…is the average increase in profitability for companies that prioritize digital transformation compared to their industry competitors (MIT).

…of new value created in the economy over the next decade will be based on digitally enabled platform business models (World Economic Forum) .

…of companies that have undertaken initiatives have “failed” – they haven’t seen sustained and material performance improvement (Forbes).

Digital Strategy (input to journey)
A company’s articulation and approach to using data and technology to support overarching corporate strategy (e.g. portion of corporate strategy enabled by digital investments)

Establish your digital North Star
Set aspiration: Vision setting with key business unit (BU) stakeholders to discuss and align on digital aspiration (e.g. Big-T vs Mini-T, self-funded and slow-burn vs. investments)

Quantify the value of digital use cases
Assess opportunity: Comprehensive E2E understanding of the digital opportunity across BUs/functions (e.g. data analysis, process walks, and interviews)

Create the digital roadmap
Design and plan: Bottom-up initiative design and holistic initiative roadmap planning (e.g. opportunity to initiatives, financials, phasing, design principles)

Deliver digital use cases and realize impact
Execute: Detailed initiative builds and implementation; execution with rigor and transparency (e.g. process optimization then automation, test, measure, scale)

Create the infrastructure to drive and sustain change
Enable: Set up the transformation infrastructure, operating model, and culture to drive value capture and sustain change.

Where are you in the journey?

Establish your digital North Star

Quantify the value of digital use cases

Create the digital roadmap

Deliver digital use cases and realize impact

Create the infrastructure to drive and sustain change

Set aspiration: Vision setting with key BU stakeholders to discuss and align on digital aspiration (e.g. Big-T vs Mini-T, self-funded and slow burn vs. investments)

Assess opportunity: Comprehensive E2E understanding of the digital opportunity across BU/functions (e.g. data analysis, process walks and interviews)

Design and plan: Bottom-up initiative design and planning (e.g. opportunity to initiatives, financials, phasing, design principles)

Execute: Detailed initiative builds, and implementation; execution with rigor and transparency (e.g. process optimization then automation, test, measure, scale)

Enable: Set up the transformation infrastructure, operating model, and culture to drive value capture and sustain change.

Examples of how Info-Tech can help

Digital North Star placemat

(e.g. industry trends, top-down opportunity, high-level planning)

Digital maturity assessments

(e.g. current state digital adoption & transformation readiness)

Opportunity assessments

(e.g. BUs/function value creation diagnostics, opportunity levers)

Initiative bottom-up design

(e.g. initiative ideation and business case creation, workplan, investments)

Holistic initiative planning

(e.g. phasing, interdependencies, investments)

Initiative build

(e.g. zero-based process redesign with technology)

Initiative implementation

(e.g. testing & pilot, scale-up roadmap, performance tracking)

Value assurance assessment

(e.g. course correcting & accelerating initiatives underway)

Transformation infrastructure

(e.g. transformation program design, transformation office)

IT modernization

(e.g. technology infrastructure required to execute digital levers)

Change management

(e.g. org-wide change program and stories, comms, governance)

Performance management

(e.g. KPIs – leading and lagging, people mgmt. for continuous imp.)

Workforce management

(e.g. upskilling, right people, right place, right time)

The following content will provide an overview of digital use cases in utilities. This will support opportunity assessments across the organization’s value chain. Note: This does not provide the value/ROI specific to your organization. To do that, detailed current state assessments and opportunity assessments need to be executed.

Details to follow

Electric utilities are undergoing an unprecedented rate of change and disruption. During the energy transition era, it is imperative for utilities to develop a digital strategy and establish a digital North Star to guide their transformation journey.

With that aspiration in place, utility business and technology leaders must work together to map out tactical and actionable plans to support the organization’s strategic goals. An effective digital transformation plan executed in the next one to two years can define the next one to two decades.

Electric utilities must balance the need for digital technology investment while keeping the service affordable. At Info-Tech, our goal is to help utility leaders accelerate the identification and development of tactical digital transformation initiatives to enable you to reach your digital North Star.

Jing Wu
Principal Research Director

Utilities, Industry Research
Info-Tech Research Group

Ray Chase
Associate

Digital Transformation Consulting
Info-Tech Research Group

“Our team has already made this critical project a priority and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”

“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take on this project. We need assistance through the
entirety of this project.”