Unit 6 Managing Business Project: Innovative Digital Workspace H&M

This project explores the concept of an innovative digital workspace, particularly in the context of H&M and its response to external disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic. The project planning phase outlines the scope, milestones, and activities necessary for successful digitization, including environmental analysis, impact assessment, and technology evaluation. A project management plan (PMP) is designed to detail activities related to scope, cost, time, quality, risk, communication, resources, and monitoring. The business case project report includes a literature review discussing digital workplace transformation, innovative technologies, and strategies adopted by H&M, drawing comparisons with competitors like Zara and Uniqlo. The report emphasizes the importance of innovative digital tools for enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and customer experience in the retail industry. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments and study resources for students.

Unit Number and
Title Unit 6 – Managing Successful Business Project
Project Title What does an innovative digital workspace look like?
1

Table of Contents
Portfolio: What does an innovative digital workspace look like?
1 – Project planning 3
2 – Business Case Project report 7
References 17
2 – Project Logbook 19
4 – Reflective Practice 20
2

Portfolio: What does an innovative digital workspace look
like?
1 – Project planning
Scope: What activities and tasks as defined in the project must be
done in order to make the project a success?
Scope in terms of project management can be defined as the functions and
features which are required by a product or when it comes to conducting a task, it
involves the size and scope of the work that is to be completed. The project that has
been selected herein the effective study of innovative digital workplaces and how
they help a firm like H&M or have already helped it get ahead of the curve by beating
some lethal influences coming from the external environment such as the COVID-19
pandemic (Bhatnagar and Grosse, 2019). This will be a small scale project with
moderate budgetary requirements and will involve the following activities that are
crucial to the overall success of the project.
 Proper environmental analysis of H&M's current workplaces
 Studying the impact that the coronavirus epidemic has had on the
stakeholders of H&M and its way of conducting work
 Study of rivals which have undergone successful digital transformations
 Evaluating tools and techniques to help in digitizing the workplaces of the
company all over the globe
Milestones: Major events or phases in the project
Digitizing a workplace is a complex and exhaustive process even for
established brands like H&M as digital transformations although very effective in
increasing productivity and aiding a firm in extracting much better levels of efficiency
from their workers, involves huge costs and rampant changes which affects all major
internal stakeholders of the business (Cinco, 2021). Some major events and phases
which will be involved in this project will include the following.
3

 Initiation – This phase of the project will be used to define the clear cut goals
which will be involved in this project such as effectively digitizing workplaces
and taking into account all the stakeholders involved in the business such as
employees and customers
 Planning – This phase will include the defining of scope of the entire project
along with creation of project plans which serve as basic guidelines for the
completion of the project
 Execution – Herein the various resources which are used to effectively
digitize workspaces will be studied and analysed in detail along with proper
allocation and management of resources (Peláez,and et.al., 2021).
 Monitoring and controlling – Digitisation is a cyclic process which exists in a
continuous process loop which requires constant regulation and updation of
electronic infrastructures which will be planned out and implemented in this
phase
 Closing – In this final phase, the overall deliverables of the project will be
handed over, the results of managing and achieving fully digitized workplaces
in the business will be reviewed for further streamlining and scaling in the
future.
Initiation, planning and execution: Details of activities to be carried
in the project
In order to successfully undergo the digitisation of the workplace of H&M in
the workplace of the company in order to make it more robust to wither the constant
disruptions brought upon by the external environment of business, the following
tasks involved in the project have been deemed to be necessary to undertake in
order to ensure the overall success of the project.
 Evaluation of currently existing workplace practices in order to find areas
where digitisation is fruitful and will benefit H&M by a large margin
 Narrowing down the scope identified within the first task so that proper
planning and strategic frameworks can be thought out in regards to specific
4

key operations of H&M such as procurement, marketing and even cross
departmental operations (Cao,Vasek and Dusik, 2018)
 Researching digital technologies and tools which are best suited to the
organization's needs such as cloud solutions which provide a safety blanket
by advanced means of data handling and storage or digital infrastructures
which makes operations easier
 Testing the tools and techniques to ensure that the implementation does not
include critical errors and there are multi-purpose solutions which are
prompted through such technologies
 Adapting the digital technologies in the workplace with constant regulation
along with eventual expansion of scope to cover the entire organizational
infrastructure
A project management plan (PMP) has been designed herein to detail the
comprehensive activities and all the processes that will be involved to properly
undertake this project.
 Scope - The scope will be limited in nature and will feature bulk analysis of
digitized workplaces of both competitors and H&M to highlight its need and
importance to deal with external events such as COVID-19
 Cost – The cost is a also a valid factor to consider as project costs are the
basis of its eventual approval by the top management. The costs that will be
involved in this project will be moderate but installation of digital technologies
will lead to high expenditures (Tindall, 2019)
 Time – The time taken will be moderate with approximate 6-7 month that will
be taken to analyse the internal workplaces of H&M and its competitors along
with the study of impact that COVID-19 has had on methods of working in
firms along with establishment of measures for full digitisation of the
workplace of H&M
 Quality – The project deliverables will include accurate information about the
way rivals have digitized their respective workplaces along with the tools and
5

techniques which can further help streamline the operations of H&M in a post
pandemic environment (Moore, 2018)
 Risk – The advent of COVID-19 will be studied in detail in this project as it is
one of the most crucial factors which has prompted brands like H&M and
many other established ones to pursue rapid digitisation
 Communication – The flow of communication in this project will be largely
formal and will involve all the major stakeholder considerations as there
participation will be crucial in conducting primary research
 Resources – The major resources which will be invested in this project is
social media analytic tools to study rival digitisation tactics, time needed to
analyse and interpret the data along with adoption of new digital technologies
such as cloud solutions (Bockshecker, Hackstein and Baumöl, 2018)
 Monitoring – The prepared plan will also include provisions for proper
monitoring of the digitized workplace including measures such as installation
of key KPI's, Gantt charts and critical chart methods.
Gantt chart: Work break down structure using to track the activities
to be undertaken
The following Gantt Chart has been prepared in order to properly connect the
project brief and major activities involved with strict time bound parameters.
6

3 – Business Case Project Report
Chapter 1: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction of Literature Review
The way that human technology has progressed in the recent years has been
mind boggling as through the advent of the internet and the consequent hold that
social media tools and websites have taken over the general populace has brought
on digital revolutions in multiple industries (Hinterhuber and Nilles, 2021). The
business environment has become disruptive to the point that digitized workplaces
are the new norm as they have played an important role, especially in the backdrop
of the COVID-19 pandemic as it has effectively shifted the way business conduct
their operations in their target market along with the way they make their workforce
conduct tasks in their inner work floors.
2.2 Main body with heading and sub-headings
Theme 1 - Digital workplace transformation
According to Alon Ghelber, 2022, the process of digital transformation in the
current times is entirely driven by customer expectations and it has become the most
noticeable trend among businesses in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic as
businesses have changed their eternal models of conducting operations along with
inner workflow of their daily tasks and duties (7 Digital-Transformation Trends to
Watch, 2022). Among the major trends that have been shaping up the modern digital
transformation of workplaces, some important ones that need further introspection
because ion their stellar potential include block chains, data protection and security,
7

smart systems comprising of automation and artificial intelligence along with the
prevalence of hybrid workplaces where both remote and traditional work is practised.
In order to properly undertake the digital transformation of the entire business
operations of H&M, it is very important to study how their rivals in the industry have
digitized their operations including their workplaces. Two of the major competitors
that H&M face tough competition from include Zara and Uniqlo and they both have
taken major steps to properly define and chart their digital transformation which has
been mentioned below.
 Zara – Zara has also paved a decent way towards planning to digitize their
operations because the popular brand also suffered from a lot of pandemic
based losses. Zara has been very successful in using smart technologies to
digitize their operations such as the use of Inditex open platform which is a
digital technology which helps the firm to perform integrated stock
management and smartly manage its stores related operations online.
 Uniqlo – This company is also a great example of achieving digital
transformation in business operations as the globally popular apparel
company identified the increasing demand of its target market all the way
back in 2017 and immediately digitized their supply chain in response. The
company has also partnered with two robotic startups to fully automate their
warehouses in the next 3-5 years which is a major testament to their online
growth that H&M can learn from.
Theme 2 - Innovative technologies and strategies adopted by H&M for
implementation of innovative digital workplace during COVID-19 and
importance of innovative digital tools
Innovative tools and technologies carry major significance for any business
concern and it is especially important for retailers such as H&M whose entire
industry is based on customer convenience and overall experience with the products
made by the company. Some of the most used innovative digital tools which have
helped many companies like Zara and Uniqlo to successfully achieve digitization in
their operations include use of business intelligence tools which utilizes the
8

techniques of big data analytics, agile tools which are used to make the company
better equipped to handle external disruptions. Other tools are also used which help
in digitization of the workspace resulting in employees becoming more efficient.
There are many benefits of using these tools which are listed herein.
 By using such innovative tools, companies can simplify many of the complex
tasks which they have to perform at a regular interval of time such as market
research and consumer trend analysis
 Tools which facilitate big data analytics help firms obtain a lot of relevant data
regarding their target market which helps in smart policy formulation
 Using innovative digital tools to digitize the workplace helps companies
become much more sustainable towards their employees as a digitized
workplace provides more comfort, operational flexibility and a better work life
balance to the employees
H&M is a major player in the global retail market but its lack of turning its
majority of operations digital has harmed the company in many ways which is why
there must be proper measures taken to alleviate this issue. By digitizing their
workplace, the company can undertake many good practices such as making the life
of their employees better and providing customers with better quality products at a
faster rate.
According to Elizabeth Mixson, 2021, digital transformations are almost a
necessity in the current business environment and even established brands such as
H&M whose legacy can be stretched back to 1947 and even though it dominated the
brick and mortar fashion industry, the competition has caught up with it (H&M
Restyled: Inside H&M Digital Transformation, 2022). The process of digitizing the
workplace has many challenges such as upsurge in operational costing along with
resistance against change which is rallied by employees whether new recruits or
veterans. H&M however has worked very hard to recover from the massive
pandemic losses which were forced upon it via lockdown and restrictions by using a
omni-channel strategy along with hybrid working (Ifenthaler and Egloffstein, 2020).
9

Theme 3 - Challenges faced by H&M due to COVID-19 in the absence of
innovative digital workspace
According to Sahar Nazir, 2021, H&M is one of the biggest retailers worldwide
which multiple outlets in most major and developing markets which allows it to
dominate the fast fashion industry however this also means that the coronavirus
hampered its proceedings in a big manner (H&M “significantly affected by pandemic”
as profits drop 88%, 2021). The firm posted losses worth millions of dollars
consistently through 2020 and parts of 2021 where not having a digitized workplace
resulted in lot of traditional job cutting which also lead to controversy by labour union
backlash. Not having proper digitized workplaces also made the brand run into
constant supply chain problems triggered by absence of automated and smart AI
systems (Wang, and et.al., 2020).
Theme 4 - Impact of innovative digital workspace on the organisational
performance and employee's productivity during COVID-19 within H&M
According to H&M Group’s CEO Helena Helmersson and CTO Alan Boehme,
2021, there have been significant developments which have led to the brand of H&M
corning a heavy share of the fast fashion industry for more than 74 years and one of
the biggest reasons has been its active use of technological integrations within the
workplace operations (Securing 74 more years in fashion: H&M Group shapes the
future of retail with tech, 2022). The company strives to use technology in intelligent
ways by empowering its employees and their work environment which makes their
operations as user friendly as possible and one of the major ways it is using modern
technologies such as block chains, clouds and electronic computer systems is to
push towards more sustainability (Chen and Fang, 2019).
2.3 Conclusion of Literature Review
The above conducted literature review highlighted the importance of digitized
workplaces as they are the current need of the hour especially seen during the rapid
wave of digital infrastructure building by many firms in the backdrop of the COVID-19
10

pandemic (Josefsson and Öhrström, 2018). Some major trends were highlighted
such as block chains along with the major techniques adopted by H&M to combat
against the ill-effects of the pandemic. The literature review also focused on the
massive challenges that were faced by the brand due to the coronavirus along with
the impact of such technologies on the way employees are currently being treated by
the company.
Chapter 1: Methodology
3.1 Research Process
The process of this research which will be conducted are listed herein.
 Formulating the research problem which has been identified as the role of
COVID-19 in disrupting the operations of H&M and its relation to lack of
workplace digitisation
 Undertaking extensive literature reviews and surveys to fully understand the
problem
 Preparing sample design and primary research methods to the undertaken
 Collecting and interpreting data
 Finishing with conclusion and recommendations
3.2 Research Approach
The research which will be conducted in this report will be a mixed evaluation
where there will be extensive focus on secondary sources of data to form important
perimeters using information already available on the internet in the form of
published articles and case studies along with primary sources of data. The data
collected will be both qualitative and quantitative in nature and the way it will be
interpreted will focus more on deductive reasoning as the positive benefits of
digitized workplaces will be tested frequently.
3.3 Research Strategy
11

Both primary and secondary forms of evaluation will form the core of the
research represented as there have been sufficient literature reviews that have been
undertaken toe stablish the importance of innovative and digitized workplaces in the
context of the operational working of H&M. The main strategy of research which will
be employed here is the survey method in which various questions will be formulated
and exposed to a pre decided audience whose responses will form the crux of the
primary data collected for the purpose of statistical interpretation.
3.4 Research Methodology and Tools
Research methodology refers to the various tools, techniques which can be
used under a selected framework which forms not only the structure of the report but
also helps in proper execution of research (Silva and Bonetti, 2021). The main form
of data which will be collected from the employees of H&M in order to gain the
current estimate of their workplace in terms of digitization and to study the avenues
for further improvements. The main tool which will help this assignment is a small
questionnaire where the sample size will be 40 employees which has been
formulated below.
Questionnaire – H&M's current workplace assessment
Name - Designation -
Date -
Q.1) How has your overall work experience been in H&M since the pandemic
began?
(A) Good
(B) Bad
Q.2) What digitized changes has the company brought in the workplace that you
appreciate?
(A) Hybrid working
(B) Cloud solutions
Q.3) Are you currently satisfied with the working environment and systems at H&M?
12