What a digital transformation diagnosis includes
A map of how work is done today, the problems that weigh most, and an order of intervention. Not a two-day audit of the whole company.
A diagnosis that never names the work
Asking for digital transformation without naming a process produces a document that could belong to any company: automate, add a dashboard, run an AI pilot. That does not help Monday's decision.
The other mistake is promising that a company can be understood in 48 hours. That window fits a first reply: whether it is a fit, who needs to be heard, and what the first cut could be.
Without access to the person who does the task, the map is written from memory. Exceptions stay out and later break the rollout.
What is delivered
A short map: processes touched, tools, and the points where someone copies, exports or rebuilds a figure.
A list of problems taken from those conversations, not from a transformation template.
An order of two or three improvements by usefulness, cost and difficulty, plus a note on what is left alone for now. This can be done with the IT provider you already have.
When it makes sense
- Several jams exist and it is unclear which goes first.
- Software is already under contract and nobody knows whether to configure, connect or drop it.
- AI is wanted and there is still no task.
- Management needs a scope before opening a build.
What it does not include
Not the project
It does not build the flow or the panel. It decides whether that is the next commission.
Not a price list
It prioritises. A price appears when there is a scope.
Not ongoing availability
If follow-through is needed later, it is agreed separately.
How I would do it
What is looked at
- Spreadsheets
- ERP or operations software
- CRM
- Shared folders
- The screen opened every morning
A typical situation
One spreadsheet across three areas
Sales, administration and the warehouse pass a file around. The diagnosis points at that bridge and whether the first step is a working rule or a connection. It does not design the whole system.
Common mistakes
- A report that would fit any company.
- Promising the diagnosis before there is access.
- Jumping into a build to avoid choosing.
- Not asking which tool is already paid for.
Frequently asked questions
Is it done in 48 hours?
No. That window can hold a first reply. The diagnosis depends on being able to see how work is done.
Does it replace a project?
No. It decides whether the next step is a bounded project.
Does it price every improvement?
No. Price is discussed once there is a scope.
Does operations have to stop?
No. The questions are about one process. Meetings have a purpose and a next step.
What if there is already an IT provider?
The work can be done with them. They do not have to be replaced to look at a process.
Related guides
Do you need to decide where to start?
Tell me the process that jams most.