THE BEST TECHNOLOGY IS BUILT AROUND THE PROBLEM, NOT THE PLATFORM

Despite billions invested in digital transformation, many organisations still fail to achieve the outcomes they expect. According to McKinsey, around 70% of transformation programmes fall short of their objectives. For Grant Phillips, Group CEO of e4, the reason is straightforward: too many organisations start with the technology instead of the problem.

“Technology on its own doesn’t solve business challenges,” says Phillips. “If it doesn’t fit the way people actually work, it won’t deliver its full value.” He believes many digital projects succeed technically but fail operationally because they overlook the realities of day-to-day business. This is particularly evident in highly regulated sectors such as financial services and property, where multiple stakeholders, compliance requirements and established processes shape how work gets done.

Gartner reinforces this view, predicting that 60% of supply chain digital initiatives will fail to realise their expected value by 2028 due to inadequate investment in user adoption and skills. For more than two decades, e4 has built its solutions by working alongside the industries it serves. Rather than designing technology in isolation, the company develops and refines products within real operating environments to ensure they solve practical business challenges.

A recent example is Deceased Estates, e4’s estate administration platform. With more than 100,000 deceased estates reported annually in South Africa, the process remains heavily reliant on paperwork and coordination between attorneys, banks, insurers, SARS and the Master’s Office. “The opportunity wasn’t simply to digitise the process,” Phillips explains. “It was to understand where delays occur, where information gets stuck and where unnecessary administration creates friction.

Once you understand the problem, you can build technology that genuinely improves the experience.” As organisations become increasingly focused on measurable business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake, Phillips believes the most successful solutions will be those developed closest to the problem. “There will always be new technologies and new trends,” he says. “The organisations that create lasting value are the ones that stay focused on solving real business challenges.”

www.e4.co.za

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