What is digital work? A definition and a starting point for mid-sized companies
Digital work means that collaboration, filing, processes and enablement in a business are clearly regulated and run digitally. How to tell where your company stands, which examples exist in the mid-market and how long the introduction takes.
Digital work means that collaboration in a business, the filing of documents, the processes between systems and the enablement of the workforce are clearly regulated and run digitally. Most mid-sized companies already have the software for it, often as Microsoft 365. What is missing are the rules about who files what where and which channel is used for which decision. At PASSION4IT the service for this is called Digital Work.
What you’ll take away:
- A definition of digital work that goes beyond “we have Teams”
- Four areas that have to be regulated together for digital work to hold up day to day
- Six signs that it isn’t working in your business yet
- Concrete examples from accounting, field service, warehouse and customer service
- Why in most cases no additional licences are needed
- How long the introduction realistically takes: 2 to 4 weeks of analysis, 8 to 16 weeks for the first implementation stage
What is digital work?
Digital work is a way of working in which information, tasks and decisions flow digitally, without anyone having to piece them together from systems, inboxes and network drives. The term describes a state of the organisation. A business can have licensed Microsoft 365 for years and still work analogue if approvals keep running by email with five attachments.
Digital Workplace and Modern Work mean essentially the same thing. Modern Work is used more often in the Microsoft world, Digital Workplace more for the technical platform. For a decision in a mid-sized business, the distinction is secondary.
What does digital work include?
Four areas that have to be regulated together. If one is missing, the business falls back into old habits.
| Area | What needs to be regulated | Typical symptom when it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Collaboration | which channel is used for what: chat, team, email, meeting | coordination runs through forty emails instead of the project channel |
| Filing and permissions | where each document lives and who may see it | the same file in OneDrive, SharePoint, on the network drive and locally |
| Processes | what role each system plays and where data is handed over | ERP and CRM are maintained twice |
| Enablement | who masters which tools and how new staff are onboarded | the last training was two years ago |
The order matters. Anyone who starts with the technology and wants to settle the rules later rebuilds the same mess in a new system. What this looks like in practice for Microsoft 365 and Teams is described in Modern Work consulting for Microsoft 365 and Teams.
How do you tell that digital work isn’t working in your business yet?
By recurring friction in daily work that everyone knows and nobody notices any more. In the assessments PASSION4IT carries out in the mid-market, six patterns come up particularly often.
- Coordination, tasks and approvals still run by email, although Teams is set up.
- Nobody knows for certain what belongs in a channel and what in a chat.
- Nobody knows for sure which version of a file is the current one.
- The system landscape has grown over the years without anyone defining the role of each system.
- There are no fixed contacts for tools and no guidelines for digital work.
- Microsoft 365, CRM or ERP are seen as an IT topic, although they are about ways of working and leadership.
If three or more of these apply, a structured assessment is worth more than the next tool.
Which examples of digital work exist in mid-sized companies?
The most tangible examples are wherever paper, double entry or search time come up today.
- Accounting. Incoming invoices are captured digitally, checked in a workflow and posted, without a printout travelling from desk to desk.
- Field service. Working hours go straight into the system, and before a customer meeting the current figures come from the CRM onto the tablet.
- Project work. The project status lives in the team and tasks sit in a task manager.
- Warehouse. Barcodes speed up picking and reduce the error rate.
- Customer service. Enquiries go into a service tool with a knowledge base, and quotes and contracts are signed digitally.
None of these examples requires a major project. Each one does require a decision about which system leads and who owns the process.
Do I need new software or additional licences for digital work?
In most cases no. Most of what is missing in daily work is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium and simply hasn’t been set up or regulated. Whether buying more makes sense is decided after the assessment.
Where a new system really is needed, such as an ERP or a document management system, the selection belongs in its own structured process. PASSION4IT does this vendor-independently through Smart Software Selection.
How long does introducing digital work take?
The analysis takes two to four weeks. For the first implementation stage with filing structure, permissions and binding standards, 8 to 16 weeks are realistic depending on company size. Enabling the workforce runs in parallel with the implementation.
Enablement means short units that fit into the working day. The PASSION4IT Academy provides the Digital Work module for €39 per user and year, with no classroom dates and a certificate for every completed training. It is licensed per user.
What does getting started with digital work cost?
At PASSION4IT the entry point is the Digital Check at a fixed price of €3,950 plus travel costs. It delivers the assessment and a prioritised roadmap, from which the scope of the implementation follows. With BAFA funding for management consulting, the own share in the western German federal states drops to €2,200, provided the application is approved before the consulting starts. Under current terms the programme ends on 31 December 2026.
Putting a figure on the implementation beforehand would not be serious. It depends on how many areas are affected and how much standardisation already exists.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is digital work, in simple terms?
Digital work means that information, tasks and decisions in a business flow digitally, and it is clearly regulated what is filed where and which channel is used for coordination. At PASSION4IT the Digital Work service covers collaboration, filing and permissions, processes and enablement.
Is digital work the same as working from home?
No. Working from home is a question of location. Digital work regulates how information flows, and it works in the office just as well as on a building site or at home.
What is the difference between Digital Work and a Microsoft 365 rollout?
A Microsoft 365 rollout provides technology. Digital Work first settles which filing applies, who makes which decision and which channels are used for what. Without these rules, the new system ends up as disorganised as the old one.
Which companies is PASSION4IT’s Digital Work suited for?
For mid-sized companies with 20 to 1,000 employees in Bavaria and the DACH region, on site and remote. It is aimed at management, IT leadership and those responsible for digitalisation.
How long does the introduction take?
Two to four weeks of analysis in the Digital Check, then 8 to 16 weeks for the first implementation stage, depending on size. Training the workforce runs in parallel.
Is Digital Work eligible for funding?
The consulting share is, via the BAFA funding for management consulting. PASSION4IT is registered with BAFA under consultant number 222542. For the Digital Check the own share drops to €2,200 in the western federal states.
Who looks after the topic at PASSION4IT?
Andreas Hackl, Head of Business Operations. He supports Digital Work projects and regularly runs webinars on the subject.