ExecuSense, LLC

04/27/2023

I support through ten distinct phases of digital transformation. Each phase is informed by other factors, and incorporates disciplines, processes and governance frameworks based on the unique needs of their business. The phases are:

1️⃣ Discovery 🔎
2️⃣ Current-state analysis
3️⃣ Future-state analysis
4️⃣ GAP analysis between 2️⃣ and 3️⃣ 🗻 -->🏔
5️⃣ Roadmap development 🛣
6️⃣ Proof of concepts (POCs) are built 💻
7️⃣ The pitch deck or strategy presentation is built 📖 📑
8️⃣ Budgets are established and the resource plan is developed 💰
9️⃣ Ex*****on & Delivery 📦
🔟 Digestion & Refinement 📈 📉 📊

Not every will cycle through the process in the same way. This is what makes the process so critical. It's what allows me to build a customized program and accelerate wherever we can. It also ensures your program portfolio is balanced and you are properly resourced for success.

If you're serious about leap-frogging your competition through the adoption of discipline, I've included a graph to help you quickly assess whether or not you're on the path to building a well-thought, holistic or if you are being distracted. Where is your focus? Are you in the bulls-eye or are you on the periphery?

I've said this before and I will continue to repeat it, "Digital transformation is not a linear process."

Most of the providers or partners I work with are more than capable of adding tremendous value to your organization, but they depend on YOU to have a fully-baked strategy in order to realize a ROI. They need your help to fully understand where they fit into big picture. Do this well, and they will exceed your expectations 99% of the time.

You can outsource technical skills, but don't make the mistake of outsourcing accountability for your initiative's success. Help your partners help you by making the investment in a quality digital strategy. It will save time and money, keep your stakeholders happy, improve morale, and you just may sleep better at night.

Take a look at this chart up close. Where do you see yourself? What's your biggest gap? What's holding you back?

04/18/2023

Quote of the day.

04/04/2023

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION vs. DIGITAL EVOLUTION

Ironically, to ensure a successful digital program, I believe we have to stop using the term to describe it. implies a single tool, technology, or product can morph your company into some version of a digital butterfly that can flap its wings and float away into a world of connectedness and growth. It also implies an end-state where an effort is complete.

For those of us who have lived through or are responsible for digital programs, we know the effort never really ends. We know this because we rely on user generated data to measure our progress. Users, and the data they generate are not static variables. We know as technology and user behavior evolves, so must we.

Traditional businesses manage their operation through internal operating and KPIs. Digital businesses manage their operation through internal and external data and KPIs. "Digital Transformation" attracts a lot of leaders who fail to understand they are stepping into a new normal; one that shifts the landscape more frequently but in more easily quantified ways. The result of this gap in understanding? Thousands of articles, blog posts and white papers on the “Top 10 reasons why digital transformations fail”.

Your evolution may fail to meet leadership's expectations without strategies for measuring progress and telling the story to the right stakeholders, at the right time, in the right way. It's for this reason, having a digital strategy is the key to success. Managing expectations and demystifying digital transformation is more effective with a tangible artifact - a .

This is how we attribute value to each phase of the journey. Transformation in and of itself is not the goal. Evolving with and for our customers, suppliers and employees is what it's all about.

If you're a , , or preparing your organization for a major cultural shift, you may be interested in my approach for developing and executing a here: https://wp.me/pdT1f6-52h
Activate to view larger image,

03/09/2023

👏 👏 👏
"70% of a concept can not be expected to deliver 100% of the anticipated value."
👏 👏 👏

03/09/2023

involves more than managing a single project deliverable or vendor. requires taking a holistic look at your business and managing some of the most complex forms or organizational change. When you consider the cost of these type of engagements and the myriad studies published on the success rates, pulling in an experienced partner makes a whole lot of sense.

With only a 30% chance of success, I don't consider that an investment; I consider it a gamble. What are you doing to improve the odds that your program delivers measurable value?

If you're even the slightest bit curious about how I can help, we should chat!

03/08/2023

Wishing our female colleagues, clients, friends and family members a happy . There is a lot we could say about this topic but today we want to focus on . The world is far from perfect but it IS changing. Nothing in life is promised but with hard work, discipline and A LOT of support, us gals can do anything we set our minds to. So, cheers to the sisterhood as well as the great men who have our backs, champion our successes and challenge us to be our best!

03/02/2023

Over a year into this adventure and finally getting around to joining the Frederick Chamber. This county and Frederick City as a whole are unbelievable. So many resources, so many tools, so much support and such amazing people! Thank you to Frederick County Chamber of Commerce for the amazing work you do!

New Member Orientation was attended by over thirty members yesterday! Thanks to all of our members who joined us, we enjoyed talking to all of you about your Chamber membership!

02/22/2023

Digital strategy formation is becoming more and more important ahead of major investment in IT Managed Services or Digital Marketing. Having a foundational strategy that can be shared with multiple suppliers, vendors, distribution partners and internal teams fosters better alignment and in the end - superior results. Learn how and why experience matters and why your business deserves to be treated as unique - because it is.

https://execusense.org/2023/02/22/what-does-a-digital-strategy-consultant-do/

02/17/2023

🤔 I think the biggest difference I have observed so far between start-ups and more established enterprises is that the latter seem to cycle between prioritizing and while the former are able to conceptualize both simultaneously.

Building a involves balancing both and taking a look at your business from customer acquisition to service delivery. This is how we build a that contemplates not only your customer's journey, but also the experience of those who work for you.

Aside from that, the problems that need solving are basically the same. 😊

02/16/2023

If you think the term is vague and confusing, chances are you probably need one.

It doesn't need to be a big one, an expensive one, or take a half a year to develop, but failing to look at your business holistically (yes, I said holistically) is going to result in wasted time and money.

Digital strategy is not about choosing between a million different technology solutions, digital products, marketing platforms and picking the right one. Digital is about choosing the right solutions for YOUR BUSINESS and then customizing each one to support your (not the other way around).

As a digital strategy , I work differently. I help you build a roadmap that is -first, data-driven, phased, budgeted and achievable. I help you source the right suppliers and pick the right products. I help you tell a story that will attract investors, gain approval from board members, and most importantly, inspire your .

Again:

If you think the term is vague and confusing, chances are you probably need one.

02/01/2023

My husband and I were out recently and were chatting with a senior Microsoft employee who was lamenting over the recent layoffs in his division. At the same time, he was defending the company by saying they had strategically chosen to release the bottom 10% of performers which I found interesting. I quickly pointed out that what he described was the tried and trusted bell curve, and the only issue with his logic is that an entirely new chunk of employees who were "safe" yesterday were going to fall into that bottom percentile and overnight be vulnerable; including him.

The blank look on his face led me to believe that he understood my point. While I'd like to think a lot of thought and analysis went into the decision, the company's communication on how those affected were selected was seriously flawed. It put ALL of the accountability on those who were laid off. No discussion on over-hiring, under-performance of the company, or factors going on in the world. It wasn't the fault of management, of the strategy, of those tasked with building out the roadmap for the organization as a whole. It was the fault of the employees who found themselves in the bottom 10% of a mathematical model that by definition, describes EVERY SINGLE population of ANYTHING that ever existed.

should be dynamic. It should be driven by around company-wide KPIs and not static, point-in-time, snap-shots. Bell curves don't account for changes in performance over time. They don't account for relational statistics. They don't provide multi-dimensional views into individual contributions. Most importantly, they don't take into account the gradual shift in the "definition of success" over time.

When helping businesses develop their , I focus heavily on scalable growth. I look at how things are being done, evaluate the tools being used, the data that drives decision-making, and I identify sub-strategies for growing in the most efficient way possible going forward.

Failing to balance continuous scaling as you grow will eventually result in painful and dramatic corrections. Is your company focused on scalable growth or is the proverbial can being kicked down the road?

12/29/2022

Grateful does not even begin to describe how I am feeling today. One year from taking a dream and making it a reality. Building a brand, one day, one week, one month and one year at at time - by helping others solve complex problems.

Transformation is a gift that begins with each of us as individuals. As long as we continue to evolve and grow personally, we can bring that experience into the world and, if we're really lucky, we can help others along the way!

THANK YOU for allowing us to be a part of your transformations - large and small!

With gratitude, grace and a hearty laugh,

Christina