A 3‑Month DX Plan success case study 🎈

　In 2024, Company A successfully devised a Digital Transformation (DX) plan in just three months. This case study demonstrates how an organization can drive change and enhance customer satisfaction by leveraging digital technologies to fundamentally reinvent its business model and processes.

Many professionals working in companies encounter opportunities to transform their organizations or improve customer satisfaction. DX—short for Digital Transformation—is an initiative where companies harness digital technologies to radically innovate their business models and operational processes.

By pooling collective expertise, we examined what needed to change and devised a plan to translate those changes effectively into field-level execution.

We will share the tangible deliverables produced over the three-month period and present the survey results from Company A’s project team, revealing which methodologies were the most impactful 🤩

#project leadership

---

⏩ What Is an Operational Reform Blueprint?

Imagine a scenario in which a company starts facing challenges like losing out to competitors, experiencing declining customer orders, or seeing a drop in sales of its core products. An Operational Reform Blueprint is the process of reexamining a company’s structures, processes, and organization to design a plan that transforms its underlying framework—shifting mindsets, revamping processes, and reorganizing as needed.

The diagram below (not shown) illustrates a three‑month project for developing an Operational Reform Blueprint. The red‑boxed sections represent the specific components implemented at Company A.

---

⏩Key Deliverables

Below are the deliverables corresponding to the project items highlighted in red in the diagram. For context, Company A’s project focused on reforming its entire supply chain—from order intake to delivery.

Analysis Phase

• ✅　Current State Analysis:

  • Documented node flow, lead time structure, and operational workflows.

• ✅　Structural Issues:

  • Collaboratively identified 18 issues with suppliers, from which 16 root causes and 7 potential solutions were developed.

• ✅　Vision, Primary Challenges (What), and Reform Hypotheses:

  • Defined a clear vision and articulated the core challenges along with initial reform hypotheses.

• ✅　Hypothesis Interviews:

  • Conducted targeted interviews primarily with customers and suppliers.

• ✅　Hypothesis Validation:

  • Refined 17 key reform points based on interview feedback.

• ✅　Alignment with Related Division Heads:

  • Held 5 sessions with executive sponsors and 12 sessions with core team members to ensure shared values and strategic alignment.

Design Phase

• ✅　Prioritizing Reform Points:

  • From the 17 identified reform points, the project team prioritized and selected 6 initiatives that were expected to generate results within six months.

• ✅　Action Plan Development:

  • Developed a detailed six‑month activity plan for the 6 high‑priority reform points.

• ✅　Quick Hit Initiatives:

  • Since the action plan focused on delivering measurable outcomes in six months, all initiatives were designed as Quick Hit (early win) projects.

---

⏩Feedback from Company A’s Project Team: Why Was the Plan Completed in Just Three Months?

Reflecting on the three-month journey to develop the Operational Reform Blueprint, we asked the project team to evaluate what contributed most to completing the plan on schedule. Below are the top seven factors, ranked by vote count (the numbers in parentheses indicate the number of votes):

• ✅Well-Organized Weekly Review Meetings (9):
  The project advanced on schedule due to a structured cadence:

  • Every Monday, the PMO (project management office acting as the project leadership) created a draft framework.

  • Every Wednesday, operational experts gathered to execute the steps of the Operational Reform Blueprint.

  • Every other Friday, progress reports and key decisions were presented to executive sponsors for approval.

• ✅Rapid Project Execution (3):
  Key quick actions received high praise:

  • Minutes were distributed the morning after each session.

  • Discussion materials were circulated several days in advance of each meeting.

• ✅Strong Executive Sponsorship (2):
  Executive sponsors dedicated one hour every other Friday to review bi‑weekly progress and approve decisions. Their strategic guidance was invaluable—at times, they even visited suppliers personally to secure their cooperation.

• ✅Refinement Through Hypothesis Validation (1):
  The team collaboratively developed a reform vision and derived targeted hypotheses from the primary challenges.

• ✅Dedicated Project Team Structure (1):
  Top performers from the field were assigned exclusively to the project for half a day to a full day per week. Nearly every team member attended all sessions punctually, actively contributing to decision-making.

• ✅Visualization of the Current State (1):

  • Node Flow: Mapped the current material flow.

  • Lead Time Structure: Diagrammed planning activities for material procurement.

  • Operational Workflows: Illustrated the current customer delivery processes.

• ✅Supplier Engagement (1):
  An intensive, two-day workshop with suppliers was held, earning high praise from all parties involved.

---

Summary

This article showcased the step‑by‑step process and tangible deliverables from Company A’s three‑month Operational Reform Blueprint project conducted in 2024.

For those of you working in organizations and seeking to drive change or enhance customer satisfaction, opportunities like these are bound to arise. Perhaps you’ve questioned the status quo and thought, “I want to make a difference” or “I’d like to lead a reform project.”

By gathering collective wisdom to design reform points and then planning how to effectively implement them in the field, Company A demonstrated which approaches can yield the best results. If you ever find yourself in charge of an operational reform project, we hope you’ll find the actions outlined in the design phase a valuable point of reference.