Here’s a simple, indispensable truth for digital success in the upcoming decade: Fulfilling business-driven digital initiatives demands the simultaneous application of design thinking, creative thinking and analytical thinking.
The factors: growing number of digital technologies, demand for quick results (competitive pressure), rising cost of labor, and cross-departmental coordination and collaboration to pull together rapid results. The most effective means of adapting an organization to the impending challenge is to either train or bring in a new breed of product managers/business analysts/strategists/visionaries (call them what you will) can help overcome old legacies and help the company realize the benefits of utilizing innovative thinking and social technology to maximize profits.
In short, the big benefits that these visionaries will bring:
1. Concerted ability to build a digital roadmap that is aligned with the CxO agenda.
2. Utilization of advanced analysis techniques, with a blend of quantitative and exploratory research, to assess the business implications and uncover the hidden dimensions of data that lead to a richer understanding of customers, markets, trends and business futures.
3. Firm ability to leverage technology to effectively enhance consumer experiences through value-added services and frictionless interactions.
This group brings a third-eye that fuses excellence in design, analysis, and creativity. They fundamentally understand the digital technologies of today and stay abreast the trends of tomorrow. Most importantly, they are the arm for marketing, IT, product development, design, project management, business strategy to shape the direction of the product to effectively serve the executive vision.