About

Data projects fail at surprisingly consistent rates (around 70-80%) and here’s the uncomfortable truth: it doesn’t matter whether they’re driven by technology evangelists or business-first purists. Both extremes produce strikingly similar failure rates.

This session introduces the Three Pillars Framework: an evidence-based approach that balances Business objectives, Data fundamentals, and Technology implementation. We’ll unpack why the industry’s swing from “tech-first” to “tech-ignorant” has simply traded one set of failure modes for another, and how neglecting any single pillar – whether that’s data modelling, executive sponsorship, or platform capability – creates predictable points of failure. As organisations race to deploy AI and machine learning, these fundamentals matter more than ever.

You’ll leave with a framework for diagnosing imbalance in your own projects and strategies for navigating the most common pitfalls. No silver bullets. No theology. Just a structured approach you can start applying on your very next project.

Takeaways

• When you leave this session, you’ll understand why data projects fail at such consistent rates, regardless of whether they’re technology-led or business-led, and how to spot the warning signs early in your own projects.
• When you leave this session, you’ll know how to apply the Three Pillars Framework to diagnose imbalance and integrate business objectives, data fundamentals, and technical delivery from day one.
• When you leave this session, you’ll have a clear model for what genuinely successful data delivery looks like and concrete strategies for avoiding the most common pitfalls across the project lifecycle.