Which digital capabilities can effectively support the transformation of the core business? This was the challenge facing a European gas transmission infrastructure operator whose future business will no longer revolve around natural gas alone.
for aligning business, processes, digital services and technology
for a consistent assessment of digitalization progress
for connecting business capabilities, applications, data and infrastructure
* To respect our clients’ confidentiality, we do not publish project-specific metrics. The results presented reflect the qualitative impact of our collaboration.
Which digital capabilities does the future business need?
A European gas transmission infrastructure operator was evolving beyond traditional natural gas transportation. While natural gas remained part of its core business, new areas of activity were becoming increasingly important and infrastructure requirements were changing.
This also raised the question of which digital capabilities could support this development. The aim was not only to make individual processes more efficient, but to bring business areas, digital services, technological foundations, data, organization and governance into a coherent overall framework.
This required an integrated framework for orientation: Which initiatives should be prioritized? How can progress be assessed in a transparent and consistent way? And how can a target architecture be developed that connects business requirements, business capabilities, applications, data and infrastructure?
From Digital Strategy to a Business Capability-Based Target Architecture
Based on existing strategy and business unit documents, an assessment of the vision and objectives, and an analysis of the current digital landscape, 4C developed an integrated digital strategy.
Based on this, a common framework for further digitalization was established. It connected internal processes and digital services with organization, technology, IT architecture, data, security, culture and governance. The strategy was translated into areas of action and prioritized initiatives, which were brought together in a high-level roadmap.
In addition, 4C developed a maturity model that enables digitalization progress to be assessed consistently and on a recurring basis. Building on this, the target architecture drew on the existing business capabilities and showed how business requirements, applications, data and technical infrastructure are interconnected.
We had many digital topics on the table, but no shared understanding of how they were connected. The 4C team helped us set priorities and put the next steps in a logical sequence.
Digitalization became the foundation for further transformation.
A broad range of individual digital initiatives was brought together into a shared foundation for further development. The digital strategy made clear which capabilities, processes, services and technological foundations are relevant for the future direction of the business.
The maturity model complemented this perspective with a consistent assessment of digitalization progress. The target architecture linked the strategic perspective with the client’s business capabilities and showed how business requirements, applications, data and infrastructure should work together in the future.
This created a basis for decision-making to prioritize digital initiatives and plan the next steps of the transformation in a targeted way.
“This project was not about treating digitalization as just another package of initiatives. The key was to connect it with the client’s future business: What capabilities does the organization need, what architecture can support them, and how can this be translated into a manageable path forward?”
