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Digital transformation is often presented as straightforward: adopt new technology, modernize systems, unlock efficiency. The reality is far more complicated. Across manufacturing, supply chain, and enterprise software, most large transformation initiatives fail — and the same patterns are now appearing in blockchain and decentralized infrastructure.
Tory Bjorklund is the CEO and founder of Victoria Fi Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping organizations succeed with digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience across manufacturing, software, and consulting, he has served as CEO, CTO, CIO, and Chief Software Architect since the 1980s.
In this episode, Collins Victory Odabi sits down with Tory to explore why most transformation initiatives fail on vision and leadership rather than execution, the early warning signs a project is heading toward trouble, and what lessons blockchain builders should take from decades of enterprise implementation.
In This Episode, We Discuss
Digital transformation projects rarely fail because of bad execution — they fail because of a "technology-first" mentality. Tory argues non-technical executives often treat these initiatives as purely technical projects rather than business transformations, missing the deeper operational and cultural shifts technology is meant to enable.
Disagreement on scope is one of the earliest warning signs a project is in trouble. Tory describes how departments disagreeing on what's included in an initiative signals a deeper miscommunication of vision — an early red flag distinct from later "danger signs" that indicate a project is much closer to outright failure.
Leadership on a transformation project needs three distinct levels, not just IT oversight. Tory breaks it down into the executive sponsor (owns the vision and final decisions), business process owners (define what processes will look like), and subject matter experts (bring real operational reality into the design and testing).
An MIT study found 95% of 300 enterprise AI initiatives produced zero return on investment. Tory explains the failures clustered around companies building custom, one-off AI applications rather than adopting vendor-provided AI already embedded in tested products — with predictive maintenance and demand planning among the rare use cases that consistently work.
Rescuing a troubled transformation project requires five deliberate steps, starting with actually stopping. Tory insists organizations resist the urge to preserve "momentum" on a failing initiative, instead stopping outright, assessing root causes, replanning, re-executing, and sustaining the change through proper organizational change management.
About Tory BjorklundTory Bjorklund is the CEO and founder of Victoria Fi Consulting, helping organizations succeed with digital transformation through proper preparation, operational alignment, and execution.🌐 victoriafi.com
Key Timestamps / Chapter Markers[0:04] Introduction and episode framing[2:55] From programming at 13 to founding eight companies[5:39] What digital transformation actually means in practice[7:09] Why so many transformation initiatives fail[12:27] Early warning signs a project is heading toward failure[15:59] What real preparation looks like before launching a transformation[21:05] The three levels of leadership every transformation project needs[27:23] Realistic use cases for AI in manufacturing and operations[35:23] Five steps to rescue a troubled transformation project
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Until next time, stay sharp, stay curious, and keep building.
