Background – Digital Early Adopter
ITDirections was engaged by a $500 Million worldwide high-tech manufacturing company with 3,400 employees in 35 facilities in 24 countries. The Client was an early adopter in the digital space and desired an overall e-business (or digital) strategy. At the time, their industry was using the Internet mainly for online marketing, but the Client wanted to be a leader in their industry and go beyond its competitors and proactively identify digital opportunities. The client wanted to move their digital presence to the next level of maturity, using for service, transactions, interactions, and supporting a community.
The Challenge – Rapidly Progressing Industry
Industry trends were reviewed, as well as general manufacturing trends, and trends outside of their industry. The current situation was analyzed, identifying the current functionality provided. All stakeholders were identified as well as their process used to engage the Client. The Client’s value proposition was reviewed and specific digital opportunities were identified to support the desired value proposition for each step of stakeholders’ process. Each stakeholder process was designed from the outside-in, rather than the typical inside-out. A total of 50 critical components, or opportunities were identified for digital success.
The Solution – Prioritized Roadmap
Using the list of critical components, we completed a detailed review of the top six competitors, rating each against the potential list of functionality. They found that their industry in general was relatively immature relative to the advanced functionality that could be provided, meaning they had a significant opportunity to surpass competitors by providing value-added functionality not generally available in the industry. A roadmap was develop to prioritize and plan the roll-out of improved functionality.
The Results – Industry Leader
ITDirections was engaged several times over the next four years to relook at competitors, identify the Client’s position, and develop a roadmap to continually stay ahead of competition. It was interesting to see that competitors continued to follow the Client and enhance their functionality. However, due to proactive planning, the client was able to stay ahead of competition and set the mark for their industry causing competitors to catch-up.
