Digital transformation has become a priority across supply chains and operations worldwide. Yet many digital initiatives struggle to scale, stall after launch, or fail to deliver real value. The root cause is often the same: people, processes, and technology are evolving, but not together. Organisations invest heavily in systems, AI, and automation, yet overlook leadership, culture, and continuous improvement.This creates some of the most common digital transformation execution challenges seen across industries.
This guide shares practical, real-world lessons from Loai Gomaa, Director of Digital Supply Chain Transformation and Performance Excellence, on how to lead a people-first digital transformation approach.
Proven Steps to Human-Centric Digital Transformation
Check out practical strategies drawn from leading large-scale digital transformation initiatives across global supply chains.
1.Start with a Digital Transformation Reality Check — Not a Technology Wishlist
Many digital transformation programs fail because organisations jump straight to solutions without understanding where they truly stand.
As Loai explains, transformation must begin with an honest assessment, understanding current digital capabilities, process maturity, and how people actually work, not how leaders assume they work.
How to apply it:
- Map current digital maturity honestly.
- Diagnose where people, processes, and systems are misaligned.
- Avoid future-state visions that ignore present constraints.
2. Don’t think Digital Transformation as Automation Only
Many digital transformation programmes focus heavily on process automation. In process, they overlook the people who will benefit from the technology. When transformation is treated purely as a systems upgrade, adoption stalls and value remains unrealised.
“We’re looking for more than functionality, we’re looking for something that provides bigger value—this should be human-centric.” — Loai Gomaa
True transformation come from about enabling people to work differently, collaborate more effectively by using technology.
How to apply it:
- Ask: Who does this transformation serve?
- Shift success measures from tool adoption to human impact.
- Ensure systems empower people, not replace them.
3. Put People Before Technology in Digital Transformation Execution
Organisations often invest significant time and budget selecting platforms, designing architectures, and defining technical roadmaps. While they assume adoption and impact will naturally follow. This sequence frequently produces resistance, confusion, and stalled momentum.
Loai emphasises that successful digital transformation is not driven by tools alone, but by leadership and human engagement.
How to apply it:
- Involve people early, before tools are selected.
- Co-design solutions with teams, not for them.
- Make engagement a prerequisite for implementation.
4. Organise Supply Chain Transformation Around Value, Not Functions
One of the most tangible lessons from Loai’s experience comes from taking over a digital initiative that was delayed by over a year—an example of the digital transformation challenges organisations face when teams are structured around functions instead of value. He realised the problem wasn’t a lack of technology. Teams were organised around functions, not around the value they were meant to deliver.
Rather than attempting to fix systems first, Loai and his team shifted the operating model. They reorganised around value delivery, bringing together people from different functions to focus on shared outcomes instead of isolated tasks. This change transformed how teams collaborated, made decisions, and progressed work.
How to apply it:
- Shift from siloed IT vs Operations to value-aligned teams.
- Align data, roles, and processes around what truly matters.
- Promote cross-functional collaboration.
5. Eliminate Process Waste Before You Digitise Operations
One of the most common, and costly, mistakes in digital transformation is automating broken processes. Organisations often assume that digitisation will fix inefficiencies. In reality, it simply makes them faster and harder to see.
“I was shocked to see how much of a waste we are digitising.”– Loai Gomaa
When inefficient workflows, unnecessary approvals, rework loops, or unclear handoffs are digitised without improvement, the waste doesn’t disappear, it becomes embedded in systems. What was once visible and tangible turns into digital complexity that is expensive to undo.
Sound digital transformation requires discipline before automation.
How to apply it:
- Apply lean and continuous improvement before automation.
- Standardise and simplify processes first.
- Use digital tools to amplify efficiency, not conceal inefficiency.
6. Align People, Processes, and Digital Capabilities for Scalable Transformation
Loai describes transformation as the intersection of three pillars:
Actors — The people involved in the transformation and the roles they play
Processes — How work actually flows end-to-end across teams and systems.
Digital Capabilities — The technologies that enable work to be done differently, faster, or better. These capabilities should support people and processes, not dictate them.
When these three elements are not aligned, organisations see familiar symptoms: low adoption of new systems, workarounds replacing standard processes, siloed teams, and frustration despite significant investment.
Digital transformation succeeds only when these three pillars evolve together.
How to apply it:
- Balance decisions across people, process, and technology.
- Avoid investing in tools without changing how people work.
- Treat transformation as a system, not a project.
7. Treat Disruption as a Wake-Up Call
Loai reflects on COVID-19 as a defining reality check for digital transformation and supply chains. The disruption exposed a truth many organisations had overlooked: people’s ability to adapt.
Systems largely continued to function, but people couldn’t participate fully, and that stopped operations. The lesson is clear: Resilience isn’t built by technology alone. It comes from processes designed to adapt when people are disrupted, whether by pandemics, workforce constraints, geopolitical uncertainty, or sudden shifts in demand.
How to apply it:
- Build resilience into processes, not just platforms.
- Prepare people to adapt, not just systems to run.
- View disruption as a stress test for leadership.
8. Sustain Digital Transformation Through Continuous Improvement
Transformation does not end at go-live. In fact, the real work begins after the initial rollout. Systems evolve, customer needs change, and organisations learn through experience. Without a mechanism to adapt, even successful transformations lose momentum over time.
In fast-moving environments, especially across global operations, continuous improvement in digital supply chains is what keeps transformation relevant long after go-live. Iterative delivery (sprints), feedback loops and ongoing alignment between people and processes ensure sustainable transformation impact.
How to apply it:
- Treat transformation as an evolving capability.
- Measure progress frequently, not annually.
- Make continuous improvement part of everyday work.
Drive Sustainable Digital Transformation with PRIME BPM
Successful digital transformation requires visibility, alignment, and continuous improvement across people, processes, and systems. PRIME BPM supports a people-first digital transformation approach by helping organisations visualise how work actually flows, identify inefficiencies, and address digital transformation execution challenges before automation locks them in. Combining the power of AI capabilities with traditional BPM methodology to make BPM 90% faster, PRIME BPM helps organisations to move from process mapping to operational excellence within weeks.
With end-to-end AI-powered process mapping, automated insights on excessive approval and standardisation and automation opportunities, as well as collaboration capabilities, PRIME BPM enables teams to improve before they digitise — ensuring digital transformation delivers real, sustainable value.
Watch a 5-minute demo to see how PRIME BPM helps organisations turn digital ambition into measurable outcomes.