(Expansion) – As time goes by, the digital world becomes more relevant in the daily life of companies. The analog remains in the background, while new technologies advance rapidly.
Although during the COVID-19 pandemic the companies that transformed digitally grew five times more than those that did not, now, in a post-pandemic scenario, the challenges are still very present.
And when it comes to challenges, the first thing we should mention is going fast. The future is here, and all those who were not reached by technology will have to be in order to be competitive. Second, we must mention the acquisition of tech talent; one of the main drivers of digital transformation and the biggest challenge for the development of innovation that we currently face.
According to the ManpowerGroup ‘Talent Shortage’ survey , 69% of companies worldwide report a shortage of tech talent. In Mexico, specifically, the .
This scenario is alarming if we consider that all companies are going through a digital transformation, and that an increasing number of multinationals are investing heavily in technology innovation.
A clear example of this is Tesla. As you may remember, recently Elon Musk, CEO of the company, announced that they are no longer just a car manufacturing company, but also a robotics company.
The reality is that Tesla is just one example, since, after all, we are all immersed in the same technological race. For this reason, as a company we must have strategies that allow us to generate internal business innovation. But how to do it? Through a proactive technology strategy.
To carry out this strategy, first of all, we must define the objective . That is, what is your technological goal? Your objective may be to develop internal technology to streamline processes or to offer a new or improved product. Likewise, it is essential that as a company you ask yourself: what process are you going to facilitate for users?
Once this first point is resolved, we have to think about defining the technological stack . What kind of app are you looking for? Web app, augmented reality, with Artificial Intelligence in the Blockchain ? Depending on the type of application, they are going to be the skills that you require in your development team.
The third point is talent acquisition . As a company you should focus on acquiring the best new talent in technology. To do this, some companies choose to approach universities and create alliances for a professional internship program, while others prefer to start their own scouting process with young talent. In case you have a larger budget, it is important that you precisely define your technological development needs.
Subsequently, we have to think about our production process . At this stage, the Scrum methodology is one of the most used by companies to carry out the planning and management of development projects.
Finally, you have to work on adoption and market launch . Now that you have an application in production, how are you going to acquire users? What is your go-to-market plan? What incentive are you going to propose? Answering these questions will help you develop greater competitive advantages.
I consider it relevant to underline that most of the digital transformations that fail is because the company first chooses the technology, and then asks who is going to use it. On the other hand, those that are successful put the problem of people at the center and then look for what technology to apply. Therefore, digital transformation is not about using technology without meaning, but about asking what it is going to be applied for.
In short, the challenge is on the table and reaches both small and medium and large companies. So, in order not to be left behind, organizations must continue with the change they started: innovate, create technology and attract the best talent. In other words, companies must start to see digital transformation as a competitive advantage.
Editor’s note: Hugo Cen is Founder of Ai Lab School – Online School of Artificial Intelligence programming, Co-founder of Digital Lab Agency binational digital marketing agency, Director of the organizing committee of Hackity the League of programmers in Mexico. He actively organizes hackathons and community events to develop the talent of Mexican programmers. Follow him on , and/or on . The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.
