"I was instructed to advance digital transformation, but I don't know where to start." "I'm so busy with work that I don't have time to try new things."
Do you have any of these concerns?
Promoting digital transformation may seem like a big change, but the key to success is actually to "start small and get results." Start with "business efficiency" initiatives that can be implemented in a short period of time, and gain understanding within your company as you build up successful experiences!
In this article, we will introduce three success stories of companies that used the low-code development platform Mendixto improve their business operations with a small start.
[Case Study 1] Paperless Reform: Accelerating digital services with a small start (Municipality)
■ Issues
In one municipality, when residents wanted to use various services, they had to visit multiple departments multiple times and collect signatures on paper documents. This extended the time it took to provide services and increased the burden on the workforce. In addition, paper-based processes also led to human error and increased document management costs.
■ Solution
The local government used Mendix to promote the digitalization of its services. First, they started small by targeting specific business processes. In the first phase, they began by migrating a process involving about 10 employees from paper to a digital workflow. After that, their final goal is to build an online service portal that can be used by 10,000 users per month.
■Effects
The success of the small start led to the project being expanded, which in turn promoted further paperless operations. As a result, the speed of delivery of government services increased and convenience for citizens was greatly improved. Traffic to the digital portal reached tens of millions of people per day, with monthly page views exceeding one million. In addition, hundreds of services were brought online in just three months, accelerating the digital transformation of the municipality.
■Points
By utilizing Mendix, we were able to rapidly prototype and deploy the solution quickly, producing visible results in a short period of time. We started small and built up a series of success stories, which helped to create a digitalization trend throughout the organization. The initial success built trust, which ultimately led to the realization of a large-scale paperless initiative.
↑Example of a small start app (paperless approval app)↑
[Case Study 2] Moving away from Excel! A successful case of digitalizing business processes in the manufacturing industry: Achieving efficiency with a small start (manufacturing industry)
■ Issues
A manufacturing company was using Excel to manage work progress and input data, but the huge amount of data and complex processes were causing work efficiency to decline. In particular, information could not be centrally managed, and work progress was managed by relaying data output from Excel and sharing it by email, so an average of 15 hours a week was spent just understanding the progress. To improve this situation, it became necessary to promote digitalization.
■ Solution
This company introduced Mendix to begin digitizing their business processes. By utilizing Mendix, they were able to digitize processes that were previously managed in Excel and update information in real time. They started with a small team of 10 people and, after proving its effectiveness, devised a strategy to roll it out company-wide.
Results
As a result of the small start, the efficiency of progress management improved significantly, reducing the average weekly management time from 15 hours to 5 hours. In addition, data could be centrally managed, and the speed of decision-making improved by 50 % by being able to check information in real time. In addition, manual work done in Excel was reduced by 60 %, and human errors were also significantly reduced.
■Points
The biggest factor in adopting Mendix was the small-start approach. By first starting with limited resources and then expanding the scale after assessing the effectiveness, the company was able to achieve results while minimizing risk. In addition, the characteristics of low-code development were utilized to rapidly promote digitalization and break away from Excel-dependent operations, which was a major factor in the company's success.
↑Example of a small start app (Excel app)↑
[Case 3] Achieving efficient inventory management! Systematizing business operations and visualizing data with Small Success! (Manufacturing industry)
■ Issues
In a certain manufacturing company, inventory management was done manually and using Excel, making it difficult to grasp inventory in real time, resulting in frequent excess inventory and shortages. Furthermore, in addition to human errors such as recording errors and calculation errors, the reliance on specific staff members led to inefficiencies in operations.
■ Solution
We developed an inventory management app using Mendix that follows the current business flow but does not require major operational changes.
The implementation was carried out with the aim of achieving real-time data visualization by partially integrating with the existing core system and centrally managing order information and shipping status.
Results
This has enabled real-time inventory management and significantly improved the efficiency of ordering work for field staff. Not only that, but data visualization has also helped create an environment where management can make decisions quickly.
■Points
The deciding factor in adopting Mendix was that it is low-code, making it possible to build a system in a short period of time, and it is suitable for a small start. Another major advantage is that it can instantly reflect feedback from the field and flexibly build a system that fits the business. Another important point is that it is highly compatible with other systems and can be easily expanded according to needs.
As a future step, the company is considering further promoting centralized data management and realizing advanced data utilization such as demand forecasting.
↑Example of a small start app (inventory management app)↑
Summary: How to proceed with DX: Start small and make big changes
By starting with "business improvement that produces immediate results,"
✅ You can see results in a short period of time
✅ You can reduce development costs while improving your business operations
✅Share success stories within the company and lead to even bigger changes
This has the following advantages:
The low-code development platform "Mendix" enables you to achieve business improvement in a short period of time.
First, let's accumulate small successes and steadily move DX forward!
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