One of the key elements of any European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) is the customer’s support on the path of digital transformation – from the first contact to the implementation of specific solutions and measuring their impact. That is why the concept of the Customer Journey and the Digital Transformation Journey (DTJ) underlies the entire EDIH model.

The first and one of the most important steps in the entire Customer Journey is the Digital Maturity Assessment, DMA. It is designed to help the company understand its current state – and this becomes the basis for further joint definition of priorities and a specific plan of action. 

However, after the start of the practical work of the Ukrainian EDIH and discussing the experience of other European hubs, it becomes obvious that the launch of the DMA and the construction of the further Customer Journey is one of the most complex and least developed elements of the whole system.

The paradox is that formally DMA is one of the main KPIs of the EDH network, but Practical recommendations for its adaptation to different contexts, use of results and construction of the following steps remain extremely limited. As a result, there is a risk that the assessment of digital maturity will become a formal procedure for collecting data, rather than a tool for real transformation of enterprises.

That is why today it is advisable to start an open discussion of these challenges at the level of the entire EDIH network, especially in countries operating in conditions of high economic and security turbulence.

As examples and supporting evidence, the article presents the results of the GDT Textile project (2024), in which a survey based on the ADMA methodology covered more than 140 textile and apparel industry enterprises. The project resulted in an industry roadmap for the twin transition, comprising 80 initiatives, several of which are being successfully implemented today.

Challenge 1. Search for a universal DMA for non-universal markets

Today, the DMA logic is largely based on the assumption that there is an opportunity to create The only evaluation tool for a wide range of customers.

In practice, this causes a number of problems. there are significant differences between

• a micro-enterprise with 5 employees and a company with 100 employees;
• between a machine-building enterprise and an agricultural  
• Municipal water utility and engineering company
• university and hospital;
• And in some cases, they are so significant that the same evaluation system inevitably loses relevance for some respondents.

This is especially noticeable for micro and small businesses where there are no IT units or skilled workers, the owner often combines several functions, and digitalization is seen as a survival tool (and if it’s simple), rather than some strategic transformation program.

Additionally, the issue of regional adaptation arises. For example, for a significant part of Ukrainian enterprises, the issue of energy and resource resilience, growing staff shortages, crisis resistance, and in general work in war conditions are many times more relevant than digital twins, metauniverse or individual areas AI-transformations.

The problem is not that these topics are not important, but how to get to technology through the disclosure and deepening of the client’s real pain points – rather than contrived or some academic assumptions about them.

ADMA (ADvanced MAnufacturing) was selected by APPAU as an alternative to DMA because the focus was specifically on the industrial customer segment. Compared to DMA, ADMA provides deeper insights through its assessment of: (a) the condition of core production assets, (b) the level of manufacturing process automation, and (c) integration into value chains. This made it possible to develop five specific business cases, most of which could not have been identified using the DMA methodology alone. Therefore, the relevance of the survey and its alignment with the specific target segment are key success factors for the effective deployment of subsequent DTJs.

Call 2. DMA as too ‘heavy point’ of entry

Practice shows that many companies are not ready to undergo complex and lengthy surveys at the initial stage of interaction with EDIH. In Ukraine, this is further exacerbated by the phenomenon of ‘survey fatigue’. During the war, companies becamethe subject of numerous studies, questionnaires, audits and surveys by international donors, consulting companies, government agencies, NGOs.

At the same time, the real value for business of all these surveys often remained unclear.

Therefore, the call is ‘Please take 60 minutes to evaluate your digital maturity’ For most SMEs, it does not seem a convincing offer.

As a result, DMA starts working against the Customer Journey before it starts! 

In the GDT Textile project, we adapted the classical ADMA framework, whose foundations originate from the European project of the same name (2021–2024) focused on Industry 4.0 and 5.0. Although the methodology remained somewhat demanding for many of our respondents, the adaptation process—including adjustments to improve clarity, usability, and ease of understanding—was carried out through several iterations and required at least 50 person-hours of work. The ADMA assessment tool can be viewed and tested here. One of the key lessons from this experience is that markets need both in-depth and “lightweight” survey instruments.

Challenge 3. Relevance of questions and customer trust

Customer Journey – and, obviously, in any field of activity begins with trust between the parties. If the first questions look detached from the client’s reality, trust is lost very quickly. Given that the level of trust in universities from business (and in many EDIH the university is responsible for the survey) was already low, the label ‘theories of detached from practice’ can stick even more closely, but to the entire EDH network. 

For many Ukrainian companies today, it is much more logical to start a dialogue on the following issues:

• staff shortages and derivative issues of accelerated automation / robotization
• energy resilience and autonomy – as this is the problem #2 that all manufacturers are talking about
• cyber resilience – as a potential (latent risk), and especially for public organizations
• search for new markets, and related issues of chains, marketing and sales,
• as well as cooperation in innovative ecosystems (because their resources are not enough)

It is these topics and specific pain points on them that most often determine the readiness for digital transformation more than formal indicators of digital maturity.

The five specific business cases developed within the GDT Textile project were: (1) the lag in modernization of production assets; (2) waste management challenges in the industry, including a lack of support mechanisms and initiatives, particularly at the legislative level; (3) the low adoption of digital tools throughout the entire product lifecycle; (4) insufficient implementation of advanced manufacturing management systems such as ERP, MES, and APS; and (5) leveraging the potential of universities within innovation ecosystems to accelerate the digital transition.

All five cases emerged from the analysis of survey results, focused interviews with selected companies, and expert discussions. The solutions developed in response to these cases—effectively new products and services—are currently being successfully implemented by several ecosystem actors within the sector, most notably EDIH Clotex. A straightforward application of the DMA methodology would not have produced such outcomes.

Challenge 4. Lack of ‘What to do after DMA’ methodology

I may be wrong, but I did not find a specific method – the answer to the question ‘what to do after DMA’. That is, even if you received any valid answers after passing the survey and the respondent agreed with them, the question ‘what next’ hangs. And that’s probably the biggest challenge.

DMA can answer the question ‘Where is the company today?’, But it answers the questions much worse:

• What should be the next step?
• What is the transformation sequence?
• What is the root cause of the problems?
• Which investments have the greatest effect?

Unlike the Operi (Siri), ADMA or individual consulting approach methodologies, the DMA does not offer a sufficiently structured transition mechanism to an action plan.

And this is the greatest risk of a gap between diagnosis and real transformation.

It is difficult to directly demonstrate GDT Textile’s success in addressing this challenge. While the original European ADMA project invested around €4 million over four years to develop digital transformation roadmaps for 130 SMEs, GDT Textile operated with a budget of just €40,000 (shared among three partners) and a four-month timeline.

To build the industry roadmap, we relied on surveys, expert discussions, benchmarking studies, and targeted work on identified business and use cases. The latter proved to be the most effective method, enabling us to translate research findings into practical solutions and services that are now being implemented by ecosystem actors.

Challenge 5. Deficit of digital transformation consultants

And the problem is not only in the presence or understanding of a technique. If you want to become a true consultant – an effective solution provider, they need to mastered in practice and perfectly! World and Ukrainian practice of real transformations in any field, and if we talk about scale, always puts the presence in the first place solid, sound methods (and where – diagnosis is only the first step), but on the 2nd – as well carriers of knowledge and practices of these methodsable to implement them. 

Theoretically, the DMA presupposes the existence of a significant number of experts who can interpret the results, conduct audits, facilitate changes and build transformational road maps. 

But – do we see these specialists in practice? The question is rhetorical. In most new EDIH, we do not see such consultants or proposals for their training. For example, in our EDIH Kyiv Hitech among almost 30 involved experts there are a maximum of 3 specialists, more or less ready to conduct full audits. But as long as there is no unity between them. 

Then, what miracle did the assumption that the Ukrainian EDIH are ready to implement a full-fledged Cusotmer Journey? And even more so in financial constraints, much more significant than European ones – our budgets are many times smaller, and 50% co-financing is our ‘headache’, while in the EU it is decided by local authorities.

As a result, we have situations where DMA is executed en masse, but further customer support remains fragmentary and weak. In such a case, can we talk about the performance of EDH roles and missions as a catalyst for digital transformation of SMEs?

In GDT Textile, more than five experts participated in the focused interviews, yet only one demonstrated sufficient readiness to properly analyze the results and conduct high-quality client interviews. The others—including those with many years of experience in specific ADMA assessment areas—proved unprepared for the task.

The main challenge was that methodologies such as ADMA (and DMA as well) cover a wide range of business dimensions, requiring both broad and integrated expertise. As a result, all five business cases that ultimately formed the foundation of the industry roadmap were developed by the same expert. This experience clearly highlighted the critical importance—and scarcity—of adequately trained specialists capable of conducting and interpreting such assessments.

Offers to the Ukrainian network EDH

What specific do we offer from Edih Kyiv Hitech for the entire network in response to these challenges

1. Go from one DMA to a multi-level model

instead of searching for ‘perfect universal DMA’ to create 

1. Level 1 — DMA Lite: short, simple questionnaires (maximum 10-15 minutes), which is immediately beaten ‘on pre-known pain points and thus stimulate mass involvement – rather than repel respondents from the target audiences.
2. Level 2 — DMA SectoR: In-depth questionnaires with focus on target sectors – as production, energy, agro, municipal services, health careme, education. This will significantly improve the level of relevance. 
3. Level 3 — Deep Assessment: For companies ready for serious transformation.

This is how most successful consulting models work. That is why we have already laid these levels in our project and use the Datamentio platform. It is a tool for flexible management of numerous polls and immediately with a view to the next steps in the Customer Journey. 

2. Create a shared DTJ Framework

– At first Ukrainian – further, – European. Obviously, the EDIH network is needed not only by DMA, but also Digital Transformation Journey Framework.

After diagnosing the level of readiness, the system must automatically offer:

• typical development routes;
• recommended services;
• investment priorities;
• examples of cases;
• European tools are available.

That is, EDIH should receive not only diagnostics, but also Transformation navigator. Again, our choice of Datamentio was immediately due to the understanding of the necessity of these steps.

3. Launch the Digital Transformation Advisors Training Program

Today, the network is actively investing in tools, but the real question is whether there are suggestions for training EDH specialists. 

According to the author, a thorough and better European-level certification program for EDH consultants is needed by analogy with Opera Assessors, Adma Coaches, Lean Experts or Innovation Managers.

4. Create a library of typical Customer Journey

Most of the problems of enterprises and ways to solve them are repeated. Therefore, the network could accumulate and distribute:

• typical transformation scenarios;
• roadmap templates;
• successful cases;
• Service maps.

This will significantly reduce the load on individual EDIH.

5. Initiate the EDIH DMA & Customer Journey Working Group

Today, this seems to be one of the most pressing issues for new and young EDIH.

Therefore, it is advisable to create a separate thematic working group within the EDIH network, which would be engaged in the adaptation of DMA, development of DTJ-approaches, training of consultants, exchange of practices, as well as development of recommendations for DTA and the European Commission.

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Summing up: the problem is not in the DMA, and that today it is often seen as a goal, not as a tool. If EDIH aspires to be real digital transformation agents, the focus should shift from filling out questionnaires to building a quality Customer Journey and real customer development routes.

It is possible that it is here that the Ukrainian EDIH, working in the conditions of the highest turbulence, can not only adapt the existing approaches, but also become a source of new practices for the entire EDIH network. But it is obvious that this is possible only if you unite and mobilize around real challenges our markets and our customers.

Yurchak Oleksandr, Director of EDIH Kyiv Hitech

Useful resources:

• How to Build Strong Business Cases (2019)
• SIRI Digital Transformation Methodology (2020)
• Position Paper: “The DIH Network in Ukraine” (2023)
• Analytical Report on the State of the Twin Transition of SMEs in the Textile and Apparel Industry (2024)
• Twin Transition Roadmap for the Textile and Apparel Industry (2024)