When it comes to digital transformation, a lot of myths are passed as truths, but they fail to consider the reality for most established enterprises. Based on our hands-on experience, we separate fact from fiction.

1. Three Tales
of Digital
Transformation:
Debunking 8 Common
Misconceptions
Read full article

2. There are eight common misconceptions
when it comes to digital transformation—
and some are more myth than others
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis
Design
Start with the customer
Misconceptions Myth Truth
It needs to be radical
Disrupt yourself before others do
We need to be agile, scrum, and scaled
AI and RPA will solve everything
Build a data lake, and the analytics will flow
Become a startup
Where we’re going, we don’t need humans
Execute
Maintain

3. Misconception #1:
Start with the customer
Most cost, speed, and
quality improvement
opportunities are
related to your internal
customers.
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article
Myth Truth

4. Myth Truth
Misconception #2:
It needs to be radical
It’s OK to think big,
but prioritize what
drives the biggest
financial impact.
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article

5. Misconception #3:
Disrupt yourself
before others do
Don’t disregard your current
strengths, and don’t pretend
you have the secret answer
to upending your own
historical practices.t
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article
Myth Truth

6. Myth Truth
Misconception #4:
You need to be agile,
scrum, and SAFe
Throwing a few scrum masters
into a legacy organization while
management keeps asking for
stable plans, business cases,
and hierarchical decision
making is a recipe for failure.
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article

7. Myth Truth
Misconception #5:
AI and RPA will
solve everything
First, you must break laborious
processes into individual
parts to understand where
and how to apply
new technology.
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article

8. Myth Truth
Misconception #6:
Build a data lake, and
the analytics will flow
You need to know your objectives
and the solutions that future
analytics can enable, or else fall
into the trap of hoarding data
without a purpose.
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article

9. Myth Truth
Misconception #7:
Become a start-up
Assess from the top-down
when to make and
when to buy.
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article

10. Myth Truth
Misconception #8:
Where we’re going,
we don’t need humans
Automation requires high-cost
data scientists and engineers to
maintain it and work alongside it.
Plan for that investment, and
start recruiting immediately.
Three Tales of Digital Transformation Read full article

11. A.T. Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with offices in 40 countries.
Since 1926, we have been trusted advisors to the world’s foremost organizations. A.T. Kearney
is a partner-owned firm, committed to helping clients achieve immediate impact and growing
advantage on their most mission-critical issues. For more information, visit www.atkearney.com.
Read full article
Learn more about the Three Tales of
Digital Transformation: Debunking
8 Common Misconceptions:
Three Tales of Digital Transformation
Martin Fabel
Partner, Berlin
Michael Hu
Partner, Chicago
Stuart Klein
Manager, San Francisco
Experts