Many factories already have the systems, data, and dedicated employees driving improvements. Yet it can be difficult to ensure that these initiatives work together to create lasting value. In his presentation at our “ Plantvision ” Technology Insight 2026 event, Claes Engman, a senior consultant at our firm, addressed the path from a fragmented system landscape to a shared roadmap. His main message was that digital transformation requires a clear direction, grounded in business objectives and in how the business actually operates.
Understand how the existing landscape has evolved
The system landscape was described as a patchwork of solutions, supplemented by Excel, whiteboards, and the expertise of key personnel. Each investment may have been justified at the time it was made. The challenge arises when the organization needs to combine information, understand relationships, and change work processes across multiple systems and functions. The presentation highlighted how parallel initiatives can proceed without a shared vision. Data is collected, but it is not always useful for what the organization aims to achieve. Therefore, the next step must be shaped with the big picture in mind: what problems need to be solved, which initiatives create value, and what is required for the results to endure beyond the pilot phase?
Management commitment, the right expertise, monitoring of outcomes, and a modular approach were highlighted as key prerequisites. Committed technicians can initiate change, but they need a mandate, resources, and support for the operational changes that follow.
Start on the factory floor
The proposed process consisted of four steps: understanding reality, assessing maturity, identifying values, and setting priorities. The first step involves observing the work as it is carried out throughout the organization and listening to those who perform it. A process description in the management system serves as a basis, but it needs to be compared with what actually happens in practice. Operators’ experiences can reveal both effective solutions and dependencies that are otherwise difficult to see. Information known only to a specific person, or system values that staff do not trust, become important indicators in the assessment. This is also where many ideas for improvements can be found.
The maturity assessment must then cover technology, processes, and organization. The lecture described a progression from computerization and connectivity to visibility, understanding, predictive capabilities, and, finally, systems that can adapt on their own. Advanced use of production data requires more than just connected machines: the signals need context.
Use the business objective as the starting point for the use cases
A production signal alone does not indicate which product was manufactured, what caused a stoppage, or how the disruption affected the outcome. That context is necessary to draw conclusions and choose the right course of action. The lecture thus linked data quality to the organization’s goals. Improved delivery accuracy was used as a concrete example. To improve it, the business needs to understand what affects deliveries: planning, unplanned stoppages, or material shortages. From there, use cases can be formulated, such as feedback between production and planning, automatic stoppage logging, condition-based maintenance, or real-time inventory levels.
This provides a basis for evaluating initiatives based on what they are expected to achieve. A clear vision also makes it easier to say no to initiatives that do not contribute to the common goal. At the same time, the benefits become clear to those who will finance and be responsible for the change.
Prioritize both the benefits and what must come first
Once the use cases have been described, it is possible to compare the benefits with what is required to implement them. Some improvements are relatively simple and can deliver value early on. Others have dependencies that must be resolved first. For example, a priority goal related to predictive maintenance may require better information about downtime and its causes.
The roadmap therefore needs to show how the initiatives build on one another. The presentation used ISA-95 as a reference to describe the relationship between business systems, operations, and automation. Many facilities have good control over their business systems and automation, while the exchange of information between them is still handled through manual processes.
Developing the operational backbone is about keeping this flow cohesive. A common approach to identifying objects and structuring information makes things easier when the same equipment otherwise has different names in the business system, the maintenance system, and among operators. The foundation can be built step by step, while limited trials provide experience along the way.
Let the roadmap become a way of working
A plan has an impact when it is applied in decision-making and day-to-day work. The presentation described a sponsor who owns the vision, a joint core team from operations, IT, and OT, and process owners responsible for the use cases. The involvement of operators is necessary for the changes to work where the work is actually performed. Guiding principles can keep development on track by linking new systems and initiatives to the strategy and the shared information model. At the same time, the plan must be flexible enough to be adjusted as conditions change. Change management is a central part of the journey, since new solutions also entail new ways of working.
A concrete first step in 90 days
The lecture concluded with the advice to define business objectives and map out the system landscape, including the manual processes on which the business relies. Assess the maturity level in areas such as data and integration, production, planning, quality, and organization. Then select a use case linked to the objectives, ensure it has an owner, and conduct a 90-day pilot with clearly defined scope.
The overall message was to build a shared understanding of both the current situation and the direction forward. When business goals, data, priorities, and responsibilities are aligned, the organization is better positioned to move from isolated efforts toward improvements that are sustainable and can be built upon.
Do you have several initiatives underway but are having trouble figuring out which one should come first? We’d be happy to talk with you about what you want to achieve and what’s standing in your way right now. Get in touch, and we’ll work together to find a direction and a first step that will make a difference in your business.
