In Van Ambitie tot Adoptie (From Ambition to Adoption), authors Carine Lucas and Peter Verhasselt challenge the prevailing notion that digital transformation begins with technology. Drawing on decades of experience, guiding hundreds of companies, they argue that the most common cause of failure is not a lack of tools, but a lack of clarity on the "why." True success in digital projects is measured not by the sophistication of the software deployed, but by the enthusiastic adoption of the people who use it.
To bridge the gap between strategic ambition and operational reality, the book introduces a practical, seven-pillar framework designed to keep projects focused, human-centric, and impactful. The upcoming articles in this series will explore each of these pillars in depth, providing actionable insights and templates to guide your transformation journey.
By shifting the focus from engineering features to solving human problems, this framework offers a roadmap for turning digital potential into lasting organizational change.
Pillar 1: Begin with the "why", not the "how"
Before diving into any project, make sure everyone involved fully grasps why you are doing it. A clear and compelling “why” fuels the energy needed for real change, and in any ambitious digital transformation, change is inevitable.
This "why" acts as your project’s compass: it keeps you steady through uncertainty and setbacks , and it defines what truly matters, which is your focus, your scope, and your purpose.
Digital tools alone are not a strategy. But they are powerful levers, ones that can accelerate nearly every strategic ambition. So, start by naming those ambitions. Define the critical jobs that are key to bringing those ambitions to life, then zero in on them and be specific. Ground the project in real, operational needs, and above all, listen and get input from the people closest to the action.
If your “why” is too vague, overly broad, or detached from reality, don’t expect too much. Without a strong purpose, no one will adopt the results of your digital initiative. And without adoption, there is no impact, nor change, and no return on investment.
One last note about technology: buzzwords like AI, data analytics, or ERP describe the how, not the why. These words are tools, rather than destinations. No digital transformation should start with such an instrument. Instead, it should begin with a business ambition and a vision for meaningful impact.
That, in a nutshell, is the message: let your ambitions lead, and let technology follow.
In the book, we use various simple templates. The first one , the Ambition Fiche with the aims and jobs of the project, is where everything starts.
In the template, on the left side, you can list the ambitions (or the why) of the project. They should be pressing and must resonate strongly with the management team or the board of the company. Some of them will be about operational efficiency, others about customer experience, or value chain optimization. Your ambitions are high-level goals that are meant to set the machine in motion, while also scoping the narrative.
On the right side of the template, you can find the jobs to be done, a framework borrowed from Clayton Christensen. They will describe the “what” of the project. These tasks should answer the following questions:
- Which job of a colleague or a customer is essential for reaching one or more of the listed ambitions?
- Which jobs are the root causes of why we don’t reach our goal, are blocking our ambitions, or why we are trapped in sticky challenges?
These jobs must be clear and recognizable for the people in the operations or value chain. If you’re unsure whether they matter, apply the five times method until you narrow down the job to its essence. The five times method is a simple root-cause analysis technique where you repeatedly ask "why" (typically five times) about a problem or task. Each answer leads to a deeper layer of understanding, helping you move past surface-level symptoms to identify the fundamental issue. For example, if a colleague says, "I don't have time for this report," asking "why" five times might reveal that the real bottleneck is a manual data collection process that could be automated. Helping your colleague or customer in these “important” jobs through AI or digital support will thus have a huge impact on the result.
Ambitions and jobs are fairly straightforward elements, but when paired together, they allow to put focus and scope on the project. Together with the project design constraints, which will be further explained in a future article, they form the constitution of the transformation project: Why we do specific things, and what is and is not allowed. In this way, this simple template is a guide to keep everybody aligned and on track. And that’s the first step towards a successful digital ambition.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into the details, you can order the book on Bol.com (Dutch) or on Amazon (French).
If you would like a more personal and tailored guidance for your business, you can request a meeting with the authors through the following link: https://outlook.office.com/book/SustAInbrussels@agoria.be/
Want Profound Change in Your Company? Start with a Clear Why