The past year has been sink or swim for most businesses. In the name of treading water, we’ve seen the rushed implementation of new digital tools and services. This has left companies with a unique opportunity to build upon that new digital infrastructure and make something great.

I’ve written before about the fact that, sooner or later, every company is going to need to undergo some kind of digital transformation. While it’s an idea that makes the less technically savvy among us nervous, embracing new technologies is a business imperative. Because of that, something I like to stress is how simple it can be. You just need to take things step-by-step and have a knowledgeable partner there to carefully guide you through uncharted territory.

Or at least, that’s how you did it before COVID-19. Suddenly the slow and steady approach has gone out the window. Leaders who at one time might have been ready to dip their toes into new digital waters got tossed right into the deep end. The result has been an incredible period of high-stakes innovation. And yet, I wouldn’t call most of what I’m seeing a transformation.

What many companies are doing is adapting. In biological terms, an adaptation is a process that helps an organism survive in its current environment. When you adapt you haven’t become something new, you’re what you were with an adjustment. In the coming months, the true test of how well a business “survived” the pandemic will be whether their team can scale their hastily adapted digital infrastructure into something lasting and, hopefully, transformative.

It’s an important topic, and one we’re going to talk about in two more parts. The takeaway, for now, is to look back at the work you’ve done during the pandemic and consider what was a “temporary fix” versus a “planned transformation.” Dig in and actually make a list of those things you think are temporary. We’ll be visiting that list later!

In part 2 we’ll look at how companies like Airbnb are digitally adapting, and some of the biggest digital transformation failures in history. Keep an eye out.