Basic understanding and reference architecture of digital transformation

1. What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation is to comply with the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation trends, continuously deepen the application of new generation information technologies such as cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, stimulate the innovation-driving potential of data elements, and create an environment that enhances survival in the information age. and development capabilities, accelerate business optimization and upgrading and innovative transformation, transform and upgrade traditional driving forces, cultivate and develop new driving forces, create, deliver and obtain new value, and realize the process of transformation, upgrading and innovative development. To carry out digital transformation, the following four aspects should be systematically grasped:

[This part is excerpted from the introduction of the original text of the T/AIITRE 10001-2020 "Digital Transformation Reference Architecture" standard]

The core essence of digital transformation is to gradually transform the development model based on the professional division of labor in industrial technology to achieve large-scale efficiency into a development model based on the empowerment of information technology to achieve diversified efficiency. To carry out digital transformation, we should systematically grasp the following four aspects: first, digital transformation is a systemic change caused by information technology; second, the fundamental task of digital transformation is the optimization, innovation and reconstruction of the value system; third, the core path of digital transformation is New capability building, fourth, the key driver of digital transformation is data.

First, digital transformation is a systemic change caused by information technology. As a universal enabling technology, information technology not only represents a type of emerging technology and spawns rapidly growing emerging industries. The key is that it can accelerate the increasing standardization of "hardware" and the increasing personalization of "software", triggering traditional innovation systems and production methods. , industrial structure and other systematic restructuring. For enterprises, as the era of digital economy is uncertain and information technology further leads to innovation in organizational models and changes in production methods, the process of enterprise digital transformation is a coordinated interaction between technological innovation and management innovation, with productivity changes and production relations changes complementing each other to achieve a spiral A systematic innovation and comprehensive change process that leads to upward, sustainable iterative optimization. From the perspective of digital transformation work, it involves a series of transformation innovations such as strategic adjustment, capacity building, technological innovation, management change, and model change. It is a complex systematic project.

Second, the fundamental task of digital transformation is to optimize, innovate and reconstruct the value system. An organization (enterprise) is a system that creates, delivers, supports and obtains value. Every digital transformation activity should be centered around value benefits. Digital transformation is fundamentally about promoting the optimization, innovation and reconstruction of its value system, and constantly creating New value, create new momentum. This is also applicable to other economic activities with organizations (enterprises) as the basic unit. If their value system has not been optimized, innovated and reconstructed, it cannot be called a successful transformation. The system architecture, methods and mechanisms of digital transformation should always be value-oriented. By periodically clarifying new value propositions, we should improve our ability to create and deliver value, change the way we obtain value, innovate value support and value assurance support systems, and steadily obtain transformation results. .

Third, the core path of digital transformation is the construction of new capabilities. The digital transformation process is a systematic innovation process. To deal with the high degree of uncertainty caused by transformation and innovation, the most urgent need for relevant parties to improve is new capabilities to cope with challenges and seize opportunities. Well-known international and domestic institutions are actively paying attention to and exploring . The new capabilities in the digital economy era are digital survival and development capabilities. In order to adapt to the rapidly changing environment, deepen the application of new generation information technology, establish, enhance, integrate and reconstruct the internal and external capabilities of the organization, empower the business to accelerate innovation and transformation, and build New advantages in competition and cooperation, the ability to transform and upgrade traditional driving forces, form new driving forces, continuously create new value, and achieve new development. The future is an era of digital economy and economies of scope. Obtaining diversified development efficiency based on the empowering role of information technology is the basic law. Organizations (enterprises) can only comply with this law, co-create, co-build, and share new capabilities, and empower business , in order to cope with the increasingly personalized, dynamic and collaborative market demands.

Fourth, the key driver of digital transformation is data. Data is the fifth major factor of production after land, labor, capital, and technology. Its core and key role is firstly as a medium for information communication. Through digital transformation, data-based information transparency and symmetry can be promoted to improve the organization (enterprise). Comprehensive integration level and improve the comprehensive allocation efficiency of social resources. Secondly, with the development of technologies such as blockchain, data has also become a new credit medium. Promoting data-based online value exchange through digital transformation can enhance the value creation capabilities of digital organizations (enterprises) and improve the comprehensive utilization of social resources. level. Third, use data science to redefine the production mechanism. Data will also become a new carrier of knowledge, experience and skills. Promoting knowledge sharing and skill empowerment based on data models through digital transformation can enhance the open cooperation and collaborative innovation capabilities of ecological organizations, and improve Comprehensive development potential of social resources.

2. Reference architecture for digital transformation

In order to effectively realize digital transformation, in accordance with the requirements of value system optimization, innovation and reconstruction, enterprises should build systematic and systematic relationships from five aspects: development strategy, new capabilities, systemic solutions, governance system, and business innovation and transformation. Promote the digital transformation process in a pragmatic and effective manner. The overall framework of the digital transformation reference architecture, as shown in Figure 5, mainly focuses on "what to do", "how to do it" and "roadmap". It proposes the main perspectives, process methods and development stages of digital transformation, and systematically explains digital transformation. The main tasks, process linkage mechanism and step-by-step implementation requirements.

[This part is excerpted from the overall framework part of the original standard of T/AIITRE 10001-2020 "Digital Transformation Reference Architecture"]

4 Overall framework

The overall framework of the digital transformation reference architecture mainly includes the main perspectives, process methods and development stages of digital transformation, and systematically explains the main tasks, process linkage methods and step-by-step implementation requirements of digital transformation.

The main perspective gives the task system of digital transformation, including five perspectives: development strategy, new capabilities, systemic solutions, governance system and business innovation transformation. It clarifies the main tasks of digital transformation and gives the correlation between tasks.

The process method proposes a method system for digital transformation, provides corresponding process linkage methods for the five perspectives of digital transformation, and builds the interaction between related methods.

The development stage defines the path system of digital transformation, divides digital transformation into five development stages: initial development stage, unit-level development stage, process-level development stage, network-level development stage, and ecological-level development stage, and clarifies the five stages of digital transformation respectively. The main implementation requirements of each perspective at different stages of development.

The content of this part is mainly derived from the group standard T/AIITRE 10001-2020 "Digital Transformation Reference Architecture"