Japan's Digital Transformation Failure Offers Global Lessons
A digital transformation failure in Japan offers universal lessons for teams worldwide. It highlights challenges common to many digital transformations, especially within Japan's unique market context. #DigitalTransformation #CaseStudy https://t.co/drEIvhacNT
AI Change Fails 70‑80% When One Gear Breaks
Organizational change, especially with AI, has a staggering 70-80% failure rate. This often stems from systemic breakdowns within the 'machine' – all three core gears must function for success. #ChangeManagement #AI #BusinessSuccess https://t.co/oDzHVurz8p
ERP Success Requires Independent Program Management, Not Vendor‑Led PMO
Successful ERP implementations hinge on strong program management. Don't rely on vendors for this crucial PMO role; ensure it's filled internally or by an independent consultant to manage all the moving parts. #ERP #ProjectManagement https://t.co/0YCZ14yXug
Hire a Business Architect, Not Just ERP Vendors
Building a house requires a general contractor, not just subcontractors like plumbers. The same applies to ERP implementation: you need a business architect to tie everything together, ensuring your ERP vendor (the 'plumber') fits into the overall plan. #ERP #BusinessStrategy...
I Thrive on Long‑term Projects, Not Quick Fixes
I started a Project Management project for a client , now I’m in the org chart making sure ownership is clear. I’ve restructured their team meetings , created 3 Dashboards for leadership visibility , already had 1:1’s with 3 team members...
AI Pilots Fail without Strategy, Ownership, and Integration
Most AI pilots fail 👇 Not because of the tech. Because of the strategy. • No clear ownership • No measurable outcomes • No operational integration 🚀 AI becomes valuable when tied to business execution. Via Giuliano Liguori (@ingliguori) #AI #Innovation #DigitalTransformation
AI Projects Fail Without Stakeholder‑Driven Business Focus
Stakeholder Management and Stakeholder Engagement were both top breakout signals this week. Not model news. Not platform updates. Stakeholder skills. Because most AI projects don't fail on technology. They fail because someone forgot to ask what the business actually needs.
SAP S/4HANA Rollout Can Halt Operations for Months
Implementing SAP S/4HANA can be catastrophic. One company's rollout shut down operations for 6 months, leaving products off shelves nationwide. Major projects demand flawless execution. #SAP #ERP https://t.co/AypmgCE56m
Funding Projects Leaves Products Perpetually Half‑Finished
Project funding is how large organizations control their budgets. It is also, rather inconveniently, how they ensure their digital products stay permanently half-finished. The mechanics of it are almost elegant in a depressing sort of way. A project gets funded, a...
AI Operating Partner Drives Dialogue, Not Unwarranted Adoption
"An AI Operating Partner will force AI conversations at portfolio companies, which is useful as long as it does not create pressure to adopt AI without justification." Korn Ferry institute commentary on the AI Operating Partner role Korn Ferry Institute commentary on...
ERP Success Requires Customer and Employee Experience Focus
Executives may see ERP implementation as a necessity, but justification needs more. Focus on improving customer and employee experience with detailed future-state operating and organizational models. #ERP #BusinessTransformation https://t.co/fjPFiG70fH
Most Firms, Especially Japan's Biggest, Stuck in Legacy Systems
A staggering 61% of organizations, and 74% of Japan's largest, rely on outdated legacy systems. Many lack a digital strategy or replacement plan, with over half of modernizers re-customizing instead of adopting scalable solutions. #LegacySystems #DigitalTransformation https://t.co/Z7dKtrG0QJ
AI Agents Automate Consulting, Deliver Rapid AI Roadmaps
Foaster (@Foaster_ai) is building AI agents to replace consulting firms. They map how your company works, build your AI roadmap in days, and continuously guide adoption, upskilling, and execution. Congrats on the launch, @RaphaelDabadie and @alexcmbs17! https://t.co/NuMN5Ztn5J https://t.co/vommiCN61H
Speak Execs' Language: Frame UX as Retention, Cost, Risk
Executives don't care about users. That sounds harsh, but it's just accurate. They care about retention, acquisition, cost reduction, and compliance risk. Those are the things they're measured on. 'Users' is an abstraction that doesn't map to any of those. The...
AI Alone Can't Drive Enterprise Transformation without Expert Guidance
The inability of AI systems to act as their own deployment consultants, process mappers, and change management experts is what makes AI use in enterprises so “normal” - the tools are powerful, but you need a lot more to...
Beyond AI Tools: Build Scalable, Governed Transformation
What does generative transformation look like beyond adopting AI tools? It’s not more pilots. It’s not more tools. It’s building a system that compounds value. At @IBM Think, a few takeaways from my conversation with Blue Polaris: → A clear “North Star” that aligns every...
Few MBB Leaders Offer Genuine Intellectual Contributions Today
Very good point, Lethal. Zook, BTW is terrific but not many of his MBB colleagues take the time and think hard enough to make real intellectual contributions. George Stalk used to at BCG. Tom Peters way back when at McK....
AI Replaces Cloud as Business’s New Digital Engine
"From Digital Pipes to Cognitive Engines: Why Artificial Intelligence Marks Business’s Next Great Leap", Dez Blanchfield @dez_blanchfield on why digital transformation has shifted focus from CloudComputing to Artificial Intelligence. https://t.co/DyxrBztzNy
Disney Partners IBM to Drive Transformative Digital Growth
Next up - how @Disney is working with @IBM - a conversation between @JoanneWright16 and Susan Doniz - peppered with Disney media analogies and showing great transformation returns. #IBMThink https://t.co/1Gsludi6Ki
Bad Data Drove $84M SAP Failure and Six‑Month Shutdown
Spending millions on SAP S/4HANA failed spectacularly, going $84M over budget and shutting down operations for 6 months. Bad data complexity was a major culprit, crippling the business. #SAP #ProjectFailure #Business https://t.co/5mfv4SmYYp
Process Over Tools: I’ll Work Anywhere You Prefer
Google doc or not - I’ll work with you. I’m more concerned about your process and not ur tools . Let’s talk 👇🏾
Agentic Process Re‑Engineering Explained: Not Just BPR
Agentic process re-engineering. It's a thing. But don't confuse it with business process re-engineering. Bret Greenstein, chief AI officer at West Monroe, walks us through the similarities and differences. (My latest in @forbes) https://t.co/RgtpwCwzZF
Lead Change Adaptively, Not Just as a Prophet
“Is your team/organization *adaptively* charting and sailing a course of success? Or do you need to be the prophet inside preaching the gospel of change?” 🔗 https://t.co/TR9SgSUXwm #changemanagement #organizationalchange #workplaceeffectiveness https://t.co/BZGJjnMCDd
Outperforming Leaders Turn Data Into Accountability and New Options
Every company has dashboards. Few have a system for accountability. The leaders who outperform use data to make different decisions, allocate capital differently, and see the fourth option others miss. #Strategy #Leadership #DecisionMaking #Innovation https://t.co/ITZftd870u
Value Creation Beats Cost‑Cutting for Sustainable Growth
Cost-cutting is easy but it’s not a strategy for winning. When you shrink too much, competitors step in with better experiences and take your customers with them. Growth comes from improving value, not just protecting margins. Charging premium prices for a...
Clients Question Hourly Fees as AI Handles Work
"it's not just talent that's changing. The commercial model is under pressure too. Clients are starting to push back on hourly billing, asking why fees shouldn't fall if AI is doing some of the work."
Ask Before Solving: Stop Assuming Clients' Needs
I’m a business strategy consultant and project manager so I build businesses and processes for a living and I’m excellent at it. I have learned that people are just talking and not looking to figure out or solve the problem...
AI Consulting Shifts From Advice to Transform & Operate
Closing the @IBMConsultkng event with our final Executive Q&A session: Mohamad Ali, @AndyBaldwin_ and @neilkdhar discussing AI, consulting, and business transformation. I asked for the biggest transformation ahead - got a vaguish answer by Andy that it will be more...
Strategy + Accountability: Bridge the Gap to Results
I've been feeling like this is becoming sort of lost service, as people shift from strategy to implementation with no in between. Fortunately I do have a 1:1 support offer that centers around both strategy AND accountability. It's been nice to...
Andy Baldwin Outlines IBM Consulting’s Growth Drivers
Next up it's @IBM @AndyBaldwin_ talking about where the growth for @ibmconsulting will come from #IBMThink https://t.co/VkWzOyCJWE
Execs Hire Non‑GenAI Consultants to Predict GenAI Efficiency
The great GenAI paradox: Executives are paying consultants who don’t use GenAI to tell them how GenAI will replace inefficiency. You can’t make this stuff up. Well, actually… GenAI can. 🙃 https://t.co/V95kCCFttD
Ignoring Change Management Dooms ERP Implementations
ERP implementation failure often stems from neglecting organizational change management. This oversight can trigger numerous other issues throughout the project. #ERP #ChangeManagement https://t.co/Z6XQ84MEme
Scale Teams by Multiplying Digital Workers, Not Headcount
What does it mean to scale a team when part of your workforce is digital labor? #Sponsored At @salesforce TDX, I sat down with Brandon Metcalf, CEO of @Asymbl_Inc, and what he shared challenged the assumption that growth is tied to...
Human Judgment, Not Models, Becomes the New Competitive Moat
The skills surging right now? Critical thinking. Strategic planning. Not prompting. Not fine-tuning. As AI tools proliferate, the floor for automation rises. The ceiling for human judgment rises with it. The next moat isn't your model. It's the thinking on top of it. https://t.co/2YO6AA87nc
Mid-Market SAP Implementations Fail Too—Learn From Real Case
ERP and digital transformation failures aren't exclusive to giant corporations. Mid-market companies, even those you haven't heard of, face dramatic SAP implementation fails too. Learn from a publicly traded company's disclosed struggles. #ERP #DigitalTransformation #SAP https://t.co/Bo7aP7afGm
Your Growth Resources Are Already Within Reach
One of my favorite moments in client work is when a founder realizes the resources they need to grow are already around them. They just need someone with a zoomed out view to see it and the design the right structure...
Augment Humans to Evolve; Cost‑Cutting Leads to Extinction
Navigating AI Darwinism: Why companies that augment human potential will evolve, while those obsessed with cost-cutting and efficiency face extinction. https://open.substack.com/pub/briansolis/p/the-new-roi-why-return-on-intelligence
Design First: Avoid Unscalable, Risky System Rollouts
Building systems without upfront organizational design leads to location-specific solutions that don't scale. Don't be overly optimistic; if reports seem too green, trust your gut and dig for risks before launch. #ProjectManagement #BusinessStrategy https://t.co/GL8dCZ9oFM
Internal Politics, Vendors, Consultants
Digital transformation is a perfect storm of problems. My new book, "Welcome to the Machine," explores the systemic issues rooted in internal politics, software vendors, and consultants. Understanding these three dimensions is key. #DigitalTransformation #Tech https://t.co/et5YVRV1pc
Balancing Agent-First Architecture with Human Buyer Relationships
How does an enterprise pivot to an “agent-first” architecture without completely alienating its traditional human buyers? https://t.co/YV3RT3pqcl @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Leadership #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #AI #Strategy #Marketing #MarketingSuccess #MarketingStrategy #Branding
Start with Structure, Not Software, for Successful Overhauls
Unpopular take: Most operating model overhauls fail because they start with software selection. Software is downstream of structure. Pick the structure first. The right tool reveals itself.
Translate Strategy Into Simple Daily Actions for Lasting Results
Telling people “we need to grow” doesn’t work if it doesn’t connect to their reality. Strategy only sticks when it’s translated into simple, actionable principles people can actually live by every day. That’s where clarity beats complexity. The real challenge is...
Independent, Tech‑Agnostic Support Keeps Digital Transformations on Track
Ensure independent, technology-agnostic support for your digital transformation. This keeps projects on track, avoids conflicts of interest, and prioritizes your business needs over vendor or integrator agendas. #DigitalTransformation #TechSupport https://t.co/Kago9XZc50
Organizational Silos Stall Implementation of Clear Recommendations
Good recommendations and implemented recommendations are two very different things, and the gap between them is almost always organizational rather than technical. I keep running into the same dynamic. A team identifies a problem. An audit gets done, often a thorough...
Skip Consulting After Graduation: Pursue Better Opportunities
This is an instance of the more general principle: If you are graduating university and are about to join a consulting firm, don't do that.
Data Migration Remains Underestimated Despite Persistent Industry Challenges
Data Migration Is Still Hard: Why the Industry Keeps Underestimating It "Every few years the IT industry rediscovers something that experienced practitioners already know: moving data is difficult." https://t.co/Qy0esoSAIR
Business Case Drives Ongoing ERP Governance and Benefits
A business case does more than just justify an ERP project. It's crucial for ongoing governance, guiding key decisions and ensuring benefits are measured and optimized post-deployment. #BusinessCase #ERP #ProjectManagement https://t.co/8UBmNruRtR
Redefining ROI for Distributed, Behavioral Value Metrics
#CIOChat Q3: Traditional ROI models break down when value is distributed, compounding, or behavioral (productivity, experience, speed). How are you redefining ROI, such as leading indicators, value realization tracking, product-level P&Ls, to make it actionable? https://t.co/puLY66fnSw
Consultants' Deliverables Lose Traction, Fueling Silent Frustration
Consultant deliverable adoption curve: PowerPoint deck → 'this is great' Diagnostic worksheet → 'we'll get to this' Decision-rights doc → 'when did you say this was due?' I'm not bitter. I'm budgeting therapy with my deliverable margin.
Clear Business Case & ROI Drive Project Success
Defining the business case and ROI is crucial. Clear goals maximize post-implementation value and provide direction during the project itself. #BusinessStrategy #ROI https://t.co/e3hpKSpdQZ