Board management digitalization helps streamline governance by centralizing information, enhancing collaboration, and improving security. Success depends on choosing the right platform and aligning it with board processes.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Centralize board data for easier access and control.
- Enable remote collaboration with real-time tools.
- Use digital features to speed up decisions.
- Prioritize platforms with strong data security.
A Strong Start Begins with the Right People
Once you start thinking about a tool’s implementation process, it means you’ve done part of the job, in other words, choosing your solution. This organizational shift will be a game changer, but board management digitalization comes with certain challenges…
While software capabilities matter, people make or break the implementation. Too often, projects stall not because the platform lacks features, but because internal roles aren’t clearly defined. Legal and IT leaders are unsure who’s driving the rollout. Board members feel blindsided. Support teams scramble to catch up.
To avoid this, legal departments must treat board portal implementation as a shared initiative with distributed ownership.
The Corporate Secretary, a Key User
Behind every successful board management digitalization, is a great general or corporate secretary. This key user and stakeholder often initiates the request and guides some of the most pressing needs regarding their new tool. As the person responsible of board governance processes, they tend to have a deep understanding of their needs and those of board members.
The General Secretary acts as:
- Central coordinator: Bridging all the other necessary parties together and usually helping alignment. This includes the other key players we’ll see throughout the article.
- Compliance guardian: Since they handle board records, resolutions, and documentation, they ensure the tool will support internal and external legal standards.
- Process optimizer: They are best placed to streamline meeting workflows and set realistic expectations for adoption.
Their Needs to Succeed
- Early support from IT for any integrations needed and security/compliance topics
- Well defined use cases that will determine priorities and will help plan realistic scenarios and deadlines
- Authority, to some extent, over platform configuration.
Board Members: The End Users with Executive Influence
It may sound obvious, but it’s worth emphasizing, that board members are more than just users of the board management solution. After all, what would a board management digitalization be good for if they don’t engage with the tool or don’t understand its benefits. Board members are merely recipients of the portal; they are co-creators of its strategic value. Their level of engagement (or lack of it) will ultimately determine whether the rollout succeeds or becomes a just a cost.
Board members will provide:
- Usability feedback: As final end users, their input will ensure that the tool will respond to their needs and is aligned with their ways of working. The earlier on you can gather their feedback, the better it is.
- Adoption rates: Board members are powerful ambassadors. When a senior leader adopts and champions a new platform, it sets the tone and drives broader engagement across the organization.
- Governance testing: Their workflows such as voting, reviewing, and approving are where the platform must prove its value.
What They Will Need to Succeed
- Clear, relatable use cases: They need practical examples that mirror their day-to-day responsibilities and demonstrate how the platform supports real governance work.
- Tailored follow-ups that respect their time: Communication before, during, and after the rollout should be adapted to their schedules and priorities.
- Consistent support after rollout: Ongoing assistance is essential to maintain engagement and ensure long-term value from the platform.
Other Key Stakeholders You Might Not Expect
While the legal team may lead the strategy, other departments and key individuals are essential to the success of any board management digitalization effort.
The IT Department
Usually board management solutions don’t require nearly as much work as for instance, contract management tools. Nevertheless, the IT department is crucial to ensure security and compliance, infrastructure integration and technical assistance in case of complex issues.
As you choose your final tool, the IT team will provide help understanding the provider complies to all cybersecurity and data residency standards. Usually the service provider shares this information early on.
An easy example of their key role is SSO enablement. Board members and general secretaries handle a lot of confidential information, and this type of login is indispensable to ensure maximum security.
Important note: Some service providers also offer IT support during rollout, it’s important for your internal IT department to understand responsibilities on each end prior to the actual implementation.
Project Champions and Admins
Project champions are needed every step of the board management digitalization process. The champion can vary, sometimes it’s an end user, sometimes a legal ops team member… No matter who gets assigned or takes on the role, the important thing is that they ensure a smooth implementation by providing visibility and enabling communication between stakeholders.
For example, the project champion plays a critical role in a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach. As an early adopter, this person helps others navigate the platform and offers internal support. The project champion is often easy to identify and should be involved from the very beginning of the implementation.
Lay the Human Foundation Before the Digital One
Transformation succeeds only when the right people are engaged from the very beginning..
Your project champions and key users will naturally emerge during the selection process. What matters next is maintaining that momentum: structuring the implementation phase, tailoring training by role, and assigning clear ownership.
After all, people drive technology. What would a board management solution be without the human factor? Not much.
Want to go further? If you’re wondering how the board management transformation looks like, get our full Board-tech Implementation guide.
