Connect your digital strategy with your business strategy

A successful digital strategy does not start with technology, but with a clear connection to the business strategy. How do you ensure that your digital initiatives truly contribute to your organisation's goals?

The TIMAF digital strategy game offers a practical approach to making this connection. The first three steps in the game – the goals, the pain points and the success factors – are the key to a digital strategy that aligns with what really matters to your organisation.

A digital strategy that aligns with the business strategy not only ensures a successful digital transformation, but also strengthens your position and that of your team within the organisation. This increases your visibility with senior management, gives you the support you need and gives you a voice at the table to share your insights and experiences at a strategic level.

Digital strategy game

A digital strategy offers a better chance of success in realising digital ambitions. However, many professionals are reluctant to develop a strategy, or they develop a strategy that is too abstract or not flexible enough.

To help organisations with their digital strategy, TIMAF has developed the digital strategy game, which allows you to create a digital strategy in 12 steps.

You can use this game directly in a workshop with colleagues, customers and suppliers.

TIMAF digital strategy game

Step 1: Goals – What do you want to achieve?

Every strong digital strategy starts with a clear picture of what your organisation really wants to achieve. What drives your organisation? For commercial organisations, it is often financial health and profit growth.

But for governments and non-profits, the question is also essential: how do you contribute to society or your target group, and how do you prove your right to exist? Without a clear view of these goals, your digital strategy will lack focus and impact.

These goals can often be found in strategy documents, an OGSM, annual reports, policy plans or project plans. It is essential not to get bogged down in vague missions or visions, but to get a clear picture of what your organisation really wants to achieve.

Example: An airline wants to provide the best service in terms of safety, hospitality and customer experience.

Strategie in digitale transformatie

Learn how to create, share, implement, measure and optimise digital strategies for a successful digital transformation.

Thanks to an optimal combination of theory, best practices, examples, interviews and exercises, you can put everything into practice immediately.

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Step 2: The pain – What is standing in your way?

Next, it is important to identify the core problems that stand in the way of achieving these goals. These are the pain points experienced by management.

Think of inconsistency in communication, dissatisfied customers, or poor findability of information. These pain points are often the weaknesses or threats identified in a strategic analysis.

If the business problems have not been explicitly identified within the organisation, talk to senior management about their problems. This will not only make you visible to this strategic target group, but also provide you with first-hand information. This is extremely helpful in analysing the problem.

Example: Employees complain about the poor findability of information, which leads to inefficiency and frustration. Or leads are not passed on to the sales staff or they end up with the wrong people.

Step 3: Success factors – What needs to be improved?

Now that you have identified the objectives and pain points, you can determine which success factors are crucial to achieving the objectives and eliminating the pain points.

Success factors are measurable improvements that directly contribute to solving the pain points and achieving the goals. Discuss this with management, in their language and from their perspective.

Example: Customer satisfaction must increase by 2 points, or the organisation's productivity must increase by 10%.

Why these three steps are crucial

These three steps form the bridge between your business strategy and digital strategy. They ensure that your digital initiatives are not separate from the organisational goals, but rather contribute directly to solving the biggest challenges. Without this connection, you run the risk of your digital projects being attractive, but having little impact on what really matters.

The connection between business strategy and digital strategy

The TIMAF digital strategy game helps you go through these steps in a fun and interactive way. By getting your team to work with the game cards, you not only create awareness, but also support and a shared language within your organisation.

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Getting started with your digital strategy

Would you like to learn more about how to develop a digital strategy that truly aligns with your business? The book Strategy in Digital Transformation offers in-depth information and practical tools for applying this approach in your organisation. With concrete examples, tips and tools, you will learn how to use digital transformation as a lever for organisational success.

Tip: Order the complete workshop package, including the paperback, the playing cards and the game poster. Use these materials during your next strategy meeting. This will help you make abstract goals and pain points tangible and action-oriented!

The book guides you step by step through the strategy game, with tips for preparation, examples and best practices to inspire you.