The ROI Challenge Interview With Mark Troester, Progress

Next up in our interviews with our speakers, we talk to Mark Troester from Progress, who talked about 10 factors for driving value from your digital investments at our "Digital Success: Meeting the ROI Challenge" event In November 2019.

1. Tell us about yourself..

I’m a technologist at heart with a strong appreciation for how digital can help propel a business forward. I spend my time at the intersection of IT and the business since there is a void of people that specialize in bringing these disciplines together and making technology applicable, accessible and understandable to business leaders. I started my career as a developer and dev manager before transitioning to product management and product marketing roles for a combination of start-ups and enterprise software vendors. 

2. Why is there so much interest in Digital ROI?

I think it stems from the fact that organizations are under tremendous stress to use digital to create business advantage. From improving the customer experience, to better engaging employees, to optimizing partner relationships - if digital is applied correctly, it can be game changing. It’s also interesting to consider how digital can drive new forms of revenue by augmenting existing products and services with digital, to creating new digital products and services. While the potential is tremendous, there is also an expectation that digital efforts are measured and quantified like other investments.

3. What is challenging about getting a return on digital?

I think the fact that this question is relevant is driven by the complexity involved in delivering compelling digital and application experiences. Users – whether customers or employees – have incredible expectations when it comes to digital. They want experiences that adapt to their needs, that are personalized, that are omni-present – and unless you are a digital giant, this is a tall task for organizations to deliver. That complexity has led to digital initiatives that have either failed to meet the business requirements or are delivered late or over budget. That leads to scrutiny by the financial types within an organization where they want ROI, TCO validation.

4. Should we be worried if we are not able to demonstrate a return?

I think we shouldn’t overthink things. While we should clearly measure things, measuring lines of code written or being overly concerned about tactical metrics can take away from the broader picture. I’m not suggesting that everything should be anecdotal, but I think it’s pretty easy to surmise whether a digital initiative is providing value. We should look for small, consistent wins that in aggregate provide tremendous value, and we should think about measuring and reporting on return in the context of agile digital delivery.

5. Are there alternative ways of thinking about digital sucess?

I would turn things on their head and invest in the approach that organizations use to deliver digital and application experiences. If they are more invested in doing things the right way, then the right outcome will be created and it will meet or exceed financial measurements or obligations. I’ll be sharing 10 factors that organizations should consider that will set them on this path at the conference. I’m looking forward to the discussion.
 

Are you interested in finding out more? Contact us today.