Digitalisation Strategy
Read, design, and deliver
- FoundationsLanguage, fundamentals, and habits for grounded delivery.
- IntermediateOperating models, platforms, and governance.
- AdvancedEcosystems, regulation, and delivery at scale.
- SummaryRecap, games, and dashboards to test strategy thinking.
CPD timing
Time estimate (transparent)
I publish time estimates because CPD needs to be defensible. The goal is honesty, not marketing.
Guided learning
30h
Core levels, structured learning
Practice and consolidation
3h
Summary, drills, revisits
Notional range
20 to 45 hours
Quick: core concepts + one exercise per module. Standard: exercises + reflections for CPD evidence. Deep: extra drills and portfolio artefacts.
How I estimate time
I use a notional learning hours approach and I keep the assumptions visible. Where modules are content heavy, I add practice so the hours are earned, not claimed.
- Reading: 225 words per minute, multiplied by 1.3 for note taking and checking understanding.
- Labs and practice: about 15 minutes per guided activity, including at least one retry.
- Reflection for CPD: about 8 minutes per module for a short defensible note and evidence link.
- Assessments: about 1.4 minutes per question for reading, thinking, and review.
If you study faster or slower, your hours will differ. What matters is that the method is consistent and the activities are real.
Assessment and practice assessment
Digitalisation assessment blueprint (planned)
Digitalisation assessment will focus on operating model reasoning, governance decisions, and evidence of outcomes. Until then, checkpoints and capstones are the practice loop.
Design rules
- A good answer is one you can defend to a sceptical stakeholder, not one that sounds clever.
Standards and certifications
The map we anchor to
I map each course to reputable standards so your learning is defensible at work. I also show common certifications and how their language differs.
Important: This content aligns with these standards and certifications for learning purposes. This is guidance, not endorsement. We are not affiliated with certification providers unless explicitly stated.
Primary anchor standards
- ITIL 4 (service value system)AXELOS
Useful vocabulary for value, service, and operating model thinking.
Official reference - COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT)ISACA
A clear split between governance and management that helps organisations stop confusing steering with rowing.
Official reference
Certification routes
This course is not endorsed by certification bodies. It is built to prepare you honestly, including where exams simplify reality.
- foundationITIL 4 FoundationAXELOS
A recognised baseline for service and value vocabulary across organisations.
- foundationCOBIT FoundationISACA
Useful for governance minded roles, especially in regulated environments.
Organisations and resources
These are the kinds of organisations professionals reference. If you learn how to use them properly, you become harder to mislead.
- Government Digital Service (GDS)
What it is: UK government digital practice and service standards.
Why it matters: Useful examples of service thinking, user focus, and delivery discipline in public services.
- ISACA
What it is: A professional association focused on governance, audit, risk, and security.
Why it matters: It shapes governance vocabulary and certification expectations in many organisations.
Terminology translation
What digital transformation actually means
Digital transformation is one of the most abused phrases in modern work. Let’s clean it up.
Digitisation, digitalisation, transformation
Plain English
Digitisation is converting paper to digital. Digitalisation is improving how work happens using digital. Transformation is changing the operating model and outcomes.
How standards use it
Service and operating model practice
Distinguishes activity from outcome so programmes do not become expensive theatre.
Common mistake
Renaming a spreadsheet and calling it transformation.
My take
If nothing changes for the user, you did not transform. You redecorated.
Quick check
Name one transformation outcome that is measurable for a service.
Governance versus management
Plain English
Governance sets direction and controls. Management executes.
How standards use it
COBIT 2019
Makes the split explicit so organisations can separate decision rights from delivery work.
Common mistake
Governance meetings that manage, and management teams that try to set strategy.
My take
When governance becomes daily management, nobody is steering the ship.
Quick check
Give one governance decision and one management decision for a programme.
MVP, pilot, prototype
Plain English
Prototype tests an idea. Pilot tests it in a real context. MVP is the smallest product that reliably delivers value.
How standards use it
Product and delivery practice
Clear labels prevent teams from promising reliability before it exists.
Common mistake
Calling a prototype an MVP, then being shocked when it falls over.
My take
If it cannot survive real users, it is not viable. It is a demo.
Quick check
What makes a pilot different from a prototype?
🌐Core path
Digitalisation Foundations
Language, fundamentals, and the habits that keep delivery grounded in outcomes.
Applied Digitalisation
Operating models, platforms, governance, and realistic roadmaps.
Digital Strategy at Scale
Ecosystems, regulation, funding models, risk, and stewardship.
Summary and games
Recap, games, and dashboards to test strategy thinking.
Mapping
How this course stays defensible
This links the same four things CPD reviewers care about: what you learn, how you practise, how you are assessed, and what evidence you can show.
- ITIL 4 (service value system) (AXELOS)
- COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) (ISACA)
Clear definitions and correct mapping to outcomes.
Trade-offs, operating models, and delivery discipline.
Governance, measurement, and defensible roadmaps.
Coverage matrix
Module-level coverage
This matrix makes the course defensible: each module is tied to an outcome focus, the anchor standards, and the evidence you can produce.
| Level | Module | Outcome focus | Domains | Alignment | Assessment | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | What Is Digitalisation dig-foundations-what-is-digitalisation Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Define digitalisation in outcome terms and avoid delivery theatre. | outcomes | Other: Outcome-led delivery | Practice assessment | Template + rubric |
| Foundations | Data And Processes dig-foundations-data-and-processes Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Connect data and process to measurable improvement, not tool adoption. | evidence | Other: Process and measurement | Practice assessment | Template + rubric |
| Foundations | People And Change dig-foundations-people-and-change Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Handle change as a human system: incentives, capability, and adoption evidence. | stakeholders | Other: Change management | Practice assessment | Template + rubric |
| Foundations | Digital Building Blocks dig-foundations-digital-building-blocks Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Choose building blocks (services, platforms) based on user outcomes and constraints. | platforms | Other: Platforms and adoption | Practice assessment | Template + rubric |
| Intermediate | Metrics And Outcomes dig-intermediate-metrics-and-outcomes Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Set baselines and metrics that prove outcomes and guide prioritisation. | outcomes | Other: Measurement discipline | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Intermediate | Journeys And Services dig-intermediate-journeys-and-services Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Design services and journeys around user jobs and friction points. | stakeholders | Other: Service design | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Intermediate | Platforms And Integration dig-intermediate-platforms-and-integration Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Make integration coherent with standards and guardrails rather than tickets and heroics. | guardrails | Other: Integration and guardrails | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Intermediate | Risk And Regulation dig-intermediate-risk-and-regulation Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Incorporate risk and regulation early to avoid late-stage rework. | governance | Other: Risk and regulation | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Advanced | Ecosystems And Standards dig-advanced-ecosystems-and-standards Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Work across ecosystems using standards and clear interfaces. | guardrails | Other: Ecosystems and standards | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Advanced | Governance And Operating Models dig-advanced-governance-and-operating-models Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Choose operating models that enable autonomy with coherence and evidence. | operating-model | Other: Governance and operating model | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Advanced | Strategy And Roadmaps dig-advanced-strategy-and-roadmaps Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Write staged roadmaps with measurable milestones and evidence triggers. | planning | Other: Strategy and roadmaps | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Advanced | Long Term Challenges dig-advanced-long-term-challenges Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Plan for long-term constraints: sustainability, skills, and resilience. | resilience | Other: Long-term constraints | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Summary | Big Picture dig-summary-big-picture Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Consolidate the big picture: what digitalisation is and how to avoid theatre. | outcomes | Other: Consolidation | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Summary | Key Tools And Standards dig-summary-key-tools-and-standards Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Review the key tools and standards used to keep delivery coherent and defensible. | guardrails | Other: Standards and coherence | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Summary | Scenarios And Games dig-summary-scenarios-and-games Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Practise judgement on operating models, measurement, and stakeholder trade-offs. | operating-model, outcomes | Other: Scenario judgement | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
| Summary | Next Steps And Cpd dig-summary-next-steps-and-cpd Anchors: ITIL 4 (service value system), COBIT 2019 (governance of enterprise IT) | Turn learning into a defensible CPD plan: outcomes, evidence, and artefacts. | evidence | Other: CPD evidence | Formative checkpoints | Template + rubric |
🛠️Further practice
Hands-on labs to make the strategy tangible before the summary.
🏗️Capstones
📚CPD
Log minutes as you study and practise. Your records stay in this browser. Use the export view when you need a clean summary for your CPD system.
📚References and further reading
These notes draw on a wide range of sources. A few starting points are listed here so that you can explore the official material in more depth.
- Official guidance from government digital services and sector regulators
- Research and playbooks on digital operating models, platform thinking, and service design
- Standards and textbooks on data governance, architecture, and programme delivery