Many digital transformation leaders treat some key risks as assumptions.

You will see the same assumptions copied and pasted in every program document, across every project, and they are rarely challenged, explored or leveraged. A perfect example is “it is assumed key resources will be available as required” – what a brave assumption to make. Key resources are typically not available as required and negotiating availability usually involves several parties.

In this piece, we will explore why this happens and what it means for your digital transformation program.

1. The people you need are most in demand.

The people who are most important to your transformation program are usually the same people who are in demand by other areas of your organisation (or even within your transformation program).

It is inevitable that these competing demands will make key people unavailable. Often your most important people are central to negotiating their own availability, pulled in different directions, and spending more time trying to negotiate availability as opposed to adding expertise to the program. These demands will take a toll on your best people, and it is not uncommon for your best to burn out during or post the program.

Why does this happen so often?

2. Encouraging values-based leadership on transformation programs.

Treating resource availability as an assumption is a “gotcha” planted during program initiation.

It provides an “out” for the transformation leader as schedules slip, budgets increase, and people become strained. It’s not malicious, many program leaders are trained to think this way, however digital transformation is not your typical, linear program and time spent deflecting is wasted time spent eroding partnerships. Resource availability must a treated as a risk, with clear mitigation and ownership.

How do you do this?

3. Ensuring real buy-in across your organisation.

Most directors do not challenge assumptions strongly enough, to the detriment of the transformation program.

To create a sense of real buy-in and accountability, resource availability should always be requested to be removed from any assumptions and referenced as a risk. The risk mitigation and ownership should, in most cases, be defined and managed by a senior member of the business with the authority to ensure resources are available – not the executive leading the transformation. If there are multiple areas of the business that are required to provide key resources across the program, specific risks should be identified and tracked for each one.

Spreading specific accountability will encourage key leaders across the organisation to remain engaged in the program, protect your best people and, importantly, allow them to spend their time applying true value.