Digital Innovation for the IT Industry
Published: 21/05/2023
Free trial
See for yourself how you can save time and money. Enter your details below for a free 30 day no-obligation trial.
This article emphasises the importance of digital innovation for the IT industry. It mainly targets project managers, team leaders, and decision-makers in the sector. The main themes include project management and attracting IT talent.
Despite numerous advancements in modern technology over the past decade, it shows no signs of slowing down. Each day, we encounter more opportunities to improve our business processes. These opportunities are vast and varied, often making them seem intimidating to pursue. For this reason, many companies, especially in the IT sector, delay digital innovation, only seeking the newest and best options.
Others, however, are simply convinced that the way they operate now is optimal and will continue to work as intended—even when the processes show clear signs of decay. One way or another, there is often considerable resistance when the topic of innovation is raised, as in IT there’s a common saying of choosing not to fix what isn’t broken. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply here.
One argument that’s rarely mentioned when promoting digital transformation is that it simply makes your life easier. There is a more detailed explanation of this, which this blog post ultimately covers. Let's start by explaining why you can no longer afford to hesitate on digitisation. Then, we'll explore how it benefits project delivery quality and how digital transformation can help you bridge the gap in attracting and retaining top talent. Check the table of contents below and explore the sections you find most interesting.
Without a doubt, you’ve noticed the term digital transformation appearing everywhere in recent years. At some point, you might have even thought it’s just another fad that will soon be forgotten. Or maybe you believed your business is fine as it is, without needing to transform. Whatever your reasoning may be, let us clarify this - you cannot avoid digital transformation any longer.
Although IT is often grouped with technological progress, the digitisation of the industry is not as advanced as many believe. In fact, it is often lagging behind in many areas. Many companies are highly inflexible when it comes to even considering changes in their core processes, which unquestionably is one of the biggest roadblocks to digital innovation.
The harsh reality is that you cannot advance any further without undergoing digital transformation. In fact, it is now clear that companies struggle just to stay afloat unless they overhaul the fundamentals of their operations. Your competitors are most likely already doing so, and any further delay will leave you behind. Can you genuinely afford to spend time simply maintaining your business instead of driving it forward?
To keep it brief, you can no longer delay digital transformation if you want to secure your business's future. Although it requires courage to risk reforming the very foundation of your processes, it rarely happens all at once. Gradually implementing small changes can build momentum before making larger decisions that lead to innovation. But enough about what happens if you don’t act. Let’s focus on the benefits you gain if you do.
Digital innovation equates to improved performance across your entire business, especially when implemented effectively. In this article, we will focus specifically on project delivery, as we know firsthand how much of a difference the right tools can make. If you are seeking ways to save time, minimise errors, and increase accuracy - keep reading.
The IT industry is full of tasks that must be repeated continuously but cannot be skipped. Since most operations are demanding, you naturally want to avoid wasting time on tasks that contribute to maintenance rather than progress. Moreover, humans tend to lose focus when bored or fatigued by repetitive patterns, leading to errors. Correcting these errors, especially when unsure of where they occurred, is another drain on time. Unnoticed mistakes can also distort all of your results over time.
One of the most discussed benefits of adopting digital solutions is task automation. While we usually aim to offer alternative perspectives in our articles, this is one topic we cannot avoid. Simply put, there is almost no limit to what can be automated, making options and discussion points nearly endless. Whether you choose to automate the entire process or just a single step within it, each initiative will yield results. For this reason, automation is central to digital innovation. It frees up time for tasks that require human judgement and further advances progress by identifying optimisation opportunities.
Automation not only manages your processes but also gathers insights from them. Over time, this enables you to optimise your operations by identifying trends that reveal your strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, data collected in this manner can contribute to your future projects, serving as the basis for your forecasts. Of course, since no one is a prophet, predicting the exact course of a project is impossible, but historical data can provide a very accurate idea of what to expect.
For example, you have automated email reminders for timesheet approvers and let the process run for three months. Throughout this period, when an email was sent weekly, you noticed that it consistently coincided with quicker project delivery. This suggests that automated timesheet approval emails help achieve shorter delivery times. Going forward, if you plan to use the same approach, you can now confidently forecast shorter time frames needed to complete a project, as you have data to support this. As you can see, it’s just a small tweak in automation, but it can significantly boost your performance.
We are used to working around the software we are given, changing our processes to accommodate its limitations. Well, that’s a thing of the past, as digital innovation now involves bending the software to suit your preferences rather than the other way around. This means not only offering more flexibility in terms of functionality but also enabling customisation of other elements - visual representation, reporting, data prioritisation, metrics, and much more. Overall, the key aspect of digital innovation in the IT industry is recognising that you are no longer seeking a solution just to get your software up and running - your software is the solution.
When it comes to project management and delivery, customisation is especially important. No project or client is the same, so they won’t have identical approaches, templates, or communication methods. Being stuck with a rigid solution won’t produce the results needed and might even make you seem incompetent and unprofessional. Given how competitive the industry is, you simply can’t afford to settle for that. Luckily, extensive customisation is one of the key features of digital innovation, isn’t it?
There is always a shortage of IT workers, especially skilled ones. The main reason is that the workforce is now ageing, meaning many senior specialists are retiring and their younger replacements have not yet gained the necessary experience. Put simply, you can no longer restrict your talent pool based solely on geographical location. It’s time to start working with contractors.
One of the main objections when hiring contractors is that many will be remote workers. Of course, depending on your preferences, you might request them to come to work on-site, but for the reasons mentioned above, we wouldn’t recommend that. The recent pandemic, however, forced all companies to adapt to having remote teams. Even if your company has fully returned to operating in person, you shouldn’t dismiss the experience and knowledge gained during that interesting period. Chances are you have adjusted your operations and started using new software to manage remote teams. This is a stepping stone for you to adopt contractor management - something you should consider if you want to attract some of the best IT talents.
Digital innovation is mainly driven by adopting the right tools. So, if you have software for internal messaging, video calls, document sharing, and team collaboration, you're almost there. The only extra step needed to start welcoming contractors is figuring out the complexities of pay and billing. This includes procedures like invoicing, expenses, and time tracking. Sometimes, all three are available within a single solution, meaning you only need to add one tool to your tech stack. Alternatively, there are platforms specifically designed to manage teams consisting of both permanent and contracted workers, such as Timesheet Portal. From holiday accruals and full visibility of your team’s progress to document management and in-house customisation, we prioritise flexibility—and we’re happy to deliver it to you.
Although onboarding is a mandatory process, many businesses do not execute it effectively. Or, rather, not in a way that saves time and becomes a strong foundation for the new hire's future success. The traditional onboarding process, even if conducted digitally, still often involves too many back and forth exchanges. A common example is when the new starter is sent a contract, needs to sign it, and then send the signed copy back. They are then asked to provide any additional documentation—such as IDs, bank details, relevant certifications, and so on. Overall, this is not a complex process, but it involves too many steps that could easily be streamlined. Additionally, things tend to get lost in lengthy email threads.
A more intuitive approach would be to build the process using an onboarding platform. It can be especially useful if you choose one already integrated with your other solutions, which means the new worker won’t be able to access the system unless they have provided all the required information. Such platforms operate simply. The system administrator creates a new worker profile with unique login details. When they log into their account for the first time, the newcomer will be asked to upload all their documents in one place. Some systems, like Timesheet Portal, also connect with e-signing services, enabling contract signing on the spot as well. Once their information is submitted and approved, it will be linked to their account and stored together.
Different contractors will charge different rates, depending on factors like their seniority, availability, tasks, and other considerations. Sometimes, the same individual may charge varying rates for the same project. These rates can also be affected by working hours, complexity, risk, equipment needs, and virtually anything else. As you can see, this can quickly become a nightmare for your finance team. Variations in rates make both payments and billing complicated, so a digital solution is needed in this area. Surprisingly, this is as simple as replacing Excel spreadsheets with a digital timesheet system.
More advanced platforms offer full control over creating custom timesheet templates based on how you want to calculate the rates, whether there are timesheet rules to be implemented, and more. For example, at Timesheet Portal, you can customise the sheets to be charged daily, hourly, or based on deliverables. You can also prevent workers from logging more hours than agreed upon, on specific days or overall. We have many pre-built templates for you to choose from, which you can customise to your preferences. If none of these fit your criteria, you can always create a brand new template from scratch. There is no limit to how many templates you can have - we just recommend giving them a distinct name so you can tell them apart!
At Timesheet Portal, we have always prioritised innovation and progress. Over the years working with IT companies, we have gained many insights and substantial experience in driving change. Understanding how challenging it is to undertake digital transformation, we offer a flexible, user-friendly platform to begin the journey and provide guidance every step of the way. Innovation is fundamentally a mindset, and we recognise that change does not happen overnight.
Joining us means a few things. Firstly, you will access a powerful platform where you only pay for the features you utilise. Right from the start, we allow you to customise which features are included in your package. Secondly, you benefit from a smooth implementation managed by our specialists based on your specific requirements. Of course, you are involved throughout the process. Your dedicated specialist will be happy to answer any questions along the way. Finally, you gain access to unlimited options for customising reports, timesheets, and much more. Our software includes over 40 pre-built templates, plus the option to create your own. And there is no limit to how many you can have.
Digital transformation has been regarded as a buzzword for years, but it has long surpassed this status. It is neither a trend nor a fad, but something every company must adopt. Especially in the IT industry, where technological advances are vital. Failing to innovate will quickly see you pushed out of the market, as you will simply have no chance against your competitors.
Digital innovation in the IT industry primarily means smoother and more efficient project delivery. Instead of wasting time on repetitive admin tasks, digital tools enable you to automate them, allowing you to focus on what truly makes a difference. As they operate, automated processes also gather substantial data that can inform your future forecasts. Ultimately, it unlocks numerous customised options. Forget working around the software - make it adapt to you.
An added benefit arises from expanding your reach when hiring talent. As you know, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find and attract IT specialists. Using digital tools allows you to overcome many barriers, such as location or differing rates. SaaS technology makes it straightforward to identify top talent worldwide, bring them onboard easily, and foster meaningful work relationships.
In other words, there is no time or reason to hesitate. Dive straight into digital innovation to boost your game. And let us support you on your journey.