Digital Outcome Optimization: Ensuring a Return on Investment From Digital Strategy

Abstract

Public sector organizations have difficulty avoiding cost or schedule variances that exhaust the resources of a project, and deploy digital initiatives to combat them without clear evidence of a quantifiable return on investment (ROI). This investigation determined if digital initiatives have a measurable ROI for major projects. A systematic review questioned, In public sector organizations, does the evidence suggest that the application of operational excellence ensures an ROI from digital initiatives? Scientific Management was the theoretical lens. The findings and conclusions of 43 peer-reviewed scholarly articles provided data on operational excellence, digitalization, synergy, and benefits. This research improves understanding of how to quantify and deliberately plan the impact of digital initiatives. The conclusion is that mangers should optimize digital outcomes by 1. Selecting the intended human outcome (customer value or staff effectiveness), then 2. Making five key management choices, 3. Choosing an operational excellence toolset, and 4. Implementing the appropriate Industry 4.0 technology.