Preparing for the Change That a Digital Transformation Project Triggers
Digital transformations are often discussed in terms of systems, timelines, and delivery milestones. When programmes struggle, the root cause is frequently attributed to resistance or a lack of adoption.
In reality, many ERP initiatives fall short for a simpler reason: people were not adequately prepared for the nature of the change they were stepping into.
Readiness is not about knowing where to click in a new system. It is about understanding how work will be different, why it needs to change, and what is required before, during, and after the transition. Without that foundation, even well-designed ERP solutions struggle to translate into sustained operational improvement.
Data preparation is a key project activity that can be supported by the change team
One of the earliest and most underestimated readiness signals appears long before go-live: how an organisation approaches its existing data. The change team can assist in framing the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders involved in this critical task.
Sorting and cleaning historical data is often framed as a technical prerequisite for migration. In practice, it is a much more revealing exercise. Legacy data reflects years of operational decisions, workarounds, exceptions, and informal practices. When teams engage meaningfully in data preparation, they are forced to confront how the business actually operates, rather than how it is assumed to operate.
Treating data clean-up as a back-office activity risks carrying outdated behaviours and flawed assumptions into the new system. Treating it as a shared responsibility, on the other hand, creates early alignment around standards, accountability, and future ways of working.
In this sense, data preparation is not just about accuracy. It is about readiness to let go of the past.
Understanding the new way of working
Digital transformation programmes introduce new processes, service-level expectations, rules, and policies. These are often well documented, but documentation alone does not guarantee understanding.
A common failure point occurs when people learn the steps of a process without understanding its intent. When pressure builds, teams revert to familiar behaviours, undermining the very controls and efficiencies the new system was designed to introduce.
Readiness improves when people understand not only what the new process requires, but how it changes decision-making, accountability, and flow of work across teams. This is especially important in ERP environments, where informal judgement is often replaced by explicit rules and system-driven controls.
Without this understanding, the system may be used, but not used as intended.
Connecting processes to organisational strategy
Processes do not exist in isolation. They are designed to support strategic objectives such as improved cash flow, greater service reliability, reduced risk exposure, or increased scalability.
When people are asked to change how they work without understanding how that change contributes to the bigger picture, adoption becomes compliance-driven rather than commitment-driven. The system feels imposed, rather than purposeful.
Executive alignment plays a critical role here. When leaders consistently connect process changes to strategic outcomes, they give meaning to the disruption. This context helps teams navigate short-term inconvenience in service of long-term value.
Readiness strengthens when people can answer a simple question: Why does this new way of working matter?
Making role-level impact explicit
System and process change is experienced most acutely at the role level. Responsibilities shift. Decision rights change. Timing expectations tighten. What was once flexible may become standardised.
If individuals do not understand how their role is impacted, uncertainty fills the gap. People hesitate, duplicate effort, or wait for direction that never comes – particularly during high-pressure transition periods.
Preparing people for the change means making role-level impact explicit. It means clarifying what will be different, what will stay the same, and why readiness at an individual level is critical to the success of others upstream and downstream.
This is not about overwhelming people with detail. It is about removing ambiguity before it becomes operational risk.
Readiness across the lifecycle, not just at go-live
Another common misconception is that readiness is something to be achieved before go-live. In practice, readiness evolves over time.
Before go-live, the focus is on preparation: cleaning data, understanding new processes, and building confidence. During go-live, the emphasis shifts to transition: managing uncertainty, reinforcing support, and helping people navigate the gap between old and new. After go-live, readiness becomes acclimatisation – embedding new behaviours into business as usual, even when pressure mounts.
Organisations that struggle post go-live often do so because they underestimate this final phase. Without reinforcement, people revert. Without clarity, workarounds re-emerge.
Sustained value depends on supporting people as the “new” becomes normal.
People readiness is a key element of success
Digital programmes rarely fail because people resist change. More often, they fail because people are asked to change without being sufficiently prepared for what that change truly entails.
When readiness is treated as strategic preparation – grounded in data, process understanding, role clarity, and lifecycle support – digital transformations are more likely to deliver on their promise.
Not because the system is perfect, but because the organisation is ready to operate differently.