In 2021, CIOs entered year two of the COVID-19 pandemic. After accelerating their digital transformation efforts to get their workforce up and running remotely, leaders quickly found their hard work rewarded with more hard work: Namely, transforming the customer and employee experiences, ramping up security efforts, and sustaining the breakneck pace of digital acceleration without burning out their talent. 

As we looked back at our most popular digital transformation articles of 2021, it’s clear that CIOs are seizing this opportunity to drive business strategy, set ambitious goals for their organizations, and work in agile new ways to achieve them. 

“As we continue to push forward with the digitalization agenda, it’s opening a world of opportunity – literally – for IT and business operations. Now, geographic boundaries are mostly irrelevant, and from now on, we’ll enjoy the flexibility to place employees wherever they’re needed and give them the freedom to choose where they live and work. Thanks to greater adoption of cloud technologies, there are almost no limitations,” writes Linda Kahangi, Chief Information and Operations Officer (CIOO) at Nomadix Inc. 

10 digital transformation must-reads

Let’s revisit some of the digital transformation lessons and advice that resonated most with Enterprisers Project readers in 2021. 

1. 10 digital transformation metrics to measure success in 2021

The primary KPI for digital transformation work during the pandemic was speed: What’s next? Consider these digital transformation metrics

[ Also read our 2021 eBook: What’s slowing down your Digital Transformation? 8 questions to ask. ]

2. Digital transformation teams in 2021: 9 key roles

Defining your organization’s digital transformation team for 2021 will be especially important as companies speed up work amid the pandemic. Data, cloud, and security expertise are hot – but don’t shortchange UX

3. Digital transformation: 3 driving trends for 2021

The pandemic forced organizations to boost IT investment and prioritize their digital transformation initiatives. These three factors will continue the push toward innovation

4. Digital transformation: 11 signs of a successful leader

The competencies of a successful digital transformation leader can be markedly different from those of the traditional IT boss. For aspiring digital transformation leaders – or CIOs looking to fill digital leadership roles – these traits and skills matter

5. Digital transformation: 4 signs of a superstar

You may read the list and think, “wow, haven’t met too many of those folks” – and you’d be right. But you can learn from their digital transformation style

6. Digital transformation vs. IT modernization: What’s the difference?

Are your digital initiatives truly transformative, or just an upgrade? Consider these five defining characteristics of real digital transformation

[ Get answers to key digital transformation questions and lessons from top CIOs: Download our digital transformation cheat sheet. ]

7. Digital transformation: 5 mistakes to avoid in 2021

The pandemic has only underscored the need to accelerate digital transformation work. Avoid five common pitfalls

8. Digital transformation: 3 mistakes that hurt agility

Digital transformations don’t fail because of the technology. They fail when organizations neglect to develop better ways of problem-solving, testing ideas, and managing work – what we call agility 

9. Digital transformation: 4 strategy questions to ask

Are you putting user experience first in your digital transformation efforts? Let’s examine questions to ask around change management,  internal champions, training, and metrics

10. Digital transformation: 5 new realities for CIOs

After the upheaval of 2020, are you cultivating employee loyalty? Baking security in from the start? CIOs leading digital transformation in 2021 face new risks and opportunities

[ Culture change is the hardest part of digital transformation. Get the digital transformation eBook: Teaching an elephant to dance. ]