Digitising deals

Agile value creation

When deal margins remain tight, it's important to create value from the start of every deal. A more agile form of value creation through technology can help you do things better, faster and cheaper without transforming your entire technology landscape. This can be done, among other things, by:

Doing more with what you have

The priority in creating value through technology investments should be to maximise the value of what you already own. Would investments in legacy technology and/or business model changes yield results? Can you streamline business and data processes by simplifying existing technology?

Don't do all tech expenses equally

The vital ERP systems that manage core operations and collect financial and management data require ongoing investment to continue to add value to your business. Weigh that against the need to evolve and defend their position and to maximise emerging and innovative technology (think artificial intelligence and machine learning) to effectively use the data in their core applications. A practical view and focus on productive cases are crucial to ensure you can create the most value.

Invest in the right areas 

In a competitive, innovative environment, the fear of missing out or being left behind can make it difficult to identify breakthrough technology investments. The latest innovation is not necessarily what your company needs to create value.

Put technology at the center of value creation

Leverage technology to understand your business and your customers, develop new products quickly, make targeted ads effective, and work more productively. Make a distinction between technical investments that really create value and technical innovations that are just eye-catching gimmicks. This includes:

• identifying technology-led opportunities for pre-deal value creation
• exploring ways technology innovation such as artificial intelligence and machine learning can improve business performance
• taking a hands-on approach based on case studies and the value makes it possible
• protecting the value of data, a vital strategic asset during integration
• exploring expansion and growth opportunities through a cloud-first strategy
• (re)engineering applications and platforms

Keep in mind that creating of technical value is a process, not a one-time event. You don't have to do everything (at once) and you don't necessarily have to spend a lot to make an impact. The best solutions come from thoughtful collaboration between those who understand the business and those who understand technology.