“88% of Transformations Fail to Achieve Their Original Ambitions”*
The problem is rarely effort. It is mis-framed work, late truth, and change that does not embed.
Rainman Advisory helps you define the real problem, align decisions, then deliver the fix.
* Source: Bain & Company (April 2024), “88% of business transformations fail to achieve their original ambitions”.
Why Do Most Transformations Fail?
Most Failures Are Predictable. They Come From System Behaviours, Not “Bad Teams”
THE WRONG PROBLEM GETS SOLVED
Delivery starts before the problem is properly defined. Scope grows around assumptions, and effort is spent on work that does not move the outcome.
DECISIONS RUN ON LAGGING SIGNALS
Reporting tracks activity, not risk and outcomes. Bad news arrives late, so interventions happen after time and money are already burned.
CHANGE DOES NOT EMBED
Projects ship outputs, but ownership, controls, and capability do not land. Benefits decay and the organisation reverts.
Why Rainman?
We Reduce Those Failure Modes with a Simple Four-Step Sequence: Define, Align, Deliver, Embed.
Define The Problem
Evidence-led diagnosis and a tight problem statement. Clear boundaries, constraints, and trade-offs, so you stop funding noise.
Align Decisions – Fast
Playback to leadership with a decision register and options. Everyone leaves with the same facts and the same calls to make.
Fix It, Then Make It Stick
Hands-on support to stabilise delivery, reset governance, and embed capability. The work holds after we leave.
Diagnosis First. Solutions Second.
We Don’t Sell Solutions. We Find What’s Broken, Prove It With Evidence, Then Fix It
1. Listen
Deep discovery with your people – not just executives. We find the invisible patterns.
2. Diagnose
Evidence-based analysis of what’s actually broken. No assumptions, no pre-sold solutions.
3. Roadmap
Scoped intervention for what needs fixing – not everything. Targeted, measurable, achievable.
4. Deliver
Skills transfer, not dependency.
You own the capability when
we’re done.
Ways We Can Work Together
SELF-SERVE
Transformation Health Check
Free download to spot common failure patterns in governance, risk, scope, delivery discipline, and decision quality.
DIAGNOSE
Problem Definition Sprint
Fast diagnosis and executive playback, with a clear problem statement, a decision register, and options with trade-offs.
FIX AND EMBED
Reset and Deliver
Hands-on support to stabilise delivery, reset governance, close risk gaps, and transfer capability so the work holds after we leave.
Does This Actually Work?
$6M
Potential Annual Savings Opportunity Identified From a $49.5K Diagnostic
A Queensland member-based organisation asked us to review the procurement of contractors and associated spend. That work exposed systemic issues in resource management across multiple projects and programs, including demand planning, rate discipline, and governance. The diagnostic identified up to $6M per year in savings opportunities. Implementation is in progress and benefits realisation is being tracked.
*We share anonymised case material only where it is appropriate and does not breach confidentiality.
Diagnosis is the start. The value comes from making the right decisions, then delivering the fix.
Built For Two Audiences
We Start with Diagnosis and Executive Playback, Then Stay on to Deliver
the Fix, Governance Reset, and Capability Uplift.
Financial Services & Government
Mid-sized APRA-regulated firms, superannuation funds, and government agencies facing complex transformation challenges. When the stakes are high and failure isn’t an option.
What We Solve:
• Post-CPS 230 remediation programs at risk
• M&A integrations stalling mid-stream
• Digital transformations over budget and behind schedule
• YFYS compliance creating unforeseen complexity
Audit Firm Partners
For audit partners who identify transformation needs during reviews but can’t deliver solutions due to independence constraints or capability gaps.
What We Provide:
• Wholesale transformation capability for your clients
• Independent delivery that preserves your audit relationship
• Evidence-based diagnostics that complement your audit findings
• Skills and frameworks you can white label
Led by Dave Lockley
Dave works with executives, risk leaders, and transformation teams to define the real problem, align decisions, then stabilise and deliver the fix.
Background spans program leadership, PMO, and assurance across complex change. The work is evidence-led and built for decision-makers who want clarity and control.
CREDIBILITY AT A GLANCE
• Program leadership and PMO reset
• Risk, audit, and governance uplift
• Portfolio-level delivery stabilisation
Not Sure Where to Start?
Book a Discovery Call
30-minute conversation about what’s not working. No pitch, no obligation – just diagnosis of whether we can help.
Download Resources
Coming Soon: Case studies, diagnostic tools, and frameworks to assess your transformation risk yourself.