The pandemic has changed where we work, but the demands of the business world remain. Finance, increasingly tasked with being innovative and forward-looking, must stay ahead of the curve. Executing on initiatives, serving as a business partner, and providing information and insights all require effective collaboration and communication, yet most of us are no longer spending hours each week in a conference room with a whiteboard. Water cooler chats and ad hoc conversations by the side of a cubicle feel like a relic of the past. We have been inundated with software programs such as Slack, Guru, and Zoom, that aim to solve for some of these challenges- promising to save time, improve productivity, and even eliminate email. Yet the proliferation of these apps means we are often spending more time looking for information or sharing status updates than performing core job responsibilities, let alone going above and beyond to innovate or grow our companies. Many organizations see digital tools utilized by only a small subset of the team and rarely maximized to their full potential, which can lead to more programs to solve for the gaps.
Rather than always purchasing the latest trendy app, organizations can take a strategic design approach for their digital tools. Understanding the capabilities of different programs, as well as how they fit together in the broader technology ecosystem, supports development of a more streamlined environment. Perhaps the most important factors are having the right support to set up the tool for your operating model as well as change management and training to maximize adoption. Getting digital tools right means less time spent on administration, more time spent creating value, and ability to thrive no matter where you work.
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