It’s every CIO’s dream: a rapid and successful digital transformation. Fortunately, it isn’t just a dream, but a reality for some companies.

Consider the recent examples of auto giant, Daimler AG, and World Wide Technology (WWT). Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes Benz, went live with the Icertis Contract Management (ICM) platform in record time. World Wide Technology (WWT), $9B IT services firm, deployed ICM in less than six months.

Unfortunately, success stories like these are not the norm. Large companies often struggle with complex digital transformation projects and are plagued by issues like slow time to deployment, poor planning, and low user adoption rates. According to a recent Forbes interview with Michael Gale, a former partner at PulsePoint Group and leading digital researcher, an astonishing 84% of digital transformations fail.

How were Daimler and WWT able to beat the odds and successfully digitally transform their commercial foundation with a new contract management platform so quickly?

Laying the foundation for rapid deployment

A successful implementation is a primary concern for enterprise leadership teams. Icertis actively partners with customers to address this issue and the architecture of ICM platform, along with a proven framework for implementation enables rapid deployment.

Collaborating with the customer is a key component of this proven framework. Before developing a project plan, Icertis works with its customers to form a steering committee and project delivery team. The steering committee, which consists of executive sponsors from a customer’s company, manages the implementation process at a high level. They define the scope of the solution and ensure it aligns with the company’s strategic goals.

The project delivery team is comprised of key company stakeholders. Aided by Icertis’ proven implementation framework, this team manages the day-to-day responsibilities outlined in the project plan.

A proven method for implementation

Icertis has refined its implementation framework after many successful engagements with some of the world’s largest, most innovative companies. The framework consists of three parts that deliver consistent, positive results for customers:

• Strong platform architecture that easily integrates with legacy systems and enables rapid deployment
• A proven, six-phase implementation process that includes ongoing support and planning
• A comprehensive library of tools to facilitate collaboration and enterprise-wide visibility

Collaborating with the steering committee and the project delivery team, Icertis executes our tested six-phase implementation process:

• Getting started – defining implementation goals and developing the project plan
• Initiate – begin implementing the approved plan
• Discover and configure – understand business needs, including data migration, integrations and custom design components
• Build – configure the system and start testing process
• Transfer – develop system documentation and training materials. Create a post-implementation plan to maximize user adoption.
• Go live – review system performance and usage to identify areas of improvement

Choosing the right technology and tools

Partnering with the right contract management software provider is the first step to a successful digital transformation process. Icertis is dedicated to collaborating with customers to ensure a rapid deployment and successful implementation.

The underlying platform is also key to a successful implementation. ICM is easy to deploy, easy to use and easy to adapt. Contracts can be managed from within familiar Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel and Outlook; as well as Salesforce and Microsoft CRM. The ability to create, view, approve and collaborate on contracts within familiar applications helps encourage user adoption.

Icertis also offers its customers ongoing support and a full library of tools and templates to assist with implementation. In the late stages of the process, Icertis uses templates to support the creation of major deliverables, including data collection guides, fit-gap analysis, business requirements, project plans and many others.

According to the most recent Forrester Research Wave Report, “Icertis demonstrates a strong grasp and execution across all stages of CLM adoption.” Icertis also received a 5.0 rating based on customer references for usability, ease of implementation, and ongoing customer service and support.

To learn more about the six key elements of the Icertis advantage, watch our On-Demand Webcast: Accelerating Time to Value with Icertis Contract Management.