Building a digital transformation roadmap

Currently, the application of digital technology in some businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is fragmented due to the lack of clear goals, plans, and strategies for digital transformation. Therefore, digital transformation did not result in the expected success.

Digital transformation is an inevitable trend and an important solution for businesses to improve production and performance, expand markets, cut costs, and adapt to the new context of the digital economy.

MPI's Agency for Enterprise Development in collaboration with USAID has recently approved a project "promoting reform and enhancing the connectivity of SMEs" to build tools and guiding documents, as well as implement awareness-raising and training in digital transformation for businesses.

The support package has received registrations from more than 200 businesses in mechanical engineering, electronics, agriculture and agro-processing, wood processing, and furniture. The scheme has selected 50 businesses with high readiness to implement digital transformation based on several criteria.

Since then, experienced experts in the scheme's network visited each enterprise to study, evaluate, and provide in-depth advice on digital transformation. They have worked with each other for three consecutive months to help businesses gradually gain a methodical direction and roadmap to invest in digital transformation.

A representative of Tien Thinh Production Trading Service Co., Ltd. said, "The report not only helps us solve the issue of standardising production processes and corporate governance, but also changes our company's culture comprehensively, creating new directions for solving problems in organisation, production, and sales."

Supporting businesses to build a digital transformation roadmap

Such digital transformation pioneers will become successful examples, inspiring other businesses to be more confident to do and see good lessons learned in digital transformation. This is also one of the main goals of the programme to support businesses in digital transformation for the period 2021-2025.

A representative of Aqua Mina Co., Ltd. highlighted the government's follow-up support in consulting and training as critical for SMEs to implement the digital transformation roadmap.

"We also hope that the government would issue the necessary regulations and guidance to assist us in this transformation," the representative said.

According to the 2022 Annual Report on Enterprise Digital Transformation of the Agency for Enterprise Development, the number of companies undergoing doing digital transformation activities had rapidly increased.