digital enablement or digital transformation? the key differences.

Communication is tricky when you don't share the same terminology.

Both digital transformation and digital enablement involve using technology to increase productivity, reduce costs and become more competitive in the market. The two terms are frequently tossed around, often interchangeably, but they describe different things.

Conversations about IT strategy are easier when everyone is on the same page. Here's our primer on the key differences between digital transformation and enablement.

digital enablement vs. digital transformation

At its core, digital transformation is a revolutionary process that fundamentally changes how an organization operates and delivers value to its customers. It's not just about integrating new technologies but about reimagining business models and methods. For instance, a manufacturing firm may transition from a traditional production line to a fully automated, AI-driven process.

On the other hand, digital enablement is a refining tool that focuses on optimizing and enhancing existing systems and processes to ensure they produce the best possible outcomes. It’s a tactical approach to getting the most value out of the digital transformation you've initiated. This might mean fine-tuning the software stack to eliminate bottlenecks in a workflow or training your staff to better utilize a newly implemented CRM system.

5 characteristics of a digital enablement project

Approaching a digital enablement project can be very different from a transformation initiative. Here are five things to discuss during the project planning stage:

1. goals

Digital enablement projects have focused goals, usually based on a specific process or an element of your tech stack. The project mission will focus on getting the best results or addressing performance issues.

Enablement goals often involve existing metrics. Project success might involve moving the needle on things you're already measuring, like unit costs, processing time or customer feedback. 

2. scope

Digital transformation can mean dramatic changes for the entire organization, while enablement projects are more localized. Project scope is usually limited to a single business process, software platform or team.

Of course, a successful project can inspire more ideas for digital enablement. But this usually means starting a new project without changing the original scope.

3. customer experience focus

Digital enablement focuses on improving your customer experience in specific, targeted ways. Instead of overhauling your entire business approach like in digital transformation, you're tweaking what you already have to work better for your clients. This could be small but impactful changes like making your website easier to navigate or speeding up customer service response times. These focused improvements make your customers happier and give valuable insights for future upgrades or changes.

4. personnel 

Enablement projects often involve a small, agile team of IT staff and local process experts. This allows you to move quickly on each project while reducing the time spent on organization and team coordination.

The most important person in a digital enablement project is the project manager. A skilled PM will help you identify the right goals, set the proper scope, deliver measurable results and avoid disruption to normal business processes. 

5. training and support

Training is equally important in both digital transformation and digital enablement. The difference is that enablement projects require very focused training, such as teaching people about a new process.

Sometimes, training is the digital enablement project. You might find that some upskilling will help your team deliver optimal results. A good PM will help you identify the areas where training matters the most.

Ready to make the most of your technology? Talk to Randstad Digital and discover how the Randstad approach can help you unlock your company's full potential.