Getting it right – developing a digital strategy

Simon WakemanDirector of Strategy and Marketing

What is a digital strategy anddo you need one?1.

2. 3.

What does a digital strategy feature anyway?

Getting it right - overcoming the common pitfalls

#SimonFail

Confessions of a digital strategist

What is a digital strategy anddo you need one?1.

2. 3.

What does a digital strategy feature anyway?

Getting it right - overcoming the common pitfalls

#SimonFail 1We don’t need a digital strategy. Digital needs to be part of everything we do.

Your digital strategy is a focus for change to enable digital to become relevant to everything that the organisation does.

A strategy is the means by which an organisation sets out to achieve its desired ends (objectives).

It can simply be described as a long-term business planning, typically over a 3 to 5 year timescale.

A strategy is the means by which an organisation sets out to achieve its desired ends (objectives).

It can simply be described as a long-term business planning, typically over a 3 to 5 year timescale.

#SimonFail 2A digital strategy is about establishing the details of what we’ll do with digital.

A digital strategy is about creating theright environment to allow the organisationto make the right decisions about digital.

What is a digital strategy anddo you need one?1.

2. 3.

What does a digital strategy feature anyway?

Getting it right - overcoming the common pitfalls

“Begin with the end in mind”

• Business goals - agreed and prioritised

“Begin with the end in mind”

1. To facilitate the creation, preservation and discovery of knowledge:

• Enable new modes of research especially across disciplines;

• Promote new ways of generating, curating, and engaging with data (e.g. visualisation, data analytics, digital collections, augmented datasets, health);

• Extend the reach and effectiveness of scholarly communications.

Objectives

2. To improve utilisation and exploitation of knowledge:

• Enhance teaching and research through effective use of digital technologies and data;

• Empower staff and students through the provision of digital skills training;

• Develop outreach, online learning, educational resources and student support.

Objectives

3. To enable knowledge exchange in a digital environment:

• Draw in new audiences and collaborators from across the globe;

• Provide access to expertise and know-how;

• Establish new communities involving industry, commerce, government, civil society both locally and globally.

Objectives

• Business goals - agreed and prioritised

“Begin with the end in mind”

• Understand your audiences - internal and external

Insight-based personas

#SimonFail 3Writing a digital strategy about websites.

Digital strategy is about realising the transformative potential for digital throughout the organisation.

• Ownership and governance

• Structures and teams

• Competencies

It’s about people…

• Principles for digital in the organisation

…as well as standards and policies

Tate’s audiences will have digital experiences that:

• increase their enjoyment and understanding of art

• provoke their thoughts and invite them to participate

• promote the gallery programme

• provide them with easy access to information

• entice them to explore deeper content

• encourage them to purchase products, join Tate and make donations

• present an elegant and functional interface whatever their device

• take place on the platforms and websites they use

• minimise any obstacles they may encounter

Principles

Principles

To achieve this, we will take an approach that is:

• audience-centred and insight-driven

• constantly evaluated and enhanced

• well designed and architected

• distributed across multiple platforms

• open and sharable

• sustainable and scalable

• centrally governed and devolved across the organisation

• Policies to guide practice e.g. social media policy

• A common basis and style for digital services

…as well as standards and policies

• Principles for digital in the organisation

#SimonFail 4Writing a digital strategy that compriseda series of headline projects.

Defining big projects is too inflexible. It’s better to be iterative and agile.

• Move away from rigid, inflexible projects

• A more agile approach to project delivery

• Adopting Lean Start-up principles

A new approach to delivery…

• Set out a simple roadmap for the near term

But some detail is important

• Set out a simple roadmap for the near term

• Don’t dodge the money question

But some detail is important

What is a digital strategy anddo you need one?1.

2. 3.

What does a digital strategy feature anyway?

Getting it right - overcoming the common pitfalls

#SimonFail 5You can succeed with a guerrilla approach to digital.

For genuine and lasting transformation, a strategic and co-ordinated approach is vital.

• Educate and engage your senior team

• A senior team champion is vital

• Think about wider governance models and stakeholders too

Strong leadership

The importance of leadership

#SimonFail 6A digital strategy can have an end date.

Digital is never finished - it’s constantlyevolving and so an organistion’s response must change and evolve too.

• Educate about realistic costs and benefits

• Communicate successes and showcase achievements to build momentum

Manage expectations

#SimonFail 7We know best and can make the right decisions on digital strategy.

We should base decisions on evidence and data wherever we can in our digital strategies.

• Start by understanding your data sources

• Moving from data to insight

• Use external challenge carefully

Avoiding bias and habitual thinking

#SimonFail 8Change is about delivering digital.

Change is really about people and culture. The technology is just an enabler.

Fear and ignorance as cultural barriers

Cultural change

Thank you