A Roadmap for Digitally Transforming the Operations of Labour-Intensive Organisations

Abstract

In this paper, a roadmap for the incremental digital transformation of operations in labour-intensive organisations is presented. The roadmap utilises a developed reference architecture that takes into account the various areas of value creation in these organisations. It focuses on achieving practical and value-adding levels of digital transformation incrementally in all aspects of a labour-intensive organisation, not just the labour processes. The reference architecture is developed based on a brief analysis and comparison of labour in different manufacturing systems, supported by observational case studies conducted by the first author. The roadmap approach is then implemented in three phases: evaluating the current environment in phase 1, implementing lower-level or test bed methods of digital transformation in phase 2, and ultimately reaching high levels of digital transformation in phase 3. The roadmap also utilises a continuous improvement methodology, in which the roadmap is restarted after each implementation to identify additional opportunities for digital innovation at the operational level.