Digitalization of business processes doesn’t have to be a painful revolution that turns everything upside down. If you approach it smartly, it’s an evolutionary process that strengthens your control, expertise, and mutual trust with the supplier.
Over my nearly thirty years of experience in IT, I have participated in many projects that started with a huge effort and ambition to “change everything at once.” This is called the “big bang” strategy. The goal is to deploy a complex system within a few months that solves all the current shortcomings of the company.
But what is the reality? Often it’s more of a trauma. People are frustrated with tools they don’t fully understand, day-to-day operations grind to a halt, and the expected efficiency arrives only after a very long time, which is unpleasant both from the users’ perspective and from a cost perspective.
To prevent this, we decided in our SmartWebApps projects, built on the Task Monitor platform, to methodically adopt a technologically, procedurally, and mentally much more acceptable path. We call it the “Soft Path”.
We don’t build primarily on the final solution, but on mutual trust
The Soft Path for us is not just a technological term. It is above all a psychological approach that is much more natural and ultimately much more effective than the hard path of forced change. I believe that true process transformation cannot happen if the customer feels under pressure or has the impression that they must “sign away their soul” to a huge and initially incomprehensible project.
At the beginning of cooperation, we don’t have to promise “mountains and valleys.” Our Soft Path allows us to start gradually and without risk. In the first phase, something much more important than programming itself happens. We learn to speak the same language.
The customer gradually discovers the possibilities of our platform, while we gradually learn to understand the internal logic of unique work processes. This phase of building mutual understanding is the cornerstone of certainty. Without it, any discussion about specialized software is just empty talk.
Mutual distribution of competencies as fuel for further development
We often encounter the question: “Will our team be able to work effectively with the new system?” We answer “Yes.”
The Soft Path dispels these concerns through a gradual distribution of tasks and competencies. At the start, we are divided into two teams. We are the technology architects, and the customer’s implementation team takes on the role of architects of their own business. Gradually, we connect these two worlds, and by not proceeding in leaps, the customer’s team has time to adopt the new tool, perceive it as their own, and gradually take on the role of a visionary who themselves proposes where to take the system in the next step.
Once we verify on a small scale that our cooperation works, each subsequent step becomes much faster and more effective. The first joint results thus create a “snowball effect,” where barriers fall away and gradual integration of further processes becomes a natural part of the corporate culture, not a forced task.
The “First Success” strategy
On a technical level, the Soft Path means parallel transformation of existing processes. We do not claim that it is necessary to tear down existing ERP or systems that the customer is used to. On the contrary. On the Task Monitor platform, we can create a concurrent and safe environment.
We usually start with one currently most critical process. The one that is the biggest bottleneck and whose digitalization and optimization will bring immediate and tangible results. We call this the “First Success strategy.”
What does this bring?
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Minimal risk: The company’s day-to-day operations are not threatened.
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Fast return on investment (ROI): The system starts saving time and money within weeks, not years.
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Peace for the Champion: The customer, as the process owner, gains certainty and control over the agenda without the stress of a company-wide collapse.
Gradual evolution as confirmation
The proof that this path works is the fact that our customers stay with us for 10 or more years. Our projects continuously expand with more and more integrated agendas. Not because customers have to, but because they see value in further upgrading their management.
If you feel that your processes have a great foundation but lack an appropriate digital tool or deserve thorough optimization, let’s talk about it. Without pressure, without big words – the soft way.
We would be happy to discuss with you where your “First Success” could lie and how quickly your investment in it will pay off.