The challenge
A global consumer brand had a US$1M+ digital asset management program in flight. I sat on the steering committee as the business owner, which meant I was accountable for whether it would deliver what the business needed.
It wasn’t going to.
What I did
- Called it early. I recommended to executive leadership that the program be terminated, before more money and time went in.
- Brought an alternative. Stopping something is only half a recommendation. I proposed an alternative solution that would meet the business need at far lower cost.
- Let due diligence decide. The business tested the alternative properly before committing.
The outcome
After due diligence, the business implemented the alternative. That avoided more than US$1M in capital expenditure and around US$600K a year in operating cost.
Why it matters for your business
Sunk cost is powerful, and most programs keep going because nobody senior enough wants to be the one to say stop. A fractional executive has less ego invested in past decisions and more freedom to make the uncomfortable call. Good leadership isn’t always about starting things. I’ve written more about when to kill a transformation project.
