The Win-Win Approach to NFP Digital Transformation
There’s a harsh reality nobody can ignore – more digital transformation projects fail than succeed. Following an in-depth study in 2022, McKinsey & Co put the failure rate at a shocking 70%.
And yet, at Bluelight, our proven approach ensures digital transformation projects we carry out for NFPs and charities succeed.
That’s a bold claim. So, let’s unpack it.
Planning for a win-win
We’re driven by one thing at Bluelight: to deliver digital transformation projects differently so every stakeholder succeeds at meeting their goals.
In practice, this means we focus on three core intentions:
We deliver on time
We deliver to budget
We leave nobody behind
Every project management decision, process, and interaction, therefore, builds on these crucial factors. But balancing the trio is not as easy as it sounds.
Hard decisions can be necessary, for example:
We cannot focus purely on timeliness if it means cutting crucial corners
We won’t absorb all additional unforeseen costs to avoid client overspend
We’ve learnt when and how to say “no” to meet demands on our time
For a digital transformation project to succeed, everyone must win. That includes our NFP or charity client, their members or supporters, other stakeholders, and ourselves.
What’s more, if the consequence of delivering on time, to budget, and leaving nobody behind becomes a lose-win imbalance, it creates an unequal and unhealthy project relationship rather than a solid foundation for success.
Being able to perfect this balance so everyone wins is our secret to successful digital transformation.
How we achieve our proven approach
So, what does this approach look like in reality?
While it may sound rather ‘ideal’, you can balance all three intentions with the right processes in place.
Delivery structure
We use a ‘building-blocks’ approach when delivering a digital transformation project. By doing so, we gradually (and reassuringly) transfer the responsibility for successful outcomes from ourselves to our client.
For example, during testing we don’t say “over to you” and sit back. Instead, we provide scaffolded support to ensure clients are prepared, effective, and confident when managing testing.
Delivery plan
Combining a dependable structure with flexibility, we’ve built a delivery plan that can comfortably absorb judders along the way.
From the outset, we identify and map all key touchpoints – from initial engagement to Go Live. If we then need to adjust interim milestone dates, we work together to find a solution that maximises the outcome. Of course, the reassurance of the original delivery plan still stands.
Project controls
We’re sticklers for adhering to project controls and governance. This diligence ensures all stakeholders take 100% ownership of their share of the responsibility while helping everyone trust the delivery plan.
We always underpin our controls with deep understanding and empathy, plus strong leadership that drives collaborative relationships to enable good progress.
Communication plan
When a project involves several stakeholders, it’s crucial they all understand what’s going on and what’s expected of them. We therefore set up a detailed communication plan that delivers timely information to the right people in bite-size chunks.
By knowing what to do, why, and by when, everyone remains engaged with the project while avoiding nasty surprises.
Successful digital transformation in action
Using one of our client’s stories, let’s demonstrate how all this works in practice.
An NFP came to us with a critical Go Live date in nine months’ time. We therefore knew the non-negotiable timeframe from the outset.
We created and agreed a delivery plan that highlighted our client’s touchpoints between that point and the Go Live date. But part-way through implementation, the project sponsor asked for more time on an upcoming touchpoint – the Playback phase. This phase is when we ask our client to engage with the developing solution and provide early feedback.
The problem was our client now didn’t feel the designated two weeks would be sufficient for the user team to complete their review before signing off on the Playback phase. Instead, they asked for four weeks.
At this point, we had various options open to us:
Option 1: Double the Playback phase timeline
To achieve this, we either had to move subsequent touchpoints out by two weeks - including the critical Go Live deadline - or absorb a two-week loss in build time so the Go Live date wasn’t compromised.
Option 2: Say “no”
We would have been within our rights to say “no” to the extension unless our client agreed to absorb the additional cost of supporting two further weeks of the Playback phase.
Option 3: Understand why they’d asked for extra time
We acknowledged our client hadn’t yet built sufficient trust in our team and the project plan. They were not ready to take a leap of faith and believe the plan was a win-win solution designed to meet everybody’s needs – theirs, ours, and the project’s.
The actual problem was clear to us – we were at risk of leaving someone behind. And that would breach one of our key success factors.
The solution?
Option three, and a two-pronged confidence-building intervention.
The first prong
We used our Playback Framework Document to give our client further certainty about the aims of the Playback milestone, the tasks required, and who would need to carry them out.
Our ‘building blocks’ approach meant we weren’t expecting our client to take responsibility for the product functionality at this stage. This was an ‘early look’ requirement to provide high-level feedback on what they visualised. We needed to make this clear.
The second prong
Prioritising relationship building, we arranged a sponsor-level meeting to understand board-level concerns before addressing them. Only by fully understanding how they felt could we help.
These two actions meant our client took that crucial leap of faith. They trusted our delivery plan, knowing it existed to support everyone’s interests and, ultimately, ensure a successful digital transformation project.
Our two-pronged intervention also meant we stayed true to our approach of delivering on time and to budget, leaving nobody behind.
The eventual outcome was a win-win.
- Everyone maintained confidence in the delivery plan and timeline
- We didn’t need to absorb or pass on additional cost
- By nurturing our relationships, nobody was left behind
The right approach delivers the best outcome
Successful digital transformation projects for NFPs and charities don’t happen by accident. They require a careful approach that’s as much about the people involved as it is the technology developed.
Having helped many clients in this sector transition to a future-proofed CRM system with modern web functionality and efficient data management, we’re confident our collaborative and structured approach works while allowing for inevitable adjustments along the way.
It works, and we’ve proved it.
So yes, we can boldly claim that Bluelight delivers remarkably successful digital transformation projects for NFPs and charities on time and to budget, leaving nobody behind.
🔗 Get in touch today to discuss how Bluelight can support your next project.
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