Against the backdrop of intensified competition in the home furnishing industry, surging customization demand, and continuously rising cost pressure, digital transformation has shifted from an "optional choice" to a "must-have." However, according to industry research, more than 60% of digital projects in home furnishing enterprises are delayed, over budget, or even fail due to insufficient preparation in the early stage. To ensure smooth project implementation and expected value delivery, enterprises must solidly complete the following five key preparations before officially launching a digital project:

I. Clarify transformation goals and business pain points (Why & What)

Core question: why do we need digitalization, and what specific problems do we want to solve?

Many home furnishing enterprises mistakenly believe that "installing systems = digitalization," and end up falling into the misconception of "digitalizing for the sake of digitalization." The correct approach is:

Align with strategy: connect digital goals with the company's overall strategy, such as "increase on-time order delivery rate to 95%" or "reduce panel loss rate by 10%."

Focus on pain points: identify real bottlenecks through frontline research, for example:

Design proposals are revised repeatedly, and customer confirmation cycles are long.

Production scheduling depends on manual work, and delivery dates are inaccurate.

Inventory backlog is severe, and sluggish materials account for a high proportion.

After-sales service responds slowly, and customer satisfaction is low.

Action recommendation: organize executives and business backbones to hold a pain point workshop, use value stream maps to sort out the full chain from order receipt to delivery, and lock in three to five high-priority improvement points.

II. Comprehensively assess current status and resources (Where We Are)

Core question: what is the true status of our current processes, data, team, and IT foundation?

Digitalization is not a castle in the air. It must be built on the real current situation:

Process sorting: map core business processes, such as quotation, design, order placement, production, and installation, and mark breakpoints and redundant links.

Data asset inventory: check whether master data in ERP, CRM, CAD, and other systems, such as materials, BOMs, and customers, is unified and complete.

Organizational capability assessment: is there a leader who understands both business and digitalization? Do frontline employees have basic operating capabilities?

IT infrastructure check: do network coverage, server performance, and terminal devices meet the requirements of the new system?

Action recommendation: create a digital baseline assessment form and score the company across four dimensions: process, data, personnel, and technology, to identify weaknesses.

III. Build a cross-functional project team (Who Drives It)

Core question: who will promote it, who will execute it, and who will cooperate?

Digitalization is a top-leader project, but it is by no means something the IT department should handle alone. A collaborative mechanism led by business, supported by IT, and escorted by top management must be established:

Set up a project steering committee: led by the general manager or a vice president, regularly making decisions on resources and direction.

Establish a dedicated project team: including business representatives from design, production, warehousing, sales, finance, and other functions, plus IT personnel and external consultants.

Clarify roles and responsibilities: for example, the process owner is responsible for requirement confirmation, and the data steward is responsible for master data cleansing.

Action recommendation: use a RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to clarify the person responsible for each task and avoid buck-passing.

IV. Develop a practical and feasible implementation path (How to Go)

Core question: should we roll it out fully or pilot it step by step? How should budget and time be arranged?

Most home furnishing enterprises are small and medium-sized, with limited resources, so they should avoid pursuing something large and complete. It is recommended to adopt a strategy of small steps, fast iteration, and value first:

Phased planning: the first stage focuses on high-ROI modules, such as intelligent quotation and order management, to achieve quick results; the second stage expands to production and supply chain.

Set milestones: for example, "launch the design collaboration platform within three months and shorten the proposal confirmation cycle by 50%."

Reserve buffer resources: usually an additional 15% to 20% budget should be reserved to handle changes and risks.

Action recommendation: prioritize platforms that support modular deployment and no-code configuration, such as Jiandaoyun and Soonfor MES, to reduce trial-and-error costs.

V. Unify understanding and manage change well (How to Win Hearts)

Core question: do employees understand, accept, and willingly use the new system?

The greatest resistance often comes from people. If frontline designers and workshop workers resist, even the best system will be difficult to implement.

Top-level communication: the CEO personally explains the significance of transformation and emphasizes that it is not about replacing people, but freeing people.

Scenario-based training: teach with real business cases rather than abstract function demonstrations.

Incentive mechanisms: reward employees who actively participate in pilots and offer optimization suggestions.

Establish feedback channels: set up a digital suggestion box and respond promptly to usage issues.

Action recommendation: create a digital transformation explanation card and use comics, short videos, and other accessible formats to explain how systems help employees reduce workload and improve efficiency.

For home furnishing enterprises, digital transformation is not about how advanced the technology is, but how sufficient the preparation is. Only by doing enough homework in the five dimensions of goals, current status, team, path, and people can enterprises avoid the predicament of investing millions only to have systems sit idle after going live.

Soonfor Software has been deeply involved in the pan-home furnishing industry for more than 20 years, providing integrated digital solutions covering ERP, MES, CRM, APS, and BI. It supports full-cycle services from assessment and diagnosis, blueprint design, to implementation, helping home furnishing enterprises complete digital upgrades scientifically, efficiently, and at low cost.