Why Consulting Projects Stall Midway & How to Prevent That

Stakeholders discussing how to prevent consulting projects stall.

You’ve signed the contract, aligned your stakeholders, and kicked off your consulting project with optimism. The first few weeks are electric — workshops are buzzing, milestones are met, and reports land on time. Then, somewhere around the halfway mark, the energy dips. Meetings become more about updates than decisions. Deadlines slip. People start asking, “What’s actually happening with this project?”

It’s a familiar pattern in both short and long-term consulting engagements. And while it’s easy to point fingers — at the consultants for losing focus, or at internal teams for not delivering — the truth is that mid-project stalls have predictable causes. The good news? They also have predictable solutions.

Best Practices for Implementing BPM in Large Organisations

Business Professional working on BPM implementation with performance metrics, targets and digital process management icons displayed on a laptop.

BPM implementation is essential for large organisations navigating complex change. Your organisation may have invested millions in transformation programs. You’ve restructured, rebranded, maybe even rolled out new technology platforms. Yet, months later, your teams are still operating in silos, processes remain inconsistent, and decision-making feels sluggish.

It’s not that your leaders lack ambition — it’s that large organisations are complex ecosystems. Change doesn’t ripple through; it collides with entrenched habits, legacy systems, and competing priorities.

That’s where Business Process Management (BPM) comes in.

Why Technology Alone Fails & How to Build Better Processes Before Automation

Illustration of AI, automation and manufacturing technologies representing stages of the process evolution framework.

You rolled out automation.

Maybe it was a slick workflow tool, a data integration platform, or a robotic process. It promised efficiency, speed, and scale.  

But what you actually got?  

Frustrated teams. A few more dashboards. And processes that still break at the worst possible times. 

This is what happens when you digitise chaos. When the underlying process is broken, technology doesn’t fix it—it magnifies it.

Why Most Industry 4.0 Projects Fail Before They Begin

Digital interfaces powering industry 4.0 projects in manufacturing

You’ve just greenlit a big digital initiative—perhaps one of those industry 4.0 projects like a new cloud-based MES or automated quality inspections system. The term “transformation” is splashed all over the slide deck. Leadership is excited. Expectations are sky high. 

But something feels off. 

The results aren’t coming fast enough. The ROI doesn’t line up. The team’s confused about what success even looks like. And now you’re in a position no one wants to be in—having to explain why the “transformation” isn’t transforming much of anything. 

Here’s the thing no one tells you: not every Industry 4.0 project is a transformation. And that’s OK—as long as you know what game you’re playing.

The Role of AI and Automation in BPM

AI in BPM concept showing artificial intelligence connections and digital automation over cityscape.

You keep hearing about how AI and automation are reshaping Business Process Management (BPM)—but it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s just buzzwords. 

Is AI just another way to repackage rules-based workflows? Will bots really replace entire teams? And if you’re already using RPA, do you even need to care about the rest?

Why Value Stream Mapping is Crucial for Operating Model Design

Value Stream Mapping in Operating Model Design showing business professional working on laptop and documents.

You’ve been tasked with redesigning your operating model—and everything feels like it’s moving at once. People. Processes. Technology. Value stream mapping might not even be on your radar yet. Everyone’s got an opinion, and you’re stuck trying to piece it all together while still hitting targets. 

You’ve mapped out processes. You’ve held workshops. But something still feels off. Silos are resurfacing. Delivery is slow. And you’re not sure if your shiny new model is actually helping your customers—or just reshuffling the same problems into a new format. 

Here’s the missing piece: you’re designing around structure, not around value.

Why Knowledge Transfer Often Fails 

knowledge transfer between two heads with gears on a digital tablet

You’ve got robust documentation, a seasoned HR team, and processes that look bulletproof on paper. But when someone key leaves, your knowledge transfer efforts are tested—and often fall short. Teams stall, decisions bottleneck, and you’re back in meetings asking questions you thought were answered months ago. 

You’re not alone. It’s a silent frustration many CEOs face: why does knowledge seem to evaporate the moment someone walks out the door? And if everything is written down, why does the business still feel like it’s running on tribal knowledge?

Best Practices for Agile Enterprise Architecture 

Businessman interacting with digital interface featuring a rocket launch and agile symbols, representing agile enterprise architecture acceleration.

You’re trying to move fast—but without agile enterprise architecture, every time your teams build something, your architecture gets in the way. Or worse, they bypass it entirely and now you’re stuck with a tangle of systems that don’t talk to each other. 

You’ve been told to “be agile,” but no one’s shown you how to make that work when your infrastructure was built for a different era. You’re caught in a balancing act between enabling delivery and enforcing structure—and right now, it feels like you’re losing on both sides. 

Here’s the truth: agile enterprise architecture is possible. But it doesn’t happen by chance—and it doesn’t mean throwing out governance or design thinking. It means rethinking how architecture supports change, rather than controlling it.

Common Challenges in Implementing Enterprise Architecture

Business leader facing a wall with a sledgehammer, symbolising the effort to break through enterprise architecture challenges.

You had the vision. You secured the budget. You even picked the right framework. But now? Your enterprise architecture initiative feels more like a theoretical exercise than a transformation engine. People are confused, deadlines are slipping, and the business is asking, “What exactly are we getting out of this?” This is more common than you’d initially think. Many teams face similar enterprise architecture challenges during rollout. 

Why Enterprise Architecture Should Be the CEO’s Secret Weapon

CEO and leadership team aligning technology with business strategy through business enterprise architecture.

Here’s a controversial take: if business enterprise architecture is only being discussed in your IT department, you’re leaving money — and speed — on the table. 

Because the truth is, enterprise architecture isn’t just a technical function. Done right, it’s one of the most powerful tools a CEO can use to drive growth, speed up decision-making, and outpace the competition. 

But most CEOs never hear about it that way.