James Bell
General Manager, Business Transformation Lead
In today’s digital landscape, organisations continue to invest tens of millions of dollars in digital transformation initiatives, yet many still fail to deliver expected value. Large scale technology projects and programs of work absorb enormous amounts of time, money, effort and hours of work. Promised efficiency gains are rarely realised, leaving people, teams and organisations no better off than before.Â
Reframing the People, Process and Technology Framework
The People, Process, Technology (PPT) framework is a common approach to deliver organisational change. When we are approached by clients, we work from a hierarchy People then Process then Technology. Why does our approach deliver results for our clients? We’re firm believers that technology, whether it be applications, systems or platforms, are just tools. Many large-scale transformations across enterprises go hard at technology believing that better tools will unlock value, innovation, and transformation. The missing link for organisations? Data sits at the heart of the PPT framework, it is created by your people, teams, and organisation in your way of working. Working backwards from what your people do, and nailing why, what and how data is created, is the lever for creating a culture where data drives innovation and growth.
The Technology-First Paradox
The common pattern driving organisations and enterprise is an inversion of our hierarchical approach – Technology then Process then People. Technology or tool driven change remains a driving force for organisations, but there’s a limit to just how much value a new ERP system can deliver to organisations. If everyone is largely selecting from the same pool of vendors and tools, and once an organisation is large enough the available choices of technology rapidly diminishes to the key players, the question arises – how can enterprises expect to create technology driven sustainable competitive advantage? Clearly, technology cannot be the singular driving force for innovation, change, and growth.
Data as the Missing Link
The missing link holding organisations back? A fundamental misunderstanding of how the PPT model has evolved in current enterprises. Data sits as the heart of the PPT triangle. Data flows through organisations. Data isn’t just a technical asset—it’s the product of human behaviour, established ways of working, organisational processes, and technological choices all working in concert. Data is many things:
- a technical asset,
- an enterprise risk,
- a potential driver of sustainable competitive advantage, and
- a financial cost to the business if poorly managed.
Your data is a reflection of how well your organisation has balanced the ‘three-legged table’ of the PPT model.
The Innovation Imperative
Organisations must learn how to deliver innovation faster in today’s climate. Adopting a systems approach to implementing transformation and driving strategy, allows people, teams and organisations to create a recalibrated way of working to apply systematic ways of working to replicate success. The data created by your people, managed, curated, and transformed before it becomes a dashboard driving decision making is too often an afterthought. Motherhood statements about data, such as ‘data is an asset’ perpetuate fixed mindsets where data is too often an afterthought after technology decisions have been implemented. We need to shift the conversation to shift the outcomes – so let’s start with your people and their capability.
The Human and Data Drivers of Transformation
Organisational transformation is predicated on the ability to deliver a better, promised world of work for employees, and a better, promised world for customers, stakeholders or citizens. If it fails to get this right, the existing people, process and technology will remain stuck in the way of working of the ‘present past’. This often leads to an outcome where organisations become trapped in a pattern of replication, particularly replication of existing ways of working.
Post-implementation analysis on our clients frequently reveals even with new tools, existing patterns have not had adequate effort allocated to shift and evolve. Your people are natural problem solvers, and will seek to find ways to create value out of their work, and therefore your data, often in spite of the technology. People and teams will tolerate the new tool, or find creative ways to continue doing the things that worked in the past. The new technology often hasn’t had data included in tool selection from the very beginning. If the tool doesn’t measurably make it easier to achieve the right outcomes for your people, teams, organisation, your customers or stakeholders what has been gained as a benefit?
It’s important to avoid the common mistake of getting too often fail to do the right things in the beginning – and not the beginning of the project or program. At its heart the PPT model requires that systems are aligned before change is implemented. I’m a firm believer that each leg is important but there is a clear hierarchy – people first, and then process or technology. This mindset requires greater effort is expended in the fundamentals first, architecting the future (not just the technology!) and implementing sensible, practical next steps. It also helps organisations ensure change and continuous improvement initiatives include data from the earliest stages of ideation.
The Robinson Ryan Approach to Data Change and Transformation
Our methodology with clients is to start with your core data people and teams. As the people who are stewards and therefore responsible for managing the data that is the natural output of your people and way of working, they have insights into the impacts of your operating model, culture, and way of working.
- We start small and practical, uncovering why  there are frustrations with PPT across the organisation.
- Implement a modified data maturity model to gather direct feedback on data capability. This provides key qualitative and quantitative insights on where data issues exist, and how each team works with data.
- We identify and support pockets of excellence, and support capability development through training, coaching, or professional certifications. This helps organisations simultaneously address data quality issues.
- Strengthen internal capability to influence ways of working with data, to assist the adoption of international best practice is promulgated through peer coaching and problem solving.
Creating Sustainable Change
Our data management consulting and transformation practice brings a unique, human-centered approach to data management. We understand that successful transformation isn’t just about implementing new systems—it’s about creating an environment where quality data naturally flows from aligned people, ways of working, processes, and technology.
Watch for Part 2 of this series, where we’ll explore practical strategies for implementing these principles, followed by Part 3, which will provide a concrete six-step framework for successful data transformation.
Don’t let your transformation initiative become another statistic. Contact our Practice Leads Lloyd Robinson, David Wiebe, Tim Goswell and James Bell to learn how we can help you:
- Assess your current data ecosystem
- Align your people, ways of working, processes, and technology
- Create sustainable data excellence
- Transform your organization’s relationship with data
