Building a Digital Future A Transformational Blueprint for Innovating with Microsoft Dynamics 365

The dramatic events of 2020 have clarified the urgent need for digital transformation in countless organizations.

The rise of remote work and the rapidly increasing use of cloud technologies are just two drivers of the relentless pace of digital disruption. Despite this, many companies remain underequipped or hesitant to embrace digital transformation. Understanding the key drivers of change and leveraging the powerful capabilities from technologies with a collaborative platform can aid an organization to prepare for digital transformation. Building a Digital Future provides a clearly defined roadmap for executing this change with Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Firms of all types and sizes will learn how Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help them:

• achieve competitive advantages for their business
• reduce the time needed to effect change by automating time-consuming tasks
• drive innovation and improvements through an evergreen system post implementation

Each chapter of this book is curated with best practices, compelling customer examples, pitfalls to avoid, and salient points to remember. Building a Digital Future enables organizations to truly embrace the benefits of digital transformation by anchoring Microsoft Dynamics 365 at the core of their business. Perfect for any business leader looking for a one-stop and comprehensive playbook for transforming their business into a digital powerhouse with Dynamics 365.

Dean Carlton , MAICD (Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors) (Australia) is recognized as Australia's #1 strategic digital advisor for forward-thinking business heroes. For over 30 years, he has been sought after by business leaders on both the client side and the supplier side of digital transformation projects to help them address the many pitfalls on the path to successful implementation. He is the founder and Chief Transformation Officer of Global Village Transformations where he helps leaders take control of their digital transformation projects and align their technology, business, processes, and people with confidence and minimal stress. He has worked with multiple industries, including financial services, manufacturing, retail, and not-for-profit..

Vinnie Bansal (United Kingdom) is an ERP Business Analyst at Businospire Consulting. He acts as a liaison between the business side of the enterprise and the various IT teams; serves as technical advisor to clients in assigned subject areas, recommends functional changes, and identifies areas for further investigation; writes and updates project documentation including system procedures, presentations, and training materials; leads the testing of new or modified systems or processes; and identifies emerging relevant technologies that may result in improvements to current processes and systems.

Foreword xiii

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xxi

About the Contributors xxv

Part I Digital Transformation with Dynamics 365 1

Chapter 1 Digital Transformation and the Case for Change 3

Change, Change, Change 4

Digital Transformation: Key Drivers 6

Digital Transformation: Disrupt or Be Disrupted 11

Digital Transformation with Dynamics 365 14

Summing Up 17

Notes 18

Chapter 2 Capabilities for Transforming Your Business with Dynamics 365 21

A Platform for Change and Transformation 23

How to Drive Business Efficiencies 28

Data Platform: The Secret Sauce 29

Business Process: Simplification, Standardization, and Automation 31

Is There a Choice: Cloud or On-Premise? 34

Summing Up 36

Notes 37

Chapter 3 The Power of the Microsoft Platform 39

Rise of the Citizen Developer: Improving Productivity with the Power Platform 41

Building Custom Apps with Power Apps 42

Resources and Community Groups 44

Using Power BI to Create a Data-Driven Culture 46

Accelerating Organizational Capability and Driving Efficiency 51

Moving from Reactive to Proactive with IoT Integration 55

Improving Experiences with Chatbots and Natural Language Processing 60

Summing Up 62

Part II Blueprint for Executing a Successful Dynamics 365 Project 73

Chapter 4 Five Cornerstones of Digital Transformation 75

Strategic Shift 76

Cultural Shift 78

Shift in People’s Mindset 82

Process Shift 90

Governance and Control 92

Summing Up 95

Notes 96

Chapter 5 Program Readiness 97

Plan Before You Leap 98

Define Program Benefits and Outcomes 100

Knowing Your Business Processes 100

Pre-Project Communication 103

Digital Leadership 103

Selecting an Implementation Partner 107

Preparation and Readiness Before

Program or Project Kick-Off 109

Summing Up 112

Notes 113

Chapter 6 Deep Dive: Organizational Change Management for Dynamics 365 and DX 115

Failings of Tactical OCM 118

Why Invest in Strategic OCM Before Starting the Project 120

Organization After Implementation and Role Change 123

Gain Meaningful Digital Insights for Change 128

Embedding Required Cultural Transformation in the Organization 131

Measuring User Adoption, Key Performance Indicators, and Benefits Realization 133

Measure Benefits Realized Post Go-Live 137

Summing Up 138

Notes 140

Chapter 7 Fundamentals of Executing a Successful Dynamics 365 Project 141

Effective Communication 142

Importance of Design Thinking, UX Design, and Customer Journey Mapping 144

Establishing Clear Design Principles at the Outset 149

Shortening Project Timescales Through Empowered Decision Making and Collocated Teams 152

Pragmatic Approach to the Agile Implementation of Dynamics 365 156

Incorporating Traditional Planning Approaches with the Flexibility of Agile and Scrum 159

Embrace Change: Deliver to Time and Budget 161

Summing Up 164

Part Driving Innovation and Improvements with Dynamics 365 175

Chapter 8 Makers and III Shakers of Dynamics 365 Transformation 177

Project Charter: Roles and Responsibilities 178

Critical Role of the User on a Dynamics 365 Project 182

Understanding of Value to Use 185

Delivering Value and Getting an Equitable Return 186

Why Users Should Create Dynamics 365 Documentation 187

Role of Microsoft Customer Success Manager 192

Leverage Your Community 196

Summing Up 199

Notes 200

Chapter 9 What Does Post Go-Live Look Like? 201

The Windows: Planning for Operations 202

Manage Your Dynamics 365 Operations? 203

Best Practices for Dynamics 365 Operations 208

Value Add with Continuous Innovation 209

Managing Your Product Backlog Post Go-Live 218

Summing Up 223

Note 224

Chapter 10 Dynamics 365 Support and Continuous Improvement 225

Recommendation for the Dynamics 365 Business Team 227

Recommendations for the Dynamics 365 Application Support Technical Team 229

How to Support Dynamics 365 Implementation 232

How to Continuously Improve 236

Benefits Realization 244

Continuing Culture of Digital Transformation 245

Summing Up 248

Notes 249

Part IV Appendices 257

Appendix A Success Enablers for Dynamics 365

Implementation 259

Appendix B Microsoft FastTrack for Dynamics 365 275

Index 295

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