Why Tech Teams Must Lead Their Own Digital Transformation

01

Digitize Internal Tech Workflows

Technology teams should first make all their own tasks—project delivery, architecture governance, security patching—fully digital using task‑management tools, reducing manual effort and freeing developers for higher‑value work.

Replace email‑based status reporting with online collaborative platforms that support task breakdown, assignment, execution tracking, asset accumulation, and automated reporting.

Design digital tools thoughtfully; for example, decide which data dimensions a task‑management system must capture.

Leverage BI platforms to query code repositories and infrastructure inventories, enabling rapid impact analysis for security or compliance issues.

Automation should handle repetitive, standardized work, allowing engineers to focus on innovation.

02

BizDevOps: Merging Business and Technology

After internal digitization, tech teams must collaborate closely with business units, evolving from traditional DevOps to BizDevOps, where business, development, and operations are integrated.

Key collaboration touchpoints to digitize include:

Requirement documentation, analysis, and approval.

Project progress tracking.

Product technical support.

Business‑level data statistics, reporting, and analysis.

When tech teams master BI platforms, they can guide business users, reduce low‑value data‑collection tasks, and provide faster, more flexible insights.

03

Repositioning Tech as Product Leaders

Historically, product managers in business units defined market needs while tech delivered solutions. In the digital era, tech teams possess a cross‑functional view that can identify broader problems and drive product innovation.

Challenges in deep‑water digital transformation include:

Demonstrating tangible results —improved internal efficiency, better customer service, or new business models, as illustrated by the evolution of Lianjia into the Beike platform.

Focusing on strategic priorities —selecting high‑impact initiatives and concentrating resources to create flagship solutions.

Strengthening organizational governance —moving beyond mere workflow digitization to address data, technology, and overall governance, recognizing that outdated structures can hinder productivity.

Building digital talent —cultivating multi‑level leaders with architecture, process‑modeling, product, and domain expertise, as well as strong coordination and project‑driving abilities.

Tech departments can leverage their natural advantage to lead flagship products, even if they are not the primary product owners. Examples include:

Sun Wenli of Sunshine Insurance Group helped launch a cross‑city savings product by bridging business pain points with technical solutions.

Chief Zhou Tianhong at China Merchants Bank led the design of the "Salary Pass" SaaS platform, integrating HR, finance, and operations into a unified digital service.

Tech professionals should not limit themselves to narrow IT responsibilities; they must treat company challenges as their own, contribute proactively, and seek opportunities where their talent can create the greatest impact.

Individual contributors can start by identifying specific business or customer pain points within their scope, applying technical strengths to develop solutions or products that address those needs.