Fast Forwarding in Digital Transformation

COVID-19 and Automation/Traceability: Fast Forwarding Through Digital Transformation

About six months ago, we were hearing news from the international press about a pandemic on the other side of the world, but we were living with the perception that this problem wouldn't affect us, forgetting about globalization. Then one day, the COVID-19 pandemic knocked on our door, sent us home, and ordered us to continue our lives from home, at least for a while.

But what about our jobs, workplaces, factories, banks? What would happen to them? That's where the difficulties began immediately. Decision-makers who hadn't yet embraced concepts like Digital Transformation, Industry 4.0, and Artificial Intelligence—concepts that have become fashionable in recent years—or who had adopted a wait-and-see approach, painfully realized they were late to change when they were forced to work remotely from home and couldn't manage their work remotely in the workplace.

The universally accepted prediction is clear: the COVID-19 pandemic will necessitate a very rapid digital transformation across all sectors, which had been progressing slowly… The question is how this will happen. Some large companies that acted proactively easily weathered this situation and gained an advantage in the race, while those that have reacted so far and now have to undergo digital transformation to survive will struggle with both post-pandemic recovery and the pains of transformation. The general mistake being made is; Viewing this change merely as a technology update or a purchasing problem, and not knowing where to begin... To see immediate results from the transformation, setting priorities correctly and using the 5W1H method, which even some journalists have forgotten these days, to quickly identify existing problems might not be a bad idea at all. To get quick answers to the 5W1H questions, error-free and fast data collection technologies should be used to ensure the traceability of processes, and the collected data should be utilized. Also, instead of setting very ambitious goals, it might be wise to prioritize streamlining processes to speed up workflows and to turn to low-cost CAPEX solutions such as cloud technology offered by modern technology. The return on digital transformation will cover the investment cost that the business has already delayed making.

I keep six honest servants: (They taught me everything I know)

What are their names, why, and when?

And How and Where and Who.

I send them by land and by sea,

I send them to the east and to the west;

Only after he/she worked for me,

I'll leave them all to rest.

I allow it from nine to five.

Because I'm busy at that time.

Breakfast, lunch and tea time,

Because they were hungry at that time:

Some may have a different opinion:

I know a little guy—he has ten million servants,

He never lets them rest!

He sends them far away for his own sake,

From the moment he opened his eyes—One million How, two million

Where, and with seven million Whys!

The Elephant's Child – Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling