Digital is “porous”, transverse to staff as well as to professionals and the pharmaceutical industry, like many industries today, is a rapidly changing sector where digital as a whole is becoming omnipresent.

The current context however, could be summarized in two characteristics. On one side an economic pressure leading to the contraction of budgets, on the other constant increases in drug regulation. These factors combined drive laboratories to transform themselves, relying on digital technology to redefine their strategies equally in their business model, their distribution, their internal organization, their work methodologies, their HR policy… Outside the source of innovation and renewal that digital technology can appear to be for the pharmaceutical industry, it is not a miracle remedy, it must allow the generation of value, specifically human.

We are living in a real digital revolution in health: we are seeing an evolution from the classic model of pharmaceutical companies, namely “R&D and manufacturer of drugs”, to another model defining itself as “provider of complete therapeutic solutions combining product and service to the patient ”. It is a profound change taking place !

The pace of developments in new technologies is constantly growing. It is now necessary to cope with a constant acceleration or companies often take longer to appropriate the new uses than to integrate them into their own organization. Artificial Intelligence, Information System, Big Data, Predictive Analysis, Mobility … The starting point of transformation projects is often linked to the fact that the constraints mentioned above meet the aspirations of employees to limit the constraints of everyday life. and use digital technology to increase productivity, efficiency and therefore comfort. Beyond employees, many professions appear and we see new profiles bloom where we did not expect them: Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Artificial Intelligence Programmer, Application Developer…. Previously relegated to IT services, these new businesses are now integrated as close as possible to the business departments to adapt to the needs of employees and not the other way around.

Aware that the integration and installation of new technologies is no longer an option but a necessity, laboratories are initiating the development of a new work ecosystem, that is more automated, more fluid, and contrary to what we might think, Industry 4.0 does not aim to replace human beings but to help them to work more effectively.

The companies that will make a success of their digital transformation will be those that place human beings at the center of their transformation project.

1. Human beings at the center of discussions Outside of the creation and use of innovative, collaborative tools, this is a profound change which impacts each of us directly in our daily lives.

The reality is somewhat binary. Productivity in companies is not proportional to the tools used but indeed to the use that employees make of them! Performance is about users, not tools !

It is therefore vital to place human beings at the center of deliberations, at the heart of the Industry of the Future to :

• operate the new technological solutions,
• facilitate access to knowledge,
• accelerate experiences (e-learning, digitalized workstation, virtual reality, mobile applications…),
• increase physical, sensory, communicative, and cognitive capacities (simulators, big data…),
• to promote, boost motivation, innovation and involvement.

For digital technology indeed impacts all of these dimensions. This is why work in design thinking mode and in agility is often highlighted.

2. Change yes, in collaboration and discussion. There is much talk of digital transformation within companies but very little of change management which however is vital if there is to be successful transformation, accepted and shared by all.

Well prepared change management is necessary in order to anticipate the obstacles and see through this revolution which employees must face up to, collectively or individually, successfully. This work is likely to represent a separate project to support this transformation which involves numerous work areas: HR, economic, marketing, organizational. In order to succeed with this transformation, it is vital to conduct a discussion with the teams as this transformation is a change in working methods and not just the arrival of new tools.

We often think, wrongly, that digital tools are adopted easily by users as they are more intuitive and ergonomic. However, although there may be simplified digitalized processes, internal business rules and processes are often complex. In simplifying the process, digitalization and the achievement of associated performance objectives will be facilitated. The tool will be placed at the service of a simplified process and not the process at the service of the tool !

To ensure maximum support for the digital transformation project, the company must therefore involve its employees in the discussion in order that they perceive its value and feel reassured regarding the future of their jobs, and so that they become vectors of the transformation.

For this it is necessary to set up a membership strategy as well as an educational approach.

• Set up a participatory initiative with the company stakeholders, based on design thinking, identifying the different populations, meeting with them, listening to the needs associated with their job, to fully understand their expectations, constraints and fears and to reassure them via a targeted and appropriate communication :
• To explain the challenges of the transformation and the objectives that the company wishes to achieve.
• To explain the benefits that everyone will be able to obtain from this transformation.
• To promote discussion, particularly during construction of the target, in order to create a real dynamic of sharing in the transformation.
• Train new tools, but also new challenges, for example via digital labs, learning games …. allowing strong involvement and interaction … using the tools of digital transformation for training usually causes a beneficial dynamic.

3. Experience feedback: operational staff faced with digital transformation Like many laboratories, one of our customers is rolling out their digital transformation plan by developing new processes, at all company levels and within all company entities. In this context, the Quality Operations Department launched an initiative to simplify and digitalize Quality processes with the aim of optimizing profitability and cost control.

We have supported an initial discussion on a pilot process eligible for digitalization, the Self-Inspection process in research and development with the purpose of reducing cycle time, the associated load, and to increase the added value of the listener.

We worked with the teams on:

1. A VSM (Value Stream Mapping) of the current process: steps, bottlenecks, non-value added activities, digitalization drivers… 2. Digitalization feasibility study 3. Recommendations and associated issues 4. Digitalization rollout strategy and roadmap (incorporating change management)

This is how we redesigned the whole process, starting from the employee needs and the current process. We have created a digital ecosystem to automate a whole set of actions. We have rethought the way the annual self-inspection list is established thanks to artificial intelligence. We have also redesigned the electronic signature system so that it fits perfectly and smoothly. Finally, the integration of “Beam” robots, that is to say robots on wheels with a screen at breast height, which can be operated remotely and are equipped with a microphone and a camera (cf. image 1), we found it interesting to meet the needs of ensuring remote self-inspection.

The linchpin of this solution is the self-inspection input process. We have rethought this in an application integrated into a tablet which has been made available to the teams on the ground. These teams, who up until then were only working on paper-based media, received their self-inspection schedule on their tablet, with standard templates, links to useful information systems…the inputting of their self-inspection reports directly on tablets in note mode and the direct integration of documents enabled a real gain in efficiency, monitoring and autonomy… and working comfort.

The Results that we expect :1. 30% reduction in load (preparation, writing, signatures…)2. 100% user satisfaction (ergonomics, added value in analysis)3. 40% reduction in cycle time4. Reduction in costs

Change management was a key activity in the success of digitalization. The communication, training, and involvement of middle management proved decisive. The latter, by also using these new tools, set an example and were therefore reassured and supported by their teams. The provision of top of the range smartphones/tablets and unrestricted internet access heightened the appreciation and responsibilization of employees. This had a decisive effect on compliance. So, this extremely nomadic population was also able to appreciate greater working comfort thanks to these new tools.