Preparing to Encounter the Monsters Lurking in the Shadows

When considering constructive disruption enabled by advances in AI, there is often concern about what lurks in the shadows—the monsters of legacy. These concerns are valid. Operating models for most modern enterprises are built upon past innovations and cobbled together by ingenious people who may no longer be around. Pull the wrong string, and the entire garment might come apart.

Legacy Complexities and Potential Barriers:

ERP systems, CRM systems, custom systems, outdated processes that work ‘good enough,’ hybrid architectures, cloud subscriptions and software, individual productivity tools, distributed and varied data stores, and unstructured data all represent real complexity and potential barriers to change. These legacy elements are the monsters hiding in the shadows, creating significant challenges for modernization and transformation efforts.

Understanding the Monster

To defeat the monster, you need to understand the monster—the good parts and the bad parts. It is only by understanding and respecting the monster that you can make peace and pass—or better yet, befriend and work together with the monster. This means stepping back and turning on the ‘lights’ to effectively take a comprehensive—but understandable—look at your existing systems, processes, and tools to identify potential pitfalls and opportunities for improvement.

Strategic Visual Blueprint

At Revenue Growth Associates, we advocate for developing a Strategic Visual Blueprint™ as a way of capturing information on your current state and exposing where the monsters are hiding. This establishes an as-is baseline. From this baseline blueprint, we then work with you as you move your personalized time-machine slider to imagine what things might look like one year from now, three years from now, or whatever timeframe you want to consider when looking toward the future. By creating a detailed visual map of the current landscape and future goals, businesses can identify and prepare for the challenges posed by legacy systems or other legacy elements that will be encountered along the way. The nice thing about RGA’s blueprint approach is that an initial version can be developed remotely or on-site in a matter of days or a couple of weeks, versus some more traditional strategic planning approaches that can take months or longer, and frequently are outdated when completed in a fast-paced technology-driven period of change.

Ready to Tame Your Monster?

Don’t let the monsters in the shadows hinder your progress. Contact Revenue Growth Associates to learn more about how a Strategic Visual Blueprint™ might just be the secret light source you need to help expose the complexities of your legacy systems and structures and navigate the path to innovation. Face the future with confidence, knowing that you are prepared to not only see but also tame the monsters lurking in the shadows.