In software, the greatest threat isn’t technical. It’s the incentive structure.
Software factories bill for execution.
Temporary staffing agencies –misusing the word “consultancies”– bill by headcount.
AI platforms monetize adoption and engagement.
Everyone benefits when the project grows.
No one benefits from questioning whether the project makes sense.
This is why there are so many providers that take orders, never push back, and “move fast with efficiency”.
When the system finally isn’t used, nobody adopts it, or the business doesn’t improve, the sunk cost stays inside the organization. Everyone else already got paid. With misaligned incentives, not correcting your client when they’re wrong is simply good business.
Source: Standish Group CHAOS Report (multi-year aggregated results)
Most software projects fail.
But not for technical reasons.
They fail because of poorly framed decisions, unvalidated assumptions, and the absence of professional judgment at critical moments.
Each failure is perceived as a one-off case.
But it isn’t bad luck. It’s a pattern.
And it’s entirely preventable.
In mature industries, technical authority implies responsibility for outcomes. That is the original meaning of professional consulting: expert advice to enable better decisions — not supplying hands to execute decisions that were already made.
Software factories sell formulas because formulas scale. Staffing agencies sell hours because hours scale. Platforms sell usage because usage scales. None of that guarantees results.
Strategic direction does.
It starts with a brief diagnostic session.
When an organization needs to reassess a project’s direction, validate assumptions, or reduce risk before investing further, this session helps analyze the situation and determine whether moving forward makes sense.
If you have authority over projects, tell us about your situation. If we believe we can truly help, we’ll schedule the meeting.
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If this pattern feels familiar, someone else in the organization should probably see it too.