You've probably heard the statistic: 70% of digital transformation initiatives fail. It gets tossed around in boardrooms and conference keynotes like a warning label. And here's the thing — it's not wrong.
But what nobody tells you is why most transformations crash and burn. Spoiler: it's rarely the technology.
After watching dozens of companies attempt to "go digital" — some successfully, many not — we've noticed the failures share remarkably similar DNA. The good news? Once you know what kills transformations, you can avoid making the same mistakes.
The three killers of digital transformation
1. Technology-first thinking
The most common mistake? Starting with the tech instead of the problem.
"We need AI" is not a strategy. Neither is "let's move to the cloud" or "we should build an app." These are tools — potentially powerful ones — but tools without a clear purpose are just expensive experiments.
Successful transformations start with a simple question: What business outcome are we trying to achieve? Everything else follows from there.
2. Ignoring the human factor
You can build the most elegant system in the world. If your team won't use it, you've built nothing.
Change management isn't a buzzword — it's the difference between a system that transforms your operations and a system that collects dust. We've seen million-dollar platforms abandoned because nobody thought to ask the people who'd actually use them what they needed.
3. Choosing vendors over partners
There's a fundamental difference between a vendor who delivers code and a partner who owns outcomes.
Vendors disappear after launch. They hit their milestones, send the final invoice, and move on. When something breaks six months later — and something always breaks — you're on your own.
Partners stick around. They care whether the transformation actually worked, not just whether it shipped.
What successful transformations have in common
The 30% that succeed? They share a few traits:
- Clarity on outcomes — They know exactly what success looks like before writing a single line of code
- Executive sponsorship — A senior leader owns the initiative and removes obstacles
- Change management baked in — Training, communication, and adoption are planned from day one
- Iteration over perfection — They launch, learn, and improve rather than trying to get it perfect the first time
- The right partner — Not the cheapest option, but the one who understands the business and owns the outcome
Questions to ask before you start
Before committing to any transformation initiative, get honest answers to these questions:
- What specific business problem are we solving?
- How will we measure success?
- Who will own this internally?
- How will we get our team to actually adopt the new systems?
- Is our partner invested in outcomes, or just deliverables?
If you can't answer these clearly, you're not ready to start. And that's okay — better to pause now than join the 70%.
The best time to think about change management is before you start building. The second best time is now.
The path forward
Digital transformation doesn't have to be a gamble. With the right approach — outcome-focused, human-centered, partner-driven — you can be the exception to that 70% failure rate.
The question isn't whether your business needs to evolve. It's whether you'll evolve intentionally, or let circumstances force changes you didn't plan for.
We know which one we'd choose.
Entvas Editorial Team
Helping businesses make informed decisions
