From Excel chaos to a streamlined process: what 20 years of IT projects taught me

An honest confession first: I have seen more failed transformation projects than successful ones. Twenty years in IT, from tester to programme managerThe person who oversees several related projects and aligns them towards one shared goal., and hundreds of companies struggling with change, falling into the same pitfalls every time.

At Make IT So, Jan and I guide Belgian SMEs through their digital transformationHelping your organisation work smarter with technology, not as an IT project but as a way of working.. Not because it's easy, because it isn't. But because I still believe that 1+1 can equal 3 if you follow the right recipe. And that recipe isn't to be found in a 150,000-euro ERPA single system that brings together core processes such as inventory, accounting and orders. package.

Most transformations fail for reasons that have nothing to do with technology. They are about people, processes and timing. Let me tell you what I have learned along the way.

The three pitfalls I see time and again

1. The technology-first pitfall

Only last month I spoke to an SME owner who proudly showed me his 'digital transformation'. A shiny new ERP system, costing 150,000 euros. The problem? Nobody in his team knew how to use it. Three months after implementation, everyone was still working in Excel: quotes in one spreadsheet, stock in a second spreadsheet and invoicing in a third.

'But Walter, we've been digitalised, haven't we?'

No. You haven't been digitalised. You have bought expensive software, and that's something else. Digital transformation starts with people, not with systems. Technology is a tool. It's the people who determine whether the mayonnaise comes together or not.

2. The big-company-method pitfall

I see it happen again and again: SMEs trying to copy what multinationals do. Agile coaches promoting methods that work perfectly for teams of 200 people, but grind to a halt in organisations of 20. Stand-ups, retrospectives and sprint planning, all introduced in a company where the owner still works on the shop floor.

An SME is not a small version of a large company. Thinking that it is, is a mistake. SMEs have their own dynamics: shorter lines, more flexibility and quick decisions. But they also have their own constraints: less budget, fewer specialists and more dependence on key people. What works for an organisation of 500 doesn't automatically work for your family business of 35.

3. The perfect-plan pitfall

'Walter, we've thought everything through in detail. Look, here's our roadmap for the next three years.'

And then the roadmap unrolls. It's two metres long, with 47 projects, colour-coded by priority, and dependencies that look like a spider's web. It's beautiful, but also completely useless.

Transformation is not a recipe book you can follow step by step. It's like driving to the coast in fog. You know where you want to go, but along the way you run into obstacles you can't see yet. The plans that really work are simple enough to understand and flexible enough to adapt.

The mayonnaise that did come together: three ingredients

Fortunately, I have also seen transformations succeed. And each time I recognise the same ingredients. Just as with mayonnaise, you have to combine the right elements in the right order.

Ingredient 1: start with your people

In every successful transformation I have guided, the owner stood alongside their team from day one. Not above it, not opposite it, but alongside it.

'Everyone, we're going to do this together. Yes, it will be challenging. Yes, there will be frustration. But we're all pulling in the same direction.'

One of our clients said that at the first team meeting. Six months later, his transformation was one of the smoothest I have ever been part of. Not because there were no problems, but because everyone knew they would solve them together.

Ingredient 2: failing forward

At a Belgian wholesaler, three weeks into the project, the approach we had chosen turned out not to work. Instead of muddling on, we stopped. We evaluated. We adjusted.

'Isn't this a waste of time, Walter?' the owner asked.

'Quite the opposite,' I replied. 'We've just gained three months.'

That is failing forward: make mistakes quickly, learn quickly and adjust quickly. The alternative is being stuck for nine months in an approach that, deep down, you already know isn't working. That isn't perseverance; it's waste.

Ingredient 3: organic growth

The best transformations grow like a tree, not like a building. You don't build a transformation from a blueprint. You let it grow from what is already there, step by step, with respect for what already works.

One client wanted to digitalise his entire operation. Instead of tackling everything at once, we started with pain point number one: following up quotes. A small system, a small team, a small success. But one that was visible to everyone.

Six months later, the team itself came to us with a question: 'Walter, can we do this for our invoice follow-up too?' The transformation had grown organically, from the inside out. No outside consultant imposed it, and no management decision forced it. The team asked for it themselves.

So what does a transformation that works look like?

After twenty years, I know that a successful transformation is actually simple. Not easy, but simple. It comes down to five steps, repeated over and over.

1. Start by listening. Before you install a single system, sit down with your people. What frustrates them? Where do they lose time? What would they change if they had a magic wand?
2. Pick one pain point. Not five. Not three. One. The most important, the most visible and the most achievable. Solve that.
3. Make sure you get a visible win. Within three months, everyone should be able to say: 'Oh yes, that project really does work better now.' Not an abstract report, but a concrete time saving that the team can feel.
4. Build on success. Only once step three really works do you move on to the next challenge. Not before. Otherwise you collect half-finished projects instead of complete ones.
5. Repeat. Transformation is not a project with an end date. It's a way of working that will keep guiding your business for years to come.

A final thought

Seven years ago I was confronted with my own transformation: a tumour that turned my life upside down. Do you know what I learned during my recovery? Everything comes right in the end, given time and patience. Not with stress. Not with haste. Not with perfect plans. But with patience, step by step, and the confidence that you are on the right path.

The same goes for your business. Transformation is not a sprint but a marathon you run together with your team. The teams that finish together are the teams that set off together.

At Make IT So we help Belgian SMEs transform in a human way. Without fuss and without impossible promises, but with the experience and the approach that work. Because I still believe that 1+1 equals 3, as long as you combine the right ingredients.

Want to know where your own digital journey stands today? The quickscan gives you an honest picture of your strengths and blind spots in ten minutes, and shows which pain point you would do best to tackle first.