The Business Case Overpromises (And Reality Underdelivers)
READ TIME - 4 MINUTES
"Wait, what do you mean onboarding and leave requests won’t be included?" Ruby asked, staring at the project update email in disbelief. "That’s what the rollout plan promised."
Her colleague shrugged. "It was in the original plan, but IT hasn’t even started on that part yet. There’s no way it’ll be done this financial year—maybe not even this calendar year."
Ruby sighed, glancing at the project’s original pitch deck. The glossy slides had sold a vision of seamless HR workflows integrated into the ServiceNow rollout.
Now, as the project progressed, it was clear that Corporate’s expectations weren’t going to match reality anytime soon—and now Rubes was left to manage the fallout.
"Great," she muttered, closing the email. "Now I have to explain why we’re not delivering what we promised."
When the business case oversells the benefits and reality doesn’t match the promise, here’s how to manage expectations without losing trust:
The "Expectation Reset" Strategy
When stakeholders feel misled, it’s critical to reset expectations quickly and transparently.
Why it matters: Unmet promises can lead to frustration, mistrust, and disengagement.
Resetting expectations helps rebuild confidence and keeps stakeholders aligned with reality.
How to do it:
Acknowledge the gap between the promise and reality—seriously, whatever you do, don’t sugar-coat it.
Explain the reasons for the gap (e.g., competing priorities, underestimated timelines).
Reframe the conversation around what is achievable and valuable.
Highlight progress and wins (even if they’re different from the original promise).
Be honest about what’s still possible and when.
Pro tip: People are more forgiving when they feel informed. Clear, transparent communication can rebuild trust faster than avoiding the topic.
The "Focus on Value" Approach
When promised features aren’t materialising, shift the focus to the value that is being delivered.
Why it matters: Stakeholders need to see that the project is still worth their time and investment, even if it’s not delivering everything initially promised.
How to do it:
Identify and showcase tangible outcomes that stakeholders care about (e.g., streamlined approval workflows already live in ServiceNow).
Share stories of early wins or areas where the change is already making a difference.
Remind stakeholders of the broader goals and how this initiative supports them.
Use data to show incremental progress, even if it’s not the full picture.
Pro tip: Highlight how the changes already in place are benefiting stakeholders. For example, 'Teams using the new approval workflows have reported X% faster processing times.'
This shifts the focus to adoption and real-world value, reinforcing confidence in the change journey.
Truth is, business cases are often built on optimistic assumptions.
Your role isn’t to defend the oversell—it’s to focus on what’s achievable, communicate it clearly, and keep stakeholders aligned on the value being delivered.
That’s it for this week.
Next Tuesday, we’re tackling what happens when your stakeholders are avoiding you—don’t miss it!
See you then,
Team EVER
PS: Someone pass this on to you?
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