How to be successful when digitalising shipping operations
When it comes to operations at a multi-national shipping concern, there’s no shortage of responsibilities. That’s true of the team as a whole, but particularly so for the directors and senior managers who drive the division forward.
Today, a typical ops director is tasked with a plethora of responsibilities, ranging from the strategic to the tactical. From applying regulatory changes to controlling budgets, contingency planning, maximising operational performance and closing the voyage, many of these involve workflows and processes that are ripe for digitalisation.
At the same time, the sheer pace at which ops teams now need to move – and the volume of demands that come their way – means that there’s little time left to spearhead digital projects, no matter how promising they might be.
Because of this, when projects do move forwards, they need to deliver as much value as possible. That’s where the seven imperatives come in.
- Choosing the right processes to automate and transform
- Defining in detail the benefits and changes required
- Prioritising communication and collaboration
- Securing visible support from leadership and change champions
- Knowing your audience – users, the C-suite, or both
- Considering ongoing factors like user experience, onboarding, and support
- Measuring effectively against your stated expectations
What determines the success or failure of a digitalisation project?
Why do so many programmes underdeliver?
And what do those initiatives that do achieve their goals have in common?
All good questions, and none with easy answers.
There are any number of reasons that a project can fall short – from unforeseen technical issues to the simple problem of unrealistic expectations.
Moreover, the transformative nature of digitalisation means that there’s often no blueprint to follow.
Digitalisation presents an almost endless opportunity
Giving shipping companies the ability to rethink and redefine processes of all kinds for the better. At the same time, just because an action can be automated doesn’t mean that it necessarily should; there’s no quicker way to ensure the failure of a transformation project than by focusing on tasks or workflows that deliver little benefit by being digitalised.
Of our seven imperatives, choosing the right processes to automate and transform is arguably the most important.
No matter how well the rest of the digitalisation journey might go, starting it off by focusing on the wrong issues will always lead to subpar returns.
Forty years ago, 70% of transformations failed. In the dawn of the digital era, that percentage increased to 84%. Today, 90% of transformation programmes fail to meet the expectations outlined in the business case.
How Organisations Can Create a Humanised Change Experience EY, 2020
When it comes to process improvement, there are few better places to start than with the operations team.
Tasked with a growing number of mission-critical responsibilities, ops teams are under continual pressure to get the job done ever faster and even better.
Digitalisation can help – but that doesn’t make it any easier to deliver.
Read our latest guide, which explores the seven imperatives for success in the digitalisation of shipping operations.
It provides a set of ready-to-use questions, analyst commentary and cross-industry examples to address key operational issues and topics in your journey to realise your digitalisation ambitions.
Read our guide to learn:
- The daily challenges in shipping operations
- 7 imperatives for digital success
- How to achieve your digitalisation ambitions
Read our our recent post on the best questions to ask when you choose a disbursement accounting automation partner.
