Companies spent a decade investing in tools that promised clarity: dashboards, analytics platforms, real-time reporting. The pitch was simple: if you can see everything, you can control it all.

It didn’t work. Visibility replaced management. Systems track problems instead of solving them. Reporting quality improves while execution decays.

The Technology Investment Crisis

PwC’s operations survey of hundreds of leaders found over 90% say recent tech investments have not fully delivered expected results. Integration complexity and data issues lead the list. Most cite multiple reasons why their tech investments fell short.

This isn’t a technology problem. The tools work in isolation. This is a management problem. Technology was layered on top of weak processes with the expectation that software would compensate. It didn’t. Bad processes got faster and more visible, not better.

The Reporting Problem

Companies can describe problems in granular detail, but hours disappear into dashboard reviews instead of building rhythm. Accountability hides behind activity logs and status updates.

CFO surveys consistently show finance leaders prioritizing cost containment and operational efficiency over expansion. The tools didn’t deliver. The visibility didn’t translate. Finance leaders are managing around the gap between what systems promised and what operations can execute.

The Way Forward

Rebuild rhythm first. Clear cadence. Consistent check-ins. Simple commitments that compound. Restore accountability where people know what they own, when it’s due, and what happens if they miss.

Weekly stand-ups with specific commitments beat monthly dashboard reviews explaining misses. Accountability beats visibility. Fixing things quickly matters more than describing them precisely.

Use technology to amplify management, not replace it. Dashboards that support decisions. Reports that drive action. Systems that enable rhythm rather than interrupt it.

This is the third of five articles in a series on the four structural dynamics reshaping operations. Next: The AI Mirage.

Previously published:

Chris Briggs works with B2B services, SaaS, and PE portfolio companies that need an operational leadership boost, not more consultants. Interim engagements. Embedded in the operation. Getting it moving again.

Connect: cb@chris-briggs.com | LinkedIn | 30-Minute Intro Call

Sources:

  • PwC, 2025 Digital Trends in Operations Survey (610 U.S. operations and supply chain leaders, February-March 2025)
  • Gartner Finance Survey (250 CFOs, December 2024)
  • Deloitte CFO Signals Survey (Q2 2025)

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