Donato BlandolinoNot strategy, not resources, not the system. Three patterns we find in almost every failed transformation project.
In transformation assignments, we at SMART iNTERIM recognise a clear pattern: the reasons why projects fail are almost never those officially cited.
When an SAP programme stalls, a restructuring fails to take effect or an operational realignment runs out of steam, the explanations always sound similar: the objectives were unclear. The organisation was not ready. The system did not cooperate. The complexity was underestimated.
That sounds plausible. It fits any steering committee meeting. It can be presented neatly on a slide. But it is rarely the truth.
After more than a decade in transformation projects, in manufacturing, mechanical engineering, aerospace, MedTech, automotive and chemicals, we at SMART iNTERIM see three patterns that recur in almost every failed project. Not as the exception. But as the rule.
1. It is not strategy that is lacking, it is honesty
In almost every assignment we take on, those involved already know where the real problems lie. Too many interfaces between departments. Too many bespoke solutions that have evolved over the years. Too little clear accountability for processes that cross departmental boundaries.
These issues are known. They are raised in internal meetings, discussed in staff kitchens and identified in employee surveys. But they are not resolved. Why? Because the solution is uncomfortable.
Real transformation means changing structures that have been in place for years. Reassigning responsibilities and, in doing so, removing people from roles they have held for a long time. Eliminating bespoke solutions that entire departments have grown accustomed to. Making decisions that will not please everyone.
Instead, work focuses on symptoms. New tools are introduced, additional reports are produced, further workshops are scheduled. All to create the feeling that something is happening, without tackling the actual problem.
Transformation does not begin with the right strategy. It begins with the willingness to state honestly what needs to change, and then to act on it.
2. It is not resources that are missing, it is focus
“We lack the resources, our experts are involved in too many projects at once.” This is one of the most common things we hear during critical project phases. It sounds understandable. And in most cases, it is wrong.
What we actually see when we look at key people’s calendars and how they spend their time: full days, booked solid, but mostly with meetings that produce no clear decisions, coordination sessions with no follow-through and documentation without implementation.
That was exactly the case in an assignment at a mechanical engineering company with production plants in Europe and Asia. Key people were constantly tied up in coordination between sites. The impression: working at full capacity. The reality: hardly any real value creation.
The problem was not a resource problem. It was a focus problem, compounded by a global set-up without a clear framework for decision-making. Transformation needs focus. A few issues. A clear priority. Consistent implementation.
3. It is not concepts that are missing, it is accountability
Most transformation projects we take over have enough slides. Strategy papers, process models, target visions, all there. Often produced by respected consultancies. Technically sound. Methodologically correct. What is missing is someone who ultimately says: I am accountable for this.
Too many projects are set up to distribute responsibility. Steering groups, steering committees, workstreams, matrix organisations, all structures that fragment accountability. When things get difficult, everyone points to the system, the process or another department.
We see this particularly often in SAP programmes. SAP is set up as an IT project. IT builds the system. The business functions are expected to adapt. Status reports are green. In reality: business functions not involved, processes not properly defined, responsibilities unclear.
SAP does not map processes. SAP forces you to lay your processes bare. If those processes are not clear, you are not building a system, you are building chaos into software.
The pattern is always the same
After more than 14 years of assignments in the manufacturing industry, we can say one thing with certainty: the officially stated reasons for failed transformations are almost never the real reasons. Strategy is not the problem. Nor are resources. Nor is the system. It is a lack of honesty, a lack of focus and a lack of accountability.
That is precisely why we at SMART iNTERIM work differently from traditional consultancies. We do not come to deliver concepts. We come to take responsibility. To demand decisions, not to facilitate them. To implement, not to recommend.
Because ultimately, it is not the concept that determines the outcome. It is whether someone is prepared to do what is truly necessary.
