'Wide gap between digital strategy and execution at global level': Study

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global IT services company, on Thursday released the findings of an independent-research study of senior business and technology decision-makers regarding digital transformation at large global enterprises.

The global CXO survey highlights a wide gap between strategy and execution with organizations' digital transformation initiatives. These findings come at a time when digital transformation has emerged as a defining strategy for modern global enterprises.

The survey found that while the majority 70 percent of organizations surveyed have a formalized digital transformation strategy in place, just a fraction 10 percent have thought through all aspects up to full deployment planning. It is therefore no surprise that just a quarter of participating organizations have been able to reap the benefits of digital transformation.

"Enterprises are moving away from sporadic strategy and POCs to more comprehensive digital execution. One of the biggest findings of this survey was the gap between the strategy and execution as well as measurable outcomes," said CVP and Head - Digital and Analytics practice, HCL Technologies, Anand Birje.

"The positive findings are that the effective use of digital is possible with a combination of digital seed technologies, visibility into systems and process, and real-time data insight. The companies that use these elements will be ahead in realizing the innovative processes these technologies can deliver," he added.

The research goes on to highlight some of the factors that demonstrate the growing gap between digital transformation strategy and execution.

Key findings include digital strategies covering only part of the enterprise and a staggering 89 percent claiming that a lack of visibility into existing processes is hampering digital projects. The report also delves into the findings and recommendations around:

1. Balancing technology investments between digital platforms, like the cloud and building block technologies, such as APIs and Microservices

2. Prioritizing, organizing and utilizing data-based insights for digital transformation

3. Using digital goals to measure digital outcomes

4. Integrating digital ecosystems for effective digital-ready architectures

Commissioned by HCL Technologies and conducted by independent technology market research company Vanson Bourne, in collaboration with Straight Talk, HCL's multi-channel thought leadership platform for C-level Technology executives, the survey was completed by 340 IT and business leaders from global enterprises with 3,000+ employees and more than USD 2 bn in revenue.

Countries covered included the US, the UK, Germany, the Nordics, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.