Two-thirds of transformation programs collapse, and many of the remaining third are late, over budget, and don't deliver expected benefits. David Hilliard and Ian Waters discuss common reasons why programs fail, including lack of skills to manage large programs, poor resource allocation, cultural issues, and denial of problems. They advocate for separate program leadership, external help when needed, and a realistic health check to establish a new plan if milestones are missed.

1. Why programs
collapse
Insights from
David Hilliard and Ian Waters
Results. Nothing less.

2. David Hilliard,
Chief Executive at Mentor
David is a trusted hard-core
specialist with encyclopaedic skills
on strategy execution – a down-to-
earth practitioner, with over 30 years’
experience in Telecoms, Media, and
IT industries.
He has helped many clients set up
new businesses – Energis, Eircell,
Virgin Mobile, Three, 5 Television
and Tele2. David provides managers
with practical tactics to unclog
problems blocking high
performance.

3. Ian Waters,
Partner at Mentor
Ian is an experienced advisor with a
long track record of developing and
implementing pragmatic strategies
that deliver concrete results.
He has advised Operators, Vendors
and Financial investors in over 40
countries on a range of Operational,
Strategic and Financial issues.
Recent clients have included EE,
Cable & Wireless, telent, Ericsson,
eir, Lilly and O2.

4. Two-thirds of transformation
programs collapse.

5. Within the remaining third, many are late,
go over budget, and don’t deliver the
benefits expected.

6. What’s going on?
After all, no company
sets out to fail.

7. Let’s look at the reasons
why programs collapse…

8. …and explore how you can
secure your programs’
success.

9. David
The first signs…
Perhaps some critical
milestones have been missed.
Maybe a key supplier objects
to extra demands. People
close to the program have
voiced concerns ……. and the
CEO finally realises things are
not as they should be.
“

10. Business-critical
programs are
different…
If the company hasn’t run one
of these programs for a very
long time, they’re unlikely to
have the skills and capability
in-house to run one. You must
treat it differently.
David
“

11. The missing link
between strategy
and execution…
It’s rare that we see a board of
directors who say ‘Right then,
show me how you’re going to
do it’. Unlike strategy,
execution doesn’t get the
attention it deserves.
Ian
“

12. The wrong
organisational
structure…
A traditional, functional
organisational structure will
never run this type of
program successfully. You
need an organisation – and a
leader – that’s separate and
distinct from the functional
structure.
David
“

13. Poor resource
allocation…
For a business-critical
program, probably all of the
critical resource is required
100% of the time. Not doing it
that way is a sure sign that
the company has simply not
done enough to convert
strategy-speak into
execution.
David
“

14. Organisational
cultures…
Even if you have someone
good in the key roles, you
need to have an organisation
around them that lets them
do the job. Otherwise the
company “immune system”
will reject them.
Ian
“

15. The denial phase…
Only a few brave-hearted
managers actually have the
courage to face up to their
mistakes.
David
“

16. Turning the corner
with a healthcheck…
This is not a box-ticking
exercise. What’s really
important here is to establish a
new plan ……. because the
original dates for the program
and the benefits have gone.
That means establishing a new
and credible roadmap for the
future.
David
“

17. External help…
Organisations are used to
seeking external help to get
the right set of skills when
they need it. But when it
comes to delivering business-
critical programs, they think
it’s BAU ……. and they can do
it themselves.
Ian
“

18. Common sense is
not that common…
Many people look at our
proposals, and when the
program is getting back on
track, they say ‘well, this is all
common sense’. What we’ve
learnt, is that ‘common sense’
is not that common.
David
“

19. To view the comprehensive video series on
“Why programs collapse”,
visit the video section on
our website or YouTube channel.

20. Mentor has a proven approach that ensures you
succeed with your toughest execution challenges.
Visit mentoreurope.com to find out how we deliver results.

21. Results. Nothing less.