Major Digital Projects in Scotland Have Comms and Stakeholder Shortfalls

Why It Matters

Effective communication drives project success, reducing delays and cost overruns, so these gaps threaten Scotland’s digital transformation agenda. Addressing them improves stakeholder confidence and accelerates delivery of public services.

Key Takeaways

• Communications issues appear in 30% of project reviews.
• Only 4% of recommendations target communication improvements.
• Early-stage projects lack stakeholder mapping and communication plans.
• DAO identified 47 good‑practice examples for engagement.
• Scottish Digital Academy provides stakeholder management guidance.

Pulse Analysis

Scotland’s ambition to modernise public services through large‑scale digital programmes rests on a fragile foundation of coordination and trust. The Digital Assurance Office, operating under the Technology Assurance Framework, monitors thousands of project reviews to ensure that investments deliver measurable outcomes. Its latest review of 277 projects spanning 2017‑2025 reveals a persistent blind spot: communication and stakeholder engagement, which appear in nearly one‑third of all reports despite accounting for a modest 4% of formal recommendations. This disconnect signals that technical excellence alone cannot guarantee success without a parallel focus on people and processes.

The data points to four recurring deficiencies—weak stakeholder mapping, absent communication strategies, unmanaged expectations, and insufficient engagement throughout the lifecycle. Early‑stage initiatives are especially vulnerable, often launching without a clear picture of who needs to be informed or consulted, leading to misaligned objectives and eroding confidence among business users. Yet the DAO also documented 47 instances of best practice, ranging from structured stakeholder forums to transparent milestone updates and targeted briefings for senior sponsors. These examples demonstrate that modest procedural tweaks can transform a project’s perception and reduce the risk of costly rework.

To close the gap, Scottish public bodies are urged to embed two‑way communication loops from project inception, leveraging the resources offered by the Scottish Government’s Programme and Project Management Centre of Expertise and the Scottish Digital Academy. Practical steps include developing a detailed stakeholder map, publishing a concise communication plan, and scheduling regular feedback sessions that showcase how input shapes outcomes. By institutionalising these habits, organisations can boost stakeholder confidence, accelerate decision‑making, and ultimately deliver digital services that meet citizen expectations on time and within budget.