IT Myths: IT owns digital transformation

15 October 2025

The myth

Digital transformation sits in the IT budget. It uses IT tools and IT people. So IT must own it. That assumption is common and it is the root of many failed programs.

When ownership defaults to IT, the work starts with platforms and roadmaps rather than customers and outcomes. New systems go live. The business changes very little. Value does not land.

The reality

Technology enables change. It does not lead it. Real transformation is a business change with technical support. The organisations that get it right start with the customer problem, redesign how work flows and then choose the tech that best supports that flow.

IT is critical. It brings security, reliability and delivery discipline. But it is an enabler. Without executive sponsorship, process change and shared accountability across functions, the program degenerates into an upgrade with a bigger budget.

What goes wrong when IT “owns” it

Project over purpose. Success is measured by rollout dates rather than customer impact or cost to serve.
Tool first thinking. Teams expect software to fix broken processes. It just makes the mess happen faster.
Shadow ownership. The business assumes IT will make it work. IT cannot change incentives, roles or policy.
Fragmentation. Each department asks for features. The operating model never changes. Technical debt grows.
Budget creep. Scope expands to compensate for missing process changes. Benefits are delayed or never realised.

Signs your transformation is actually an IT project

The program charter lists applications and modules but not customer outcomes.
Most milestones are go live dates rather than measurable improvements.
Nobody can name the business owner for a process end to end.
Steering packs show velocity and spend, not service quality or NPS.
Change fatigue is high because teams see extra work with no clear benefit.

The fix

Put the business in charge. Name a senior business sponsor who owns outcomes and trade offs. IT leads enablement. The business leads change.

Define outcomes first. Specify target improvements such as fewer handoffs, faster cycle time or higher first contact resolution. Make them measurable and visible.

Redesign the work. Map the value stream. Remove steps that add no value. Standardise the steps that remain. Only then select or configure the tech.

Build shared accountability. Agree KPIs owned jointly by business and IT. Link incentives to those KPIs so behaviour follows.

Stage value. Deliver in thin slices. Ship something useful in weeks, not quarters. Review, learn and adjust the plan.

Operate it like a product. Give the service an owner, a roadmap and a budget. Keep iterating after go live.

Practical examples for SMBs

Service requests. Start by simplifying the catalogue and approvals. Then automate routing and updates. The result is faster turnaround without adding headcount.
Customer onboarding. Align sales, ops and finance on a single checklist. Remove duplicate data entry. Only then choose the integration method.
Incident management. Define ownership and escalation rules first. Add automation for notifications and runbooks after that. You get cleaner handovers and fewer reopenings.

Quick wins checklist

✅ Write a one page outcome statement that names the customer, the pain and the success measures.
✅ Map the top three handoffs that slow delivery. Fix those before you add new tools.
✅ Create a joint scorecard for business and IT. Review it monthly. Kill work that does not move the score.
✅ Time box experiments to four to six weeks. Keep what works. Stop what does not.
✅ Keep ownership clear. Business owns value. IT owns enablement and reliability.

Bottom line

Digital transformation is a team sport. When the business owns the goal and IT enables the path, value lands and stays. When IT is left to “own” it alone, the program ships software and misses the point.