Why 52% of Digital Transformation Projects Fail (And How to Be in the 48%)

Gartner reports 52% of digital initiatives fail to meet objectives. After rescuing dozens of failed transformations, here is why—and how to fix it.

## Why Transformations Fail

1. **No measurable success criteria** (70% of failures)
2. **Scope creep and "boil the ocean"** (65%)
3. **Lack of executive sponsorship** (60%)
4. **Underestimating change management** (58%)
5. **Technology focus instead of business outcomes** (55%)

## The 90-Day Sprint Framework

### Sprint 1: Foundation
- Define 3-5 measurable outcomes (not "better customer experience" but "reduce checkout time by 40%")
- Identify quick wins proving value
- Secure executive sponsor with skin in game

### Sprint 2: Pilot
- Deploy to small user group (10-15%)
- Measure against success criteria
- Iterate based on feedback
- **Decision point**: Continue, pivot, or kill

### Sprint 3: Scale
- Roll out to 50% if metrics hit
- Document lessons learned
- Build internal capability
- **Decision point**: Full deployment or adjust

## What Works: Small Wins Over Big Bets

**Bad**: $10M, 3-year "transform everything"
**Good**: Six $500K, 90-day initiatives with clear ROI

**Example**: Retail client killed $4M website rebuild. Instead:
- 90-day sprint 1: Mobile checkout optimization ($180K, 35% conversion increase)
- Sprint 2: Personalization engine ($220K, 23% revenue increase)
- Sprint 3: Inventory visibility ($190K, 40% call reduction)

Total: $590K, 9 months, 3 measurable wins. Would have spent $4M over 18 months for "maybe" results.

## Rescue Checklist

If your transformation is struggling:
- [ ] Can you state success metrics in one sentence?
- [ ] Can you prove value in 90 days or less?
- [ ] Does your executive sponsor attend weekly check-ins?
- [ ] Is the team empowered to kill features that are not working?

If "no" to any: pause, reset, or kill.