Introducing the Digital Workplace Operational Assessment

Digital workplace management is crucial for achieving CIO and overall business objectives, but is a significant cost to any business, which needs to be justified and show a measurable ROI. Progressive organizations understand that managing the digital workplace in a more efficient way helps them to improve competitiveness and profitability through improved productivity and reduced business disruption.

But as a digital workplace leader, it is hard to know where to prioritize investment when you are being barraged with an increasing number of technologies, management tools, and strategies that all promise rapid ROI.

That's why we've created the Digital Workplace Operational Assessment. The assessment is designed to help enterprise organizations assess where they stand today, and understand the steps they need to take to improve digital workplace programs. It should be the first step on the journey to achieving operational excellence and driving business value:

• A framework that covers all aspects of efficient digital workplace management.
• Highlight mismatches in the key areas of digital workplace efficiency and prioritize the areas that need to be addressed today.
• Gain consensus and give key stakeholders a shared vision to align behind.
• Build a business case and secure a budget.
• Benchmark your organization against a growing pool of industry leaders.
• Measure and track improvements over time.
• Create a roadmap and quick wins.

Why it's becoming increasingly important for businesses to assess and benchmark their digital workplace operational efficiency

Interest in digital workplace programs has risen significantly in the last 12 months because of the productivity gains that can be achieved with these programs. This has heightened their significance and prompted increased visibility and higher expectations to strengthen capabilities, maturity, and results.

However, the return on investment for an organization depends on its current digital workplace maturity level. Gartner recently published their Digital Workplace Maturity Assessment, which helps organizations determine their overall maturity against 5 levels.

Find out more about the Gartner Digital Workplace Maturity Assessment levels and how Juriba's Digital Workplace Operational Assessment ensures that you can measure and quantify returns to the business at your current level here.

The key to success, no matter your level, is operational efficiency and efficacy. Once your infrastructure is modernized with lifecycle management on autopilot, you can begin to think about moving on to the next level - enabling “new ways of working,” which is equivalent to Levels 3 and 4 out of 5 on the Gartner maturity scale. This assessment is the starting point to helping you achieve this.

How the assessment works

The questionnaire takes about 15-20 minutes and consists of 60 questions. It provides a snapshot of where you stand today across 12 critical dimensions impacting an organization's ability to plan, build, deploy, and operate workplace services across people, processes, and technology.

People:

• Business Case. Without senior sponsorship from the business, maturing your digital workspace operations will be challenging. In fact, according to Gartner, organizations with full CIO C-Suite support score 97% higher in maturity. Therefore, you need a well-defined business case that will help your organization understand the “who, what, where, when, and how” of how your operations will evolve.
• Engineering. A successful digital workplace operation will involve integrating many systems and business processes. Make sure that engineering teams work on the end-to-end solution, not just technical tooling.
• Resources. Digital workplace operations require the collaboration of several resources across both IT and the business. Make sure that everyone involved is clear on their roles and responsibilities.
• Delivery. With the proper tooling and process, delivering digital workplace services should be relatively straightforward. However, make sure that you are managing the exceptions to the process efficiently.

Processes:

• Services. Your digital workplace-specific operational IT services should be clearly defined and understood across the organization. Making sure that all aspects of the service are documented means there will be no arguments regarding delivery issues.
• Engagement. Your digital workplace maturity processes must be backed by appropriate engagement plans and reporting. This is a critical success factor for achieving digital workplace maturity. All parties involved will appreciate transparency on service success and issues.
• Implementation. Having an implementation plan and managing it correctly will enable your digital workplace services to launch with minimal fuss. Ensure that all resources in the implementation team are communicating effectively.
• Compliance. Use compliance methods to make sure your digital workplace is on track. This will increase organization-wide compliance. Have a clear idea of what compliance for digital workplace maturity means for you.

Technology:

• Tooling. The proper tooling will underpin your ability to deliver a mature and automated suite of digital workplace maturity initiatives. However, be careful to look across the entire reach of the digital workplace environment when selecting point solutions, as they can sometimes increase rather than decrease delivery complexity. End-to-end technology solutions, such as Digital Platform Conductors specifically designed to manage enterprise Digital Workplaces, should always be a preference.
• Technology. The point solution tools you use to execute your digital workplace services will be wide and varied. Make sure that you have a single platform to give you a unified view across all of the digital infrastructure and dependent applications.
• Experience. Employee experience will drive the perception of your digital workplace services. Ensure that all employees are engaged with the services through simple and easy-to-use technology.
• Metrics. You cannot improve what you cannot measure, so make sure that you have identified both what metrics you want to collect and how you intend to use them.

After completing the questions, you will receive a bespoke report (in PDF format) of just over 24 pages of detailed advice and guidance for your digital workplace operational efficiency journey. The report contains a detailed visualization of all your category and individual question scores and how you compare to the industry average benchmark.

It also contains your answers to the questions (which will provide you with a helpful checklist to hold everyone involved accountable), detailed recommendations on how to improve, and additional resources that might be helpful for each of the 12 readiness criteria.

What you will get from taking the assessment

When you take the assessment and receive your personalized Digital Workplace Operational Assessment report, here's what you'll get:

1. A guided investment prioritization strategy: By pinpointing your acceleration and friction points, you'll be able to allocate your budget and resources with precision. You won't be shooting in the dark; you'll know exactly where to direct your investments and efforts for the maximum ROI.

2. Improved operational performance: As you progress on your digital workplace maturity journey, you'll be able to ensure that your infrastructure is not only modern but also operating at its peak. This will lead you toward a smoother transition into the "new ways of working" and amplify your operational effectiveness.

3. The ability to benchmark your maturity against other organizations: With the assessment's detailed visualization, you'll see where you rank in comparison to industry averages. This isn't just about tracking your growth; it's about understanding your place in the bigger picture and seeing where you stand against competitors.

4. A 360-degree efficiency snapshot: This isn't a one-dimensional look. Your report will dive deep into three critical dimensions: People, Processes, and Technology, and across the stages of Plan, Build, Deploy, and Operate. It ensures you get a 360-degree view snapshot.

5. Actionable steps and handy resources: It's not just about identifying where you stand. The report will offer you detailed advice on making improvements and even provide you with resources tailored for each of the 12 readiness criteria. Think of it as a roadmap that is ready to guide you every step of the way on your digital maturity journey.

The goal is to help you pinpoint where you should invest your energy, budget, and resources to get maximum return on investment and drastically increase your digital workplace operational efficiency. We therefore recommend that you repeat the assessment ‌every six to twelve months to measure your progress.

To find out how your organization stacks up, take the assessment.

FAQ: Understanding the Digital Workplace Operational Assessment