The digital product is the business process
The shift from tools to process
Think about the last time you interacted with a government agency or a large enterprise. Was it smooth or did it feel like an outdated, disjointed system made things harder than they needed to be?
That’s because, for a long time, organizations treated their digital products — whether it was an online form, a ticketing system, or a customer portal — as just tools to complete tasks. In reality, these tools don’t just support business processes — they become them.
Take a call center, for example. The way an agent interacts with a customer is dictated by the CRM they use. If the CRM is clunky, the experience is clunky. If the workflow forces unnecessary steps, productivity drops. The software is the process.
Recognizing the connection
What happens when organizations don’t recognize this connection?
You get misalignment.
A product team builds a digital tool, but the operational team struggles to integrate it into their daily work.
Now the digital product isn’t solving problems — it’s creating them.
That’s why the most effective organizations don’t just build software — they rethink how work gets done.
They ask:
- Are we designing our tools around how people actually work?
- Are we optimizing for efficiency, or are we just translating an old process into a digital format?
- Do our digital products create a better experience for our customers and employees?
Case study — Small changes, big impact
A government agency wanted to digitize its benefits application process. The original idea? Just put a PDF form online. But that didn’t change the process — it just moved it.
Instead, they asked, what should this process actually look like in a digital-first world? They reworked the application into a dynamic, guided experience that pre-filled information, eliminated redundant steps, and integrated real-time eligibility checks.
The result?
Processing time dropped by 40%, and customer satisfaction shot up.
Why?
Because they didn’t just build a digital product — they transformed the process itself.
Making it happen
How do you apply this in your organization?
Here are three key takeaways:
- Map the process before you build — Don’t just replicate old workflows. Understand the pain points and reimagine the journey.
- Design with operations in mind — Work closely with the people who use the tool daily. Their insights will make or break adoption.
- Iterate and adapt — Launching a digital product is not the finish line; it’s the starting point. Constantly refine based on real-world usage.
What’s the bottom line?
Your digital product isn’t separate from your business process — it is your business process. When you approach it that way, you’re not just improving software — you’re transforming the way your organization operates.
