I’m here to talk with you about digital readiness. Why would I do that? I work for a ‘digital transformation company shaping the future of work.’ And ‘readiness’ doesn’t sound sexy, but that’s the point. Digital transformation doesn’t just happen. As my co-founder and Leapen CEO, Jason Averbook, likes to say, ‘flipping the script’ doesn’t mean just throwing a piece of technology at a process.

Indeed, most HR leaders we speak with at Leapgen acknowledge digital transformation is creating increased competition for their organizations – competition for customers and competition for talent. They also agree that digital helps meet workers’ ever-growing expectations of more personalized, on-the-go programs and services.

However, most research – from HBR, Sierra-Cedar, and the stuff we’ve put out here at Leapgen – shows most digital transformation projects fail to deliver. They disrupt. They involve a transition from one technology to another, but they don’t live up to expectations. That means they don’t make HR professionals any more effective by freeing up time from answering routine questions or entering and manipulating data.

And expectations of a better candidate experience, a better new hire experience, a better learner experience, a better benefit shopper experience, a better people manager experience, a better WORKFORCE EXPERIENCE. These expectations aren’t realized. So at best, you launch a digital dud – the kind your CEO looks at and says, ‘So what?’ And at worst, you launch a digital devastation, which involves all the time, stress and money of a digital transformation without the benefits – the kind of initiative your CEO looks at and says, ‘What a waste! Pack your things.’

Are you planning a digital transformation? Maybe it’s a small one – e.g., you’re going to overhaul your open enrollment process, your candidate interview process, or your performance management practices with a new platform. Or maybe it’s big – e.g., you’re going to fundamentally change how your employees and gig workers collaborate, you’re going to centralize where people go to get answers to all their questions, you’re going to educate and train your workforce in the flow of how they work and live.

If you want to make your transformation – big or small – a success, I recommend you ask yourself one question – ARE WE READY? ARE WE READY? The answer to this question might be a simple yes or no. Either way, there is much to consider. And it’s not just about your technology and data being ready. At Leapgen, we use a 4-part equation for digital success.

Technology is just one part, and it’s the smallest part. The other three are Mindset, People and Process. If you’re not entirely sure you’re ready to execute on a digital transformation you have planned or if you’d like to figure out what your next steps should be, I recommend you take 10 minutes to answer these questions, which will ultimately help you understand, ‘are we ready for digital transformation?’

You can think of the small investment of time completing this digital readiness assessment as an insurance policy against your digital transformation becoming a digital dud (‘so what?’) or a digital devastation (‘you’re fired!’).