What do you see when you look at the image below?
You know what I see? I see a missing nail from a 2009 post from the Procurement Insights archives.
In May 2009, I published a post titled “For Want of a Nail: The Pandemic Effect” warning that procurement technology implementations were failing not because of inadequate technology, but because of missing implementation methodology—the small but critical “nail” that holds the entire system together.
Sixteen years later, Gartner is promoting Data Fabric as the next essential enterprise architecture. And once again, the industry is building sophisticated horseshoes while ignoring the nails.
The Medieval Poem That Explains Modern Technology Failures
The old proverb tells the story:
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
For want of a horse, the rider was lost.
For want of a rider, the battle was lost.
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.
All for want of a horseshoe nail.
Now, let’s replace the medieval elements with modern procurement transformation:
For want of an implementation methodology (the nail), organizational readiness was lost.
For want of organizational readiness (the shoe), stakeholder adoption was lost.
For want of stakeholder adoption (the horse), project delivery was lost.
For want of project delivery (the rider), business transformation was lost.
For want of business transformation (the battle), competitive advantage was lost.
All for want of an implementation methodology.
This is why 80% of procurement technology implementations fail—not because the technology is inadequate, but because the nail is missing.
Gartner’s Data Fabric: A Horseshoe Without a Nail
Gartner’s Data Fabric represents impressive technical architecture—data integration, connectivity, and orchestration across disparate systems. It’s a beautifully engineered horseshoe.
However, Gartner’s framework focuses exclusively on technical data integration, specifically on how to connect systems. It doesn’t address:
- Why implementations fail despite perfect technical architecture
- How humans actually use connected data
- Whether organizations are ready to leverage integrated information
- What behavioral barriers will prevent adoption
- How to measure implementation success before committing millions
Gartner provides the horseshoe. They don’t provide the nail.
And without the nail, the kingdom still falls—regardless of how sophisticated the horseshoe.
The Industry’s Backwards Hammer Problem
The procurement technology industry operates backwards, building hammers and then looking for nails to hit.
The Equation-Based Model Process:
- Develop sophisticated technology (Data Fabric, AI platform, integration architecture)
- Create theoretical ROI models showing potential value
- Sell the technology to enterprises
- Look for problems that the technology might solve
- Wonder why 80% of implementations fail
This is hammer-first thinking: “We have Data Fabric capability—now where can we apply it?”
The Hansen Method Inverts This:
- Process archaeology identifies what’s actually broken in your environment
- Agent behavior analysis reveals why current systems fail
- Organizational readiness assessment shows where implementation will hit barriers
- Hansen Fit Score measures whether you’re ready to implement
- THEN select technology that fits your organizational reality
This is nail-first thinking: “Here are the specific failures in your process—now let’s find tools that address them.”
What good is Gartner’s $5M Data Fabric hammer if you haven’t identified which nails actually need hammering in your organization?
What Gartner’s Data Fabric Misses Entirely
Gartner’s framework provides technical plumbing. It doesn’t provide:
Agent-Based Modeling of Stakeholder Behaviors
Who will resist the new data flows? Which departments will hoard information? Where will adoption fail?
Organizational Readiness Assessment
Can your procurement team actually leverage integrated data? Do they have the analytical skills? Is leadership prepared to act on insights?
Hansen Fit Score Gates
How do you measure whether you’re ready to implement before spending millions? What are the specific failure risks in YOUR organization?
Proven Implementation Outcomes
Gartner provides theoretical capabilities. The Hansen Method delivers documented results: 97.3% on-time delivery, 23% cost reduction, and zero scope creep.
Human-in-the-Loop Control Mechanisms
How do you maintain governance when data flows across traditional boundaries? Who owns integrated insights? How do you prevent data chaos?
The technical architecture is the horseshoe. These implementation elements are the nail.
The Predictable Cycle Begins Again
Here’s what will happen over the next 3-5 years:
Phase 1 (2025-2026): The Rush
- Gartner promotes Data Fabric as essential
- Technology vendors align their platforms with the framework
- Major consulting firms package Data Fabric implementation services
- Early adopters commit $5-15M to implementations
Phase 2 (2027-2028): The Reality
- Implementations run 6-12 months late
- Cost overruns reach 30-50%
- Stakeholder adoption proves lower than projected
- “Change management” gets blamed for failures
- ROI remains theoretical rather than realized
Phase 3 (2029-2030): The Reckoning
- CPOs face board questions about Data Fabric investments
- Post-implementation reviews reveal familiar patterns
- Industry analysts publish “lessons learned” reports
- Organizations seek explanations for why “best practice” approaches failed again
Phase 4 (2031-2032): The Search for Alternatives
- Executives recognize that technology wasn’t the problem
- Implementation methodology becomes the focus
- Demand grows for approaches with proven outcomes
- The Hansen Method gains mainstream acceptance (1998, 2009, 2025)
We’ve seen this cycle with ERP implementations, SOA architectures, cloud migrations, and digital transformation initiatives. Data Fabric will follow the same pattern because the industry still hasn’t learned the fundamental lesson:
Technology is never a constraint. Implementation methodology is always the constraint.
The 1998 Prediction That Became 2025 Reality
In 1998-99, I designed the Metaprise framework, envisioning “a synchronous, multi-party” ecosystem that ERPs, EAI buses, and real-time data couldn’t support at scale. The technical constraints of that era limited the scalability on an industry-wide basis – let’s not forget the DND as well as the Virginia eVA successes.
Twenty-seven years later, Gartner’s Data Fabric provides the technical infrastructure that makes strategic Metaprise industry-wide adoption feasible. The horseshoe finally exists.
But the nail is still missing.
As I wrote in the original Metaprise documentation: “While the 1998 tech constraints are largely gone, success still hinges on behavioral fit and governance—exactly why the Hansen Fit Score and the five HFS gates remain decisive.”
The technical problems got solved. The implementation problems didn’t.
What CPOs Should Do Instead
Before you commit millions to Data Fabric implementation, answer these questions:
The Nail Questions:
- Have we documented which specific process failures Data Fabric would address in our environment?
- Do we understand which stakeholders will resist integrated data flows and why?
- Have we measured our organizational readiness to leverage connected data?
- Can we predict—before implementation begins—where adoption will fail?
- Do we have implementation methodology with proven outcomes, or just theoretical ROI models?
If you can’t answer these questions with documented evidence, you’re about to spend $5-15M on a horseshoe while hoping someone finds a nail along the way.
The Hansen Method provides the nail:
- Process archaeology mapping what tools actually do in your environment
- Agent behavior analysis reveals why current systems fail
- Organizational readiness assessment measuring implementation barriers
- Hansen Fit Score gates providing go/no-go decisions before major investment
- Documented outcomes: 97.3% on-time delivery, 23% cost reduction
The Bottom Line
Gartner tells you what to build. McKinsey tells you why to build it. Vendors tell you which tools to use.
The Hansen Method tells you how to make it actually work.
Data Fabric is an impressive technical achievement—a sophisticated horseshoe that can integrate data across your enterprise. But without an implementation methodology, it joins the 80% of technology investments that fail to deliver promised value.
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of an implementation methodology, another $5M Data Fabric investment will be lost.
The question for CPOs: Are you buying just the horseshoe, or are you ensuring you have the nail?
30
BONUS COVERAGE – HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER
Procurement Insights
For Want of a Nail: Why Gartner’s Data Fabric Will Join the 80% Failure Rate
Posted on September 29, 2025
0
What do you see when you look at the image below?
You know what I see? I see a missing nail from a 2009 post from the Procurement Insights archives.
In May 2009, I published a post titled “For Want of a Nail: The Pandemic Effect” warning that procurement technology implementations were failing not because of inadequate technology, but because of missing implementation methodology—the small but critical “nail” that holds the entire system together.
Sixteen years later, Gartner is promoting Data Fabric as the next essential enterprise architecture. And once again, the industry is building sophisticated horseshoes while ignoring the nails.
The Medieval Poem That Explains Modern Technology Failures
The old proverb tells the story:
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
For want of a horse, the rider was lost.
For want of a rider, the battle was lost.
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.
All for want of a horseshoe nail.
Now, let’s replace the medieval elements with modern procurement transformation:
For want of an implementation methodology (the nail), organizational readiness was lost.
For want of organizational readiness (the shoe), stakeholder adoption was lost.
For want of stakeholder adoption (the horse), project delivery was lost.
For want of project delivery (the rider), business transformation was lost.
For want of business transformation (the battle), competitive advantage was lost.
All for want of an implementation methodology.
This is why 80% of procurement technology implementations fail—not because the technology is inadequate, but because the nail is missing.
Gartner’s Data Fabric: A Horseshoe Without a Nail
Gartner’s Data Fabric represents impressive technical architecture—data integration, connectivity, and orchestration across disparate systems. It’s a beautifully engineered horseshoe.
However, Gartner’s framework focuses exclusively on technical data integration, specifically on how to connect systems. It doesn’t address:
Gartner provides the horseshoe. They don’t provide the nail.
And without the nail, the kingdom still falls—regardless of how sophisticated the horseshoe.
The Industry’s Backwards Hammer Problem
The procurement technology industry operates backwards, building hammers and then looking for nails to hit.
The Equation-Based Model Process:
This is hammer-first thinking: “We have Data Fabric capability—now where can we apply it?”
The Hansen Method Inverts This:
This is nail-first thinking: “Here are the specific failures in your process—now let’s find tools that address them.”
What good is Gartner’s $5M Data Fabric hammer if you haven’t identified which nails actually need hammering in your organization?
What Gartner’s Data Fabric Misses Entirely
Gartner’s framework provides technical plumbing. It doesn’t provide:
Agent-Based Modeling of Stakeholder Behaviors
Who will resist the new data flows? Which departments will hoard information? Where will adoption fail?
Organizational Readiness Assessment
Can your procurement team actually leverage integrated data? Do they have the analytical skills? Is leadership prepared to act on insights?
Hansen Fit Score Gates
How do you measure whether you’re ready to implement before spending millions? What are the specific failure risks in YOUR organization?
Proven Implementation Outcomes
Gartner provides theoretical capabilities. The Hansen Method delivers documented results: 97.3% on-time delivery, 23% cost reduction, and zero scope creep.
Human-in-the-Loop Control Mechanisms
How do you maintain governance when data flows across traditional boundaries? Who owns integrated insights? How do you prevent data chaos?
The technical architecture is the horseshoe. These implementation elements are the nail.
The Predictable Cycle Begins Again
Here’s what will happen over the next 3-5 years:
Phase 1 (2025-2026): The Rush
Phase 2 (2027-2028): The Reality
Phase 3 (2029-2030): The Reckoning
Phase 4 (2031-2032): The Search for Alternatives
We’ve seen this cycle with ERP implementations, SOA architectures, cloud migrations, and digital transformation initiatives. Data Fabric will follow the same pattern because the industry still hasn’t learned the fundamental lesson:
Technology is never a constraint. Implementation methodology is always the constraint.
The 1998 Prediction That Became 2025 Reality
In 1998-99, I designed the Metaprise framework, envisioning “a synchronous, multi-party” ecosystem that ERPs, EAI buses, and real-time data couldn’t support at scale. The technical constraints of that era limited the scalability on an industry-wide basis – let’s not forget the DND as well as the Virginia eVA successes.
Twenty-seven years later, Gartner’s Data Fabric provides the technical infrastructure that makes strategic Metaprise industry-wide adoption feasible. The horseshoe finally exists.
But the nail is still missing.
As I wrote in the original Metaprise documentation: “While the 1998 tech constraints are largely gone, success still hinges on behavioral fit and governance—exactly why the Hansen Fit Score and the five HFS gates remain decisive.”
The technical problems got solved. The implementation problems didn’t.
What CPOs Should Do Instead
Before you commit millions to Data Fabric implementation, answer these questions:
The Nail Questions:
If you can’t answer these questions with documented evidence, you’re about to spend $5-15M on a horseshoe while hoping someone finds a nail along the way.
The Hansen Method provides the nail:
The Bottom Line
Gartner tells you what to build. McKinsey tells you why to build it. Vendors tell you which tools to use.
The Hansen Method tells you how to make it actually work.
Data Fabric is an impressive technical achievement—a sophisticated horseshoe that can integrate data across your enterprise. But without an implementation methodology, it joins the 80% of technology investments that fail to deliver promised value.
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of an implementation methodology, another $5M Data Fabric investment will be lost.
The question for CPOs: Are you buying just the horseshoe, or are you ensuring you have the nail?
30
BONUS COVERAGE – HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER
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