The 5 elephants of business transformation

“Of all the business cases in the many companies I’ve either been Chief Executive or Chairman, where they’ve gone through all the process to the Board, I can’t remember one that ever delivered what was on the nameplate.”

-CEO

“I find that most proposals haven’t considered the implications for adjacent systems and processes. Then you end up with project over-runs and you’re into more money than you’d originally planned. I kicked proposals back for that more than any other reason.”

-COO

“Making sure you hear those voices means going and finding the right combination of stakeholders and some real dissenters. You know, the Ian Paisley’s, the no-nay-nevers. You get them in that room so you hear that voice. Because otherwise you do get groupthink.”

-Head of Transformation

“Vendors need to be able to walk in our shoes rather than just push technology. They need to be able to see things from our perspective as well. That’s how a vendor becomes a partner - it makes a big difference.”

-Enterprise Architect

“You can become over-focused on a programme. You live and breathe the whole thing yourself. When it’s going badly, you’re going badly, and when it’s going well, you’re going well. You take on the personality of the stage of the programme you’re in. And that makes it very, very tough.”

-CFO