When it comes to optimizing the financial return on software investments, many
organizations overlook the importance of corporate change management. In the
United States, organizations spend significant amounts of money on software
systems. Yet a surprising number of enterprise software implementations either fail
to meet key goals or fall apart entirely.
The statistics are compelling:
• Since 2005, the overall cost of IT-related development and operational
failures in the U.S. are estimated in the multi-trillion dollar range, reaching as
much as $10 trillion.
• According to the Project Management Institute 2025 Pulse of the Profession
report, 20% of IT projects didn't meet their objectives.
• The MIT report "The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025" reported that
enterprise investment in generative AI has reached $30 to $40 billion, but 95%
of firms are getting zero return.
Corporate change management is a major contributor to these issues. The reality is
that many software deployments fail once tools are delivered to users' hands. The
root cause: poor user adoption.
The most powerful software tools are only as effective as their users. For example,
organizational processes may be ported to the new system as part of an enterprise
software project. All too often, users find the new workflows frustrating and difficult
to use and they revert to inefficient workflows like spreadsheets or other manual
workarounds.
As Jason Barnett, Rand Worldwide's Vice President of Manufacturing & Product
Lifecycle Management, explained, "If you invest $1 million in software, but your people
can't figure out how to use it, what good is it? You can have the greatest software and
process design, but it won't matter if people don't know how to use it properly."
WHITEPAPER
The Hidden Driver of Software ROI: How User
Adoption Services Turn Investments into Results
Change Management: Common Reasons Why
Technology Adoptions Fail
Rand 3D has seen firsthand the factors that are critical to the
success of software deployments. Here are a few common
reasons why projects fail:
• Insufficient stakeholder engagement. If key
stakeholders—including end users—aren't involved from
the beginning, essential needs may be overlooked. The
result—resistance and low user acceptance.
• Lack of proper documentation. If software documentation
is incomplete, outdated, or unclear, users will struggle to
understand how to use the system. Proper documentation
reduces user errors and ensures compliance with
organizational standards.
• Inadequate training and support. Without role-based
training and accessible documentation, teams struggle to
adapt. This can derail implementations.
• Inadequate feedback loops. Establishing effective
feedback channels for users and stakeholders allows
organizations to address concerns early. This improves the
quality of workflows and builds trust among users.
