Recovery and continuity: Expand readiness and agility

The COVID-19 pandemic and related economic turmoil is changing the way we live and work. Business continuity is being threatened at unprecedented levels. Combined with the current complexities organizations are now facing, maintaining business continuity requires a new approach to common challenges.

Our current blog series is reviewing crisis recovery and business continuity in the professional services industry. Last week we outlined the key questions organizational leaders should be evaluating. In part two this week, we focus on expanding digital agility to address this question:

Are you developing and implementing agile operating models for scale and efficiency?

Expand digital agility

While digital transformation was underway for many, no one saw the COVID-19 pandemic coming. The health crisis and related economic downturn shifted everyone’s priorities and thrust digital capability and agility into the spotlight.

Professional services organizations must adapt and expand digital agility to thrive in the new digital economy and post-pandemic environment. A digital infrastructure that is fully operational will be key to continuity and competitiveness.

[ Download the best practice guide: Crisis recovery and business continuity in the next normal ]

The agile organization

Agile organizations look different and act different. These organizations are characterized as a network of teams operating in rapid learning and decision-making cycles and use new data to give decision rights to the teams closest to the information. That versus traditional hierarchical organizations with vertical organizational structures where decisions flow down the hierarchy.

Expanding agility across the organization is challenging. It takes commitment from the C-Suite down and involves organizational structure, workforce, processes, and technology changes. Expanding agility yields many benefits such as increased speed and time-to-market, delivery of higher quality products and services, more collaborative and loyal employees, and higher client satisfaction. Adopting and expanding models addresses new business pressures and helps ensure both business sustainability and continuity.

Additionally, assessments across the organization are needed to determine which aspects of its operations—sales, client service, project delivery, marketing—must become more agile. Once those assessments are complete, leaders must establish clear and measurable goals that the entire organization can understand and work toward.

Build on previous investment

Organizations should also review the digital transformation initiatives that were implemented or were on the roadmap prior to the health crisis and compare with those methods that have been adopted during the crisis. These lessons learned will offer a renewed focus on organizational continuity and client priorities. A refocused digital effort should balance recovery and readiness for near, mid, and long-term organizational success.

A key question to ask—do you have the digital infrastructure and technology in place to cope during crisis and to adapt for greater agility moving forward?

Next week, we’ll look at how best-in-class companies are empowering a remote workforce in the next normal.

If you would like to discover more about recovery and continuity in professional services, we invite you to download a best practice guide:

Click here to download the guide now