This insight is featured in Mishcon de Reya’s guide “Fault Lines: Where Projects Crack and How the Board Can Hold the Line” and includes expert advice from PSS Solutions’ founder and CEO, Nadine Stuttle.
Why large transformation programmes go off track
Large scale transformation programmes rarely fail because of technology alone. In most cases, the early warning signs are already visible at board level long before issues surface in delivery.
Drawing on her experience leading and advising complex legal and IP tech transformation programmes, Nadine Stuttle highlights where things most commonly go wrong. The recurring failure points are rarely technical. They are rooted in people, governance and external pressure.
The three most common root causes of failure
Three patterns consistently emerge.
First, insufficient attention to culture and the people dimension, where delivery teams are not fully empowered or aligned.
Second, weak oversight of third party vendors, particularly where expectations are set during procurement but not effectively governed during delivery.
Third, limited visibility of external risk factors such as regulatory change, economic volatility and cyber threats.
What boards often miss
Boards tend to focus on plans, budgets, contracts and milestones. Yet it is often the less visible dynamics that determine whether a programme succeeds or begins to drift.
When culture is not actively shaped, when accountability is unclear, and when vendor performance is not challenged early, small issues can quickly escalate into systemic failure.
Vendor and external risk pressure points
Vendor risk is a particularly common pressure point. Overpromising at the outset, combined with poorly defined requirements, often leads to underdelivery. Without timely and decisive escalation at board level, these gaps widen and become significantly harder to recover.
External risk is also frequently underestimated. Transformation programmes can become internally focused, losing sight of regulatory, economic and cyber developments that evolve in parallel and can materially impact outcomes.
Expert advice from our CEO, Nadine Stuttle
Nadine Stuttle’s expert advice within the Mishcon de Reya Fault Lines guide focuses on how boards can identify these fault lines early and take practical steps to strengthen governance, reinforce accountability and maintain control throughout complex transformation programmes.
Download the full Mishcon de Reya guide below to read Nadine Stuttle’s complete expert perspective.
Download the full Mishcon de Reya guide
