What can we learn from the failure of digital projects?

The cultural sector has invested heavily in digital over the past decade, but the outcomes often don’t match the effort. Projects are launched with good intentions but still regularly fall short of expectations.

In a new report, Beyond the Promise: Looking at why and how digital projects in the cultural sector fail, I looked at why this keeps happening and, more importantly, what can we learn from it.

We found that digital failure is rarely technical – it’s organisational. Misalignment, poor planning, and siloed working are far more common than technical errors or budget shortfalls.

Many teams are caught in a cycle of delivery without reflection. Projects are launched under pressure, under-resourced, and often abandoned when they don’t meet unclear expectations. Many working in arts and culture are eager to do better but are often held back by structural issues like unclear strategies, inconsistent leadership engagement and support, and an ongoing fear of failure.

The most effective organisations embed digital thinking into everyday decision-making and conversations, not just project briefs.

The report includes practical recommendations, examples and strategies as well as reflections on how funders, leaders and practitioners can contribute to change.

The is no single quick fix but a more reflective, strategic, and collaborative approach could help break the cycle. Shifting from “digital as project” to “digital as organisational change” is essential for long-term success.

The report brings together insights from a sector-wide survey and patterns I’ve seen, heard, and experienced over many years working with digital in the cultural sector. It is not about blame. It is about building the conditions for digital work that lasts and that works.

Behind every struggling digital project are committed people doing their best under challenging circumstances. This report is for them, and for everyone working to create digital work that genuinely connects, strengthens and sustains cultural organisations for the long term.

This is an edited extract from the report Beyond the Promise: Looking at why and how digital projects in the cultural sector fail, which is available for free online. Ash Mann is a consultant who supports cultural organisations to make the most of their digital activity.