,” he shares.  

Finally, he says, it’s about teamwork. “Be understanding. There will never be one individual or one part of an organization that can bear this transformation on their own. It takes a village (or in this case, an organization!) to make this move happen."

The path forward

Digital transformation is an ongoing journey – not a destination.  

"Ensuring your organization is set up for success in our ever-evolving digital world is critical,” Mick says, emphasizing the importance of these transformations.  

While the tools and capabilities available today – like the RecordPoint platform and team – can ease the journey, a successful outcome also depends heavily on the people behind it.  

By focusing on change management, securing executive support, maintaining clear communication, and following a well-defined strategy, organizations can effectively navigate their digital transformation journey and achieve the outcomes they seek.  

While the path may seem daunting, with the help of experts like Mick, Lauren, and Shelly – and the visibility provided by a platform like RecordPoint – the benefits of a digital transformation far outweigh the challenges.

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