How to take a People-First Approach to Drive Digital Transformation

Welcome to part 1 of InnovMarine’s 5-part series on taking a People-First Approach to drive your digital transformation.

We know implementing digital transformation is challenging. It is not just about buying the latest shipbuilding software tools.

To be frank, your digital transformation is really a workplace transformation, enabled by technology. We’ve found that taking a people-first approach fosters the cultural change needed for workplace transformation to happen successfully.

So Why is Digital Transformation Important?

The rush toward digital transformation is about meeting the needs of your customers. Ship owners and defense departments are demanding more. They are choosing shipbuilders who are investing in transformational digital technologies that streamline timeframes, costs, and risks associated with ship design, construction, and maintenance of the vessel.

Many shipyards are moving to digital to support their navy contracts. Newport News Shipbuilding designed a full-scale 3D model of the new Ford class aircraft carriers. After which, the U.S. Department of Defense Digital Engineering Strategy reported, “the shipbuilders, with the integration and use of 3-D models, found hidden value in every square inch of the ship, saving the Navy a projected $4 billion in ownership costs over the ship’s 50-year lifespan.”

Going Digital Offers Competitive Advantages for Your Workforce

Going digital offers several competitive advantages. For example, if your design and engineering teams are looking to work more collaboratively, having computer-aided 3-D models to generate the detailed design of a vessel may be just the kind of transformation you need.

Your project management team may also transform their approach to managing milestones. Conducting virtual “walk-throughs” with shipowners goes a long way towards strengthening client relations and increasing transparency. Shipowners also have a vested interest in wanting to proactively track progress of their multi-year construction projects.

Workforce Transformation Enables Better Business Decisions

Not only does going digital provide better customer service – meeting ship owner requirements for project control and billing – it enables you to make better business decisions. Having access to data can help managers optimize operations and reduce costs.

For example, if your engineers are feeding their 3-D digital designs into simulated three-dimensional environments they can test design parameters. By having the capability to validate design elements prior to construction, there’s great potential for avoiding costly rework, especially when it comes to keeping up with changing environmental regulations.

Connect Departments Then Evaluate Revenue Opportunities

Finally, going digital means your team can manage interconnected business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management, suppliers, and subcontractors much more efficiently. Once an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is ingrained into your workplace, management can also assess revenue opportunities moving forward.

Stay tuned for our next post where we lay the foundation for taking a ‘People-First’ approach to drive your digital transformation.