Enterprise Transformation Readiness Checklist

• CEO personally sponsoring, with visible calendar commitment (not a delegated effort)
• Board aligned on the thesis and the patience required (typically 3-5 years)
• Executive team ranked on their ability and willingness to lead the change — those who can't are redeployed before launch
• A transformation opposed or ignored by one senior executive fails 100% of the time

All-in at the top or don't start.

• Budget committed for the full duration, not just year one
• Ring-fenced funding immune to normal quarterly pressures
• Delivery capacity assessed — do we have the people, skills, vendors, and bandwidth to execute alongside running the business
• Capacity is usually the hidden constraint

Most transformations are sized by ambition, not by realistic delivery capacity — and then fail for mundane reasons when the two collide.

• A compelling, specific narrative every stakeholder buys: why now, why us, what changes, what stays, what we win
• Quantified business case with honest ranges
• Plan for the humans who lose something in the transformation — they will sabotage if not supported
• Communication plan tested in multiple formats

Without a case that lives in every stakeholder's head, the transformation dies from political friction long before technical failure.