Digital Transformation Canvas
The 7 Action Fields of Transformation
Prof Dr Marc K Peter
A Best Practice Reference Guide
Available on www.marcpeter.com
Version: 07/2018
Digital Transformation Canvas
The 7 Action Fields of Transformation
1 1 Customer Centricity
Organisations place a strong focus on customer orien-
tation, personalised offers, digital communication and
2 New Technologies
This includes platforms and apps as well as the
connection of industrial components and consumer
4 Digital Business Development
Organisations are challenging existing products and
services in order to provide new or extended services/
6 Digital Leadership & Culture
Digitisation is driving a change process which leads
to an adaptation of management principles and new
sales channels. products (Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things). business models through innovations, new platforms organisational forms.
and cooperations.
●● What are our target segments with the highest ●● What are the new technologies available today and ●● How resistant and futureproof is my current business ●● Where do our employees stand and what is their
potential? in the future, and what potential do they have for our model? attitude towards digital transformation?
●● What is the current customer satisfaction per segment? customers and to our organisation? ●● What strategies, business models and products do ●● Which new management principles and organisational
●● Which are the central (digital, new) customer needs ●● How will these technologies develop and how will my competitors and innovative companies offer? forms do we want to introduce?
per segment (identification e.g. by means of customer they be used in the future? ●● What are the components of our value chain: which ●● How do we develop the foundations for digital
journey mapping and/or personas)? ●● Which software solutions / apps could actively support services/products drive (digital) customer benefits, leadership together with our employees?
●● Which data is available or must be collected in order our value propositions and processes? which services/products of our value chain can be ●● What skills do we need to successfully implement
to better understand our customers? ●● What activities and measures are we implementing offered separately (Tool: Business Model Canvas)? the transformation?
●● Do our core processes meet these customer needs? to increase IT security? ●● Which platforms, products, cooperation models and ●● How can we support creativity and innovation
If not, what must be changed? ●● What is our technology roadmap for the next 5 – 10 channels have the potential to increase/multiply our processes?
years? market potential?
●● Which components of our marketing mix (product, ●● Where does it make sense to offer digital and mobile
price, communication, distribution, additional services) ●● What other innovations can we leverage to increase/ working arrangements?
do we need to modify? expand/redefine our market offering?
●● How do we specifically support our employees in
●● Which personalised offers (services/products) do we this change process?
want to offer in the future?
3 5 7
●● Which (digital) channels do we want to offer?
Cloud and Data Process Engineering Digital Marketing
●● Which (digital) communication channels and how
(e.g. approach, frequency) will we be using them Digital activities require data-driven models and Processes should be standardised, streamlined, With digital marketing, new and sometimes automated
in the future? systems, smart data and a flexible, web based IT faster and more efficient and, where possible, approaches in sales, communication, customer service
infrastructure. be digitised and automated. and relationship management arise.
●● Which systems and processes will we have to adapt?
●● What are our quick-wins to immediately achieve
a stronger customer orientation and satisfaction?
●● Have we linked the existing platforms and data ●● What are my current processes and which processes ●● What is our new, holistic digital marketing strategy
in the best possible ways? do we have to modify due to new requirements and (marketing, distribution, sales, customer service)?
●● Are our IT systems, including web-based solutions, technologies (Tool: Process Map)? ●● How will the different teams be restructured and
easily accessible and scalable for customers ●● Which processes can we digitise and automate, work together in the future?
and partners? and how? ●● Which platforms and solutions (e.g. marketing
●● What potential can we draw from existing data ●● Which process improvement methods will we use automation, e-commerce, CRM, content marketing,
(Smart Data)? in the future to react more dynamically to the market social media) will we use in the future?
●● Have we defined corresponding requirements for (agility)? ●● How do we continuously optimise our marketing
IT security and do we regularly measure the criteria? ●● What are the IT requirements driven by the new and sales initiatives/motions?
●● Have we analysed the future potential of solutions processes? ●● Which market processes, measures and data will
in the cloud and intelligent data? What does our ●● How will we measure our process performance further support the transformation of the organisa-
roadmap include? (output) in the future? tion?
●● What are our quick-wins to improve and simplify
processes?
Sponsors and Research Partners: The seven action fields of Digital Transformation are based on the Source: Peter, Marc K (Ed.) (2017): KMU-Transformation: Als KMU die The full research report, practical guide and the Digital Transformation
PostFinance, Abacus, AECS Swisscard, Die Mobiliar, Swiss Post, research from Prof Dr Marc K Peter in 2017 among 2,590 Swiss Digitale Transformation erfolgreich umsetzen. Forschungsresultate und Canvas are available in PDF format on www.kmu-transformation.ch
Dreamlab Technologies, Schweizerische Gewerbezeitung, GS1, organisations and 4,286 identified digital projects/activities. Praxisleitfaden. FHNW Hochschule für Wirtschaft, Olten, Switzerland.
KMU Next and Nemuk. © 2018 Prof Dr Marc K Peter | www.marcpeter.com
Version: 07/2018
Digital Transformation Canvas
The 7 Action Fields of Transformation
1 1 Customer Centricity
Organisations place a strong focus on customer orien-
tation, personalised offers, digital communication and
2 New Technologies
This includes platforms and apps as well as the
connection of industrial components and consumer
4 Digital Business Development
Organisations are challenging existing products and
services in order to provide new or extended services/
6 Digital Leadership & Culture
Digitisation is driving a change process which leads
to an adaptation of management principles and new
sales channels. products (Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things). business models through innovations, new platforms organisational forms.
and cooperations.
3 Cloud and Data
Digital activities require data-driven models and
systems, smart data and a flexible, web based IT
5 Process Engineering
Processes should be standardised, streamlined,
faster and more efficient and, where possible,
7 Digital Marketing
With digital marketing, new and sometimes automated
approaches in sales, communication, customer service
infrastructure. be digitised and automated. and relationship management arise.
Sponsors and Research Partners: The seven action fields of Digital Transformation are based on the Source: Peter, Marc K (Ed.) (2017): KMU-Transformation: Als KMU die The full research report, practical guide and the Digital Transformation
PostFinance, Abacus, AECS Swisscard, Die Mobiliar, Swiss Post, research from Prof Dr Marc K Peter in 2017 among 2,590 Swiss Digitale Transformation erfolgreich umsetzen. Forschungsresultate und Canvas are available in PDF format on www.kmu-transformation.ch
Dreamlab Technologies, Schweizerische Gewerbezeitung, GS1, organisations and 4,286 identified digital projects/activities. Praxisleitfaden. FHNW Hochschule für Wirtschaft, Olten, Switzerland.
KMU Next and Nemuk. © 2018 Prof Dr Marc K Peter | www.marcpeter.com
Version: 07/2018
The How-To Guide
for a Digital Transformation
The objective of a Digital Transformation is to transform an organisation into a form in which it can achieve
and maintain a competitive position in the digital age. Transformation initiatives require an analysis of the
market, customers and new technologies as well as internal values, processes and resources. The output
is a digital strategy with a clear vision, new business options and an implementation roadmap.
Here, the Digital Transformation Canvas plays an important role as it facilities strategy analysis and develop-
ment based on the seven action fields of transformations. The seven action fields of Digital Transformation
are based on the research from Prof Dr Marc K Peter among 2,590 Swiss organisations. Each action field
includes a brief definition and a set of questions for workshops with strategy, HR, IT, finance, marketing,
product and project teams in your organisation.
The Digital Transformation can be planned as a strategic initiative, which will subsequently be implemented
in several projects. The following simplified process is recommended:
Step 1: Step 5:
Maturity Analysis Roadmap & Implementation
Based on the current situation of the organisation, the maturity The resulting roadmap (the implementation plan) includes the defi-
analysis is utilised to identify and define the most important nition of subprojects and project plans in the classical sense. It
drivers and indicators for the transformation project. This enables is recommended to define a feasible project scope, to work with
an initial discussion and the determination of priorities. external partners and, where meaningful, to identify quick wins.
Steps 2 and 3:
Step 6:
Strategic Analysis Change Management and Leadership
In a second and third step, the analysis phase deals with the
In the sixth step, the key enablers of change management, leader-
seven action fields and first projects are outlined. From an external
ship and cultural development are planned. The development of
perspective (step 2), the customers, the market and new tech-
values and rules of conduct with all employees as well as the
nologies are analysed; from an internal perspective (step 3),
coaching and ongoing development of employees are central to
processes, the cultural dimensions and leadership approaches,
a successful change process.
services and data are described. Here, the canvas is used, which
provides practical guidance and key questions for workshops.
Step 7:
Step 4: Marketing and Continuous Optimisation
Strategy Development Finally, the renewed organisation and its products and services
are marketed. This includes marketing, sales and customer service
The fourth step describes the digital vision and defines the unique Example of a workshop output with the seven action fields of Digital Transformation
teams. In addition, market feedback with valuable information
value proposition. This includes the development and implemen-
flows back into the entire ecosystem in order to continuously
tation of digital business options, definition of products and
identify new potential and improve the value chain. This concludes
services in the value chain and the required core processes with
the process loop of strategic planning.
their IT requirements.
© 2018 Prof Dr Marc K Peter | www.marcpeter.com
