Mistakes To Avoid When Leading A Company Through Digital Transformation – The Experience Of Nikhil Badwaik

Digital transformation is one of the defining market trends in 2024. According to a recent report, the global digital transformation market is projected to achieve over $ 3,000 billion by 2030. However, while the implementation of digital tools seems lucrative, there are typical mistakes that prevent businesses from harnessing their potential. Nikhil Badwaik, a Senior Software Engineer currently working at Nike Inc., an IEEE and IAHD member, shares his insight on digital transformation and avoiding its pitfalls. Throughout his career, he has worked as a software and QA engineer for several companies, gaining a wide understanding of the industry and its current trends.

“One of the most common mistakes,” says Nikhil Badwaik, “is pursuing innovation for the sake of it. Instead, the company needs to focus on the benefit of the business itself, its employees, and its clients.” He had seen a lot of examples proving that during his work on jury panels at Astra Global and Globee Awards. The success stories illustrate that a beneficial digital transformation requires a thorough roadmap designed by professionals well-versed both in business operations and digital technology.

One more mistake is that companies stay entrenched with their initial idea instead of adapting to the changing market.  Nikhil Badwaik comments that one of the ways to stay open to new ideas is to participate in events that encourage idea-sharing, as it stimulates growth. During his tenure at Nike Inc., he won a hackathon with his team and was presented as a kickoff speaker at the Nike Engineering Forum. Finding it crucial to share knowledge with others, he published several articles in Indian national forums and newspapers and is currently working on a monograph on DevOps methodology.

Nikhil Badwaik applied these principles while performing the role of a Technical Product Manager at Nike Inc., which allowed him to use developers’ time more productively, provide engineers, product managers, and business owners with a foundation for informed decisions, saving the company’s resources and delivering high value to customers,

“Through planning, clear vision of the end goal, and flexibility are key principles of a successful digital transformation,” he concludes. Keeping these concepts in mind no matter what industry the business operates in can provide reliable reference points for taking the most advantage of the new technologies.