In this presentation I talk about how to produce a great strategy and avoid the pitfalls that I've seen in my work with digital technology since 1995.

1. Getting it right –
developing a digital strategy
Simon Wakeman
Director of Strategy and Marketing

2. What is a digital strategy and
do you need one?1.
2.
3.
What does a digital strategy
feature anyway?
Getting it right - overcoming
the common pitfalls

3. #SimonFail
Confessions of
a digital strategist

4. What is a digital strategy and
do you need one?1.
2.
3.
What does a digital strategy
feature anyway?
Getting it right - overcoming
the common pitfalls

5. #SimonFail 1
We don’t need a digital strategy.
Digital needs to be part of everything we do.
Your digital strategy is a focus for change
to enable digital to become relevant to
everything that the organisation does.

7. A strategy is the means by which an
organisation sets out to achieve its
desired ends (objectives).
It can simply be described as a long-
term business planning, typically
over a 3 to 5 year timescale.

8. A strategy is the means by which an
organisation sets out to achieve its
desired ends (objectives).
It can simply be described as a long-
term business planning, typically
over a 3 to 5 year timescale.

10. #SimonFail 2
A digital strategy is about establishing the
details of what we’ll do with digital.
A digital strategy is about creating the
right environment to allow the organisation
to make the right decisions about digital.

11. What is a digital strategy and
do you need one?1.
2.
3.
What does a digital strategy
feature anyway?
Getting it right - overcoming
the common pitfalls

12. “Begin with the end in mind”

13. • Business goals - agreed and prioritised
“Begin with the end in mind”

14. 1. To facilitate the creation, preservation and discovery of knowledge:
• Enable new modes of research especially across disciplines;
• Promote new ways of generating, curating, and engaging with data
(e.g. visualisation, data analytics, digital collections, augmented
datasets, health);
• Extend the reach and effectiveness of scholarly communications.
Objectives

15. 2. To improve utilisation and exploitation of knowledge:
• Enhance teaching and research through effective use of digital
technologies and data;
• Empower staff and students through the provision of digital
skills training;
• Develop outreach, online learning, educational resources and
student support.
Objectives

16. 3. To enable knowledge exchange in a digital environment:
• Draw in new audiences and collaborators from across the
globe;
• Provide access to expertise and know-how;
• Establish new communities involving industry, commerce,
government, civil society both locally and globally.
Objectives

17. • Business goals - agreed and prioritised
“Begin with the end in mind”
• Understand your audiences - internal and external

18. Insight-based personas

19. #SimonFail 3
Writing a digital strategy about websites.
Digital strategy is about realising the
transformative potential for digital
throughout the organisation.

20. • Ownership and governance
• Structures and teams
• Competencies
It’s about people…

21. • Principles for digital in the organisation
…as well as standards and policies

22. Tate’s audiences will have digital experiences that:
• increase their enjoyment and understanding of art
• provoke their thoughts and invite them to participate
• promote the gallery programme
• provide them with easy access to information
• entice them to explore deeper content
• encourage them to purchase products, join Tate and make donations
• present an elegant and functional interface whatever their device
• take place on the platforms and websites they use
• minimise any obstacles they may encounter
Principles

23. Principles
To achieve this, we will take an approach that is:
• audience-centred and insight-driven
• constantly evaluated and enhanced
• well designed and architected
• distributed across multiple platforms
• open and sharable
• sustainable and scalable
• centrally governed and devolved across the organisation

24. • Policies to guide practice e.g. social media policy
• A common basis and style for digital services
…as well as standards and policies
• Principles for digital in the organisation

28. #SimonFail 4
Writing a digital strategy that comprised
a series of headline projects.
Defining big projects is too inflexible. It’s
better to be iterative and agile.

29. • Move away from rigid, inflexible projects
• A more agile approach to project delivery
• Adopting Lean Start-up principles
A new approach to delivery…

31. • Set out a simple roadmap for the near term
But some detail is important

33. • Set out a simple roadmap for the near term
• Don’t dodge the money question
But some detail is important

34. What is a digital strategy and
do you need one?1.
2.
3.
What does a digital strategy
feature anyway?
Getting it right - overcoming
the common pitfalls

35. #SimonFail 5
You can succeed with a guerrilla
approach to digital.
For genuine and lasting transformation,
a strategic and co-ordinated approach is vital.

36. • Educate and engage your senior team
• A senior team champion is vital
• Think about wider governance models
and stakeholders too
Strong leadership

37. The importance of leadership

38. #SimonFail 6
A digital strategy can have an end date.
Digital is never finished - it’s constantly
evolving and so an organistion’s response
must change and evolve too.

39. • Educate about realistic costs and benefits
• Communicate successes and showcase
achievements to build momentum
Manage expectations

40. #SimonFail 7
We know best and can make the
right decisions on digital strategy.
We should base decisions on evidence and
data wherever we can in our digital strategies.

41. • Start by understanding your data sources
• Moving from data to insight
• Use external challenge carefully
Avoiding bias and habitual thinking

42. #SimonFail 8
Change is about delivering digital.
Change is really about people and culture.
The technology is just an enabler.

43. Fear and ignorance as cultural barriers

44. Cultural change

45. Thank you