The conversation was launched by one of the guests interestingly advocating against transformation. A Project Director for a Federal Government organisation, commented on how a significant percentage of his time and effort when he started in his role was spent “killing projects” to ensure efforts are focused on where the best ROI is available.

Successfully delivering two high value projects is far more valuable than attempting to deliver ten different projects, as it will help with building momentum in the Delivery teams as well as the confidence of the Executive team.

Following on from the discussion on simplification over transformation, a Project Director from a well-known financial institution raised the topic of ensuring any transformational activities are strongly aligned to strategic business priorities. 

Before embarking on a Transformation journey, the business must have a clear vision of their strategic priorities to inform the value of projects and programs. It’s easy – particularly for executives – to be wooed by shiny technology solutions, which often solve problems that aren’t relevant to the business. 

Once a Transformation is underway, the ability of leaders to strategically prioritise initiatives can often become a key determinant of the success of the program. 

Linking back to the point of simplification over transformation, a smaller amount of successfully delivered initiatives creates momentum within Delivery teams and garners Executive support, both critical factors in the delivery of large transformation programs.

One of our guests, a General Manager from a well-known Technology Product business, recounted an experience of bringing Executives into a Planning session and writing every initiative on a Post-It note that was stuck on the wall of the meeting room. By the end of the planning session, the entire room was filled with Post-It notes. This helped the executive to visualise the vast number of initiatives involved in the transformation and the critical need to strategically determine priorities to avoid overwhelming all involved.

Using data to drive insights into the progress of a transformation can be a powerful tool in bringing stakeholders on the journey of a transformation, however sometimes it can be hard to quantify progress using data alone. 

Another guest, a Project Director from a large superannuation firm, discussed how utilising data and insights through dashboards can be powerful, but that it must also be supported by directly speaking with stakeholders as this is the most powerful way to influence and understand shifting priorities.