I hosted a panel discussion at The Digital Accountancy Show exploring how companies can ensure technology delivers while enacting large-scale change or digital transformation projects.<\/p>\n
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I was joined by Andy Mackey<\/span>, Azets Transformation Director, Fay Bordbar<\/span>, Mazars Operations Manager for Accounting and Outsourcing Services, and Sophie Parkhouse<\/span>, Albert Goodman Technical and Training Partner.<\/p>\n This is a summary of our conversation. We look at the key topics our panellists discussed, and share their recommendations on how accounting firms can get the most out of tech as well as people during complex change initiatives.<\/p>\n No two digital transformation initiatives are the same \u2014 every firm has its own context and culture, hurdles and objectives. However, there are a few best practices that firms should keep in mind when implementing digital transformation initiatives.<\/p>\n Get leadership buy-in, but distribute accountability<\/span><\/p>\n For Fay, it\u2019s crucial that leaders get behind the project and publicly express their support. \u201cAs a manager, I can\u2019t sell complex transformation projects to my team without buy-in from the top. It\u2019s virtually impossible\u201d.<\/p>\n But while buy-in from the top gets your foot in the door, digital transformation projects will only succeed with the entire organisation\u2019s support. That\u2019s why Fay recommends picking a single champion for each team who\u2019s personally responsible for ensuring the firm\u2019s new technology delivers its intended benefits. \u201cWhen you give people responsibility, ownership, and trust, they shine. We have people who’d never coded before who now code in Silverfin and absolutely love it\u201d.<\/p>\n Andy agreed that distributing accountability was key, emphasising that it takes a whole team to transform large organisations. He even suggests bringing in non-accountants to help with the process \u2014 after all, accountants are busy enough dealing with client work.<\/p>\n Prioritise communication<\/span><\/p>\n To ensure change projects are successful, managers need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. They must ask for their team\u2019s opinions and genuinely want to hear about the problems they\u2019re facing.<\/p>\n As Fay puts it, \u201cLook, it\u2019s not always nice to hear, but you have to listen, welcome the negatives and have those challenging conversations. Digital transformation inevitably requires ripping up the rulebook to some extent. You\u2019re ditching systems and processes that people have become accustomed to, so there\u2019s always going to be some pushback. Dig into what your team is afraid of and always lead with \u2018why?\u2019. Get to the heart of why they feel the way they do. Not only will this show you care, but it will also help you identify and overcome specific hurdles that stand in your way\u201d.<\/p>\n Andy backed this up, saying: \u201cIt\u2019s not easy changing people\u2019s day jobs, so put yourself in the shoes of those on the ground. Sell the benefits to your staff. Emphasise that you\u2019re transforming your processes because you want to create efficiencies, not make people redundant\u201d.<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cAutomation has somewhat of a negative connotation, but this is completely illogical when you think about it. Firms use automation because they want to free accountants from the boring, low-value tasks that they hate doing anyway. Digital transformation will make your staff\u2019s jobs significantly better\u2014not worse\u201d.<\/p>\n Change leaders should communicate clearly and often, checking in with their team, updating them on progress, and answering any questions they might have. As Andy puts it, \u201cChange is hard, so do it with your team\u2014not to them\u201d.<\/p>\n Start small and grow<\/span><\/p>\n Sophie highlighted that many projects fail because firms go too big too soon. Instead, change leaders should create a small pilot in one part of the business and focus on generating tangible results on a small scale. If this is successful, they can then share this example with other departments to gain buy-in throughout the firm.<\/p>\n \u201cGet a proof of concept before asking everyone to jump on board\u201d, she suggests. \u201cRemember: people trust their current systems and processes. You won\u2019t get them to change their ways of working unless you can prove it\u2019s worth the hassle\u201d.<\/p>\n Over the years, Fay, Andy, and Sophie have learned what to do when enacting digital transformation projects \u2014 but equally important, they\u2019ve discovered what not to do.<\/p>\n Attaching specific labels to the project<\/span><\/p>\n Fay explained that firms should be careful with how they label transformation projects. At Mazars, they initially rolled out Silverfin by saying it would be a replacement for Excel. Except, that wasn\u2019t the best comparison. Silverfin and Excel aren\u2019t like-for-like tools, so employees began to question why Silverfin didn\u2019t include certain features that they relied on when using Excel.<\/p>\n \u201cI realised we\u2019d made a mistake with how we labelled the project. Rather than making it seem like Silverfin was just replacing Excel, we should have instead framed it as a new way to approach our outsourcing work\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n Keeping the same mindset as before<\/span><\/p>\n Sophie highlighted the mindset shift involved when implementing new tech. Firms that typically rely on legacy systems are used to big annual software updates that have to be proactively deployed but today\u2019s tools are continually developing.<\/p>\n \u201cSome colleagues grumbled that they could never keep on top of the tool as it keeps changing. Except, they failed to understand why it\u2019s always changing: to solve the very problems and issues they used to complain about when using it. It\u2019s evolving, but it\u2019s improving\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n Sophie also reinforced that change doesn\u2019t just involve tech and systems \u2014 it\u2019s also about people, mindsets, and attitudes. Remind staff that they can no longer get away with doing CPD once a year. Instead, they need to continually upskill to ensure they\u2019re fit for purpose for their current role. New technology can help them do that as they learn new ways to do things but also technology can free up time which they can use to develop soft skills that are critical to the delivery of advisory services.<\/p>\n Building a business or benefits case<\/span><\/p>\n Andy told the audience that when he first started working out the business case for transformation at Azets, he discovered that, in common with most firms, their client data was spread everywhere and this impacted how these cases were built. Crucially, it was clear they had a goldmine of client data that they\u2019d not been using \u2014meaning the business cases they\u2019d previously created needed a rethink.<\/p>\n \u201cDo a deep dive into your company\u2019s data and make sure you have everything in one place before you build out benefits cases\u201d, he suggests. \u201cAlso, remember that benefits cases change\u2014this is fine. In fact, you should expect it to happen\u201d. This was a point that resonated with me as we\u2019ve seen this with other Silverfin customers who\u2019d achieved the most success from their digital transformation – they didn\u2019t lock the project into single benefit cases but were willing to adapt them as the project evolved and more opportunities were identified.<\/p>\n Change management or digital transformation projects will only succeed if everyone is engaged throughout the process. Of course, this is easier said than done. So, how did our panellists ensure maximum engagement from their colleagues during complex digital transformation initiatives?<\/p>\n Gamification<\/span><\/p>\n Fay described how Mazars used gamification to boost engagement when implementing Silverfin. Each team was scored on how well they were using the tool, and they shared the results publicly. There was no naming and shaming teams that lagged behind\u2014instead, they focused on championing those at the top.<\/p>\n The result? Teams at the bottom quickly focused on narrowing the gap, and Silverfin digital working papers were soon successfully embedded across all Outsourcing teams.<\/p>\n Linking the project to individual goals<\/span><\/p>\n For Sophie, it\u2019s crucial that change leaders reinforce why people should buy into the project, linking its overall objective to individuals\u2019 goals. \u201cWe\u2019d tell employees that if they wanted to progress, they\u2019d have to achieve a certain goal. For example, improve their recoveries or become more efficient and how could they do that by using Silverfin\u201d.<\/p>\nBest practices for successful digital transformation<\/h3>\n
Common digital transformation pitfalls to avoid<\/h3>\n
Top tips for keeping staff engaged in change<\/h3>\n