What Failing FP&A Projects Have in Common (and How to Recover Them)

At first glance, FP&A projects can seem straightforward: define the budget, implement the tool, train the users, and go live. But in reality, many initiatives stall, underperform, or fail entirely. If your FP&A platform isn’t delivering value, you’re not alone.

We’ve recovered enough projects to recognise the warning signs and more importantly, to know how to turn them around.

Common Patterns in Failing FP&A Projects

1. Misaligned Expectations and Poor Scoping

The number one issue we see in failing FP&A implementations is poor scoping.

Too often, projects begin with a pre-approved statement of work that focuses on configuring the tool, rather than defining what success looks like. No one pauses to ask:

• What outcomes does the business expect?

• What’s the ideal end state?

• How will we measure success?

If the scope is built around features instead of goals, the project is already off track.

2. Lack of User Engagement and Ownership

Another major red flag? No one understands or even uses the system once it’s live.

We’ve seen cases where end users receive login credentials for an application they’ve never seen before, don’t understand, and weren’t involved in building. Even if the technology is strong, without user buy-in, they’ll default back to old habits (like Excel) and the system becomes shelfware.

User engagement isn't a nice-to-have; it's a requirement. If people don’t see the value, they won’t use the tool, simple as that.

3. The Wrong Technology or a Poor Fit

Sometimes, the problem isn’t just implementation, it’s a mismatch between the chosen technology and the business’s actual needs.

You might be trying to make a system do something it simply wasn’t built for. This leads to compromises that frustrate users, overcomplicate processes, and stall progress. In these cases, it may be worth stepping back and considering if you need a different solution entirely or at the very least, a different approach to using what you have.

4. Trying to Fix Everything at Once

When rescuing a failing project, there’s often a temptation to do everything in one go. But ambitious recovery scopes can overwhelm already sceptical users and burn out internal teams.

Instead, focus on rebuilding confidence. That means identifying critical pain points, addressing only what’s essential, and showing quick wins. You can always expand later but first, you need trust.

We’ve found that 50% of issues raised in testing phases are cosmetic or personal preferences. Only about 1% are truly critical blockers and those are the ones you need to fix to restore confidence.

How to Recover a Failing FP&A Project

Here’s what we recommend if your FP&A platform is underperforming:

• Revisit the original goal. Why did you implement this system in the first place? What business problems was it supposed to solve?

• Talk to the users. Skip the tech jargon, just ask them what’s working, what isn’t, and why.

• Re-scope the project. Go back to the drawing board, redefine success, and trim down the scope to what really matters.

• Rebuild from the outcome. Start with the end in mind and design the recovery around real, measurable business value.

• Don’t be afraid to get help. Some fixes require deep platform or infrastructure knowledge. That’s where expert support can make all the difference.

The last FP&A project we recovered had already cost the client close to half a million dollars. But by stepping back, redefining the goal, and focusing on outcome, we were able to get it back on track, without starting from scratch.

Remember: a failing project doesn’t mean you chose the wrong tool. It means the scope, alignment, or enablement needs fixing. And with the right approach, recovery is more than possible: it’s an opportunity to do things better than ever.

Struggling with a stalled FP&A or EPM project?

Let us help you get it back on track.

Contact us today for a project health check or a consultation with our recovery experts.