Project Rescue and Success Assurance in AI and Digital Transformation with Tory Bjorklund

Project Rescue and Success Assurance in AI and Digital Transformation

A Leadership Briefing with Tory Bjorklund, Founder & CEO, Victoria Fide Consulting

Executive Summary

Large technology initiatives fail far more often than most organizations expect. ERP systems, CRM platforms, AI initiatives, and other digital transformation programs frequently struggle to deliver the business outcomes leaders intended.

In this Leadership Briefing, Tory Bjorklund explains why these failures occur and what Technology Leaders can do when projects begin to go off track. In conversation with Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club®, Tory shares real world stories of project rescue and explains the philosophy behind Victoria Fide Consulting. The firm’s name comes from Latin and literally means Success Assurance.

What You’ll Learn in This Leadership Briefing

Technology Leaders watching this briefing will gain practical insight into why major initiatives fail and what experienced leaders do to recover them. In this conversation, Tory explains:

• Why ERP, AI, and CRM projects fail even when the technology itself works
  • How experienced leaders diagnose failing digital transformation initiatives
  • Real examples of project rescue situations across ERP, AI, and CRM systems
  • Why people and process issues cause more failures than technology itself
  • How organizations can prepare major initiatives properly before they begin

Why Major Technology Projects Fail

AI projects dominate the news today, with studies suggesting that as many as 95 percent of enterprise AI initiatives fail to deliver meaningful return on investment. However AI is only part of the story. ERP implementations, CRM rollouts, manufacturing systems, and other digital transformation initiatives have struggled with similar failure rates for years.

According to Tory, these failures rarely begin with technology itself. Most begin when organizations underestimate the complexity of people, processes, and operational change required to successfully transform their business.

Project Rescue Stories from the Field

In the briefing, Tory shares several examples of project rescue situations where organizations contacted his team after major initiatives began to fail.

In one case, a manufacturing company implemented a new ERP system only to discover they were less efficient after going live. In another example, an internal AI chatbot project stalled after months of effort because the scope and technical structure were not properly defined.

Tory also describes situations where CRM and customer systems were implemented around one department’s needs while ignoring other stakeholders such as sales teams and customers. In each case, identifying the real root cause allowed the organization to recover the initiative and move forward successfully.

Success Assurance and the Victoria Fide Process

While project rescue is a major part of Victoria Fide’s work, Tory explains that the firm was founded around the concept of Success Assurance. The goal is to help organizations prepare for digital transformation before large initiatives begin so they do not end up needing rescue later.

After decades of experience leading transformation initiatives, Tory developed what he calls the Victoria Fide Process for Transformational Change. The process focuses on preparation, disciplined execution, and ensuring employees actually adopt the new systems and processes. According to Tory, successful digital transformation depends far more on people and processes than on the technology itself.

Closing Thoughts

As organizations continue investing in AI and digital transformation, the risk of poorly executed initiatives continues to grow. Technology alone does not determine success. Leadership alignment, strong processes, and disciplined execution determine whether transformation efforts succeed or fail.

In this Leadership Briefing, Tory Bjorklund shares practical insights and real stories from the field that help leaders understand why projects fail and how organizations can recover them or prevent failure in the first place. Watch the full briefing to hear the lessons behind these project rescue stories and learn how Success Assurance can help organizations navigate complex technology transformations.

Board of Advisor Speaker: Tory Bjorklund, Founder & CEO, Victoria Fide Consulting

Learn more about Tory Bjorklund, and watch all of his Leadership Briefings on his channel here.

Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®