Where teams get stuck: unclear ownership, no‑go data, weak evidence, and vendor sprawl, plus fixes you can ship this week.

Growth outpaces ownership and process. Tools multiply, consent gets messy, retention is unclear, and no one keeps evidence as they work. Fix this with named owners, a living data map, channel specific consent, short retention, and automatic logs.

Buy the tool only after you map the jobs it must do. Most teams need a consent platform, a DSAR workflow, a simple record of processing, and basic evidence collection. Confirm that the tool integrates with your identity provider, your data sources, and your ticketing system. Assign owners and service targets before you sign.

Projects fail when the goal is “get a cert,” not “enable revenue and reduce risk.” Without an executive sponsor and named owners, habits don’t change. Over-engineered tools and manual evidence create hidden debt. Fix with clear outcomes, accountable leads, short sprints, and early automation.