Digital projects are emerging at a disconcerting speed. There are more and more requests from the various departments of the company. The new generation of managers, in particular, who are used to new technologies regularly solicits the CIOs to digitize a particular process. In large groups and even some SMEs, the data chain associated with a digital project can be vast. How are these projects led by CIOs? How can we digitize the process in its entirety? Is it even possible or desirable? We will try to answer these questions.
You master 99% of the project …
The digital transformation spares nobody and especially, the CIO. You are the first to be affected by this wave of new projects. Applications come from all sides: general management, marketing departments, subsidiaries, etc. At the time of cost reductions and data governance, digital projects prove to be real challenges. Luckily, you are well equipped to carry this forward. Thanks to proven working methods, a millimeter supervision of the existing Information System and competent teams, you are totally easy going. Develop a new business application for commercial tablets? No problem! The iOS system has no secrets for you and thanks to the implementation of an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) platform, you can spread this new app on the iPad in less time than it takes to say it.
…but 1% escaped
You’ve had multiple meetings with different business managers to find out exactly what they want. They have given you detailed specifications containing a list of indicators for their analysis. In short, everything is under control. Except perhaps the data at the end of the chain, which will serve to feed some of these famous indicators. After having dug with the different protagonists, it turns out that these precious data are managed under Excel …
You control the vast majority of this fine business application project, but at the end of the race the “last mile” catches up with you. Inputs that are completely managed outside your perimeter disrupt the work done for inducing data quality issues, that may disrupt the following processes. The data quality of this digital project is no longer assured.
But then how to keep your commitments in terms of Information System security and data governance? How to reach the data at the end of this long lag and bring them back into the fold of the managers and especially of the CIO? Is it only possible in the knowledge that each subsidiary manages them differently?
How to pursue this “last mile”?
This famous “last mile” is a well-known problem for all CIO. In some cases, it is ignored, because taking care of the problem can be extremely time consuming and expensive. But in our case, we have the means to traverse this final distance between the CIO and the Excel data. This means is called Gathering Tools.
Thanks to this solution you are able to master 100% of your digital project by replacing the Excel processes with a very similar look and feel. You will be able to integrate the data with the company’s Information System and especially to make them more reliable. Attention, this does not mean that you will have to unblock a high budget or plan months of integration and training to the users. Gathering Tools connects and installs easily and all without any changes for users. Their Excel workbooks are converted to secure workflows without any appearance changes.
Each subsidiary can retain its specific characteristics and data management at the end of the chain is made more reliable thanks to a much-improved traceability and infinite framing possibilities. You just have to reconcile the needs of the users and the requirements of the company in terms of data quality, all without colossal investments!
