Brightline has published an excellent set of 10 guiding principles to bridge the ubiquitous gap between strategy design and delivery, and I think it should be required reading for all leaders.
The Brightline Initiative™ is a coalition of leading global organizations assembled by the Project Management Institute (PMI), dedicated to, in their words, “helping executives bridge the expensive and unproductive gap between strategy design and delivery.”
I’m particularly pleased that that they recognized the importance of resource planning in their list of 10 key guiding strategy execution principles, particularly on points 3 and 8.
In point 3 (Dedicate and mobilize the right resources), they say:
“Actively balance “running the business” and “changing the business” by selecting and securing the right resources for each — they often have different needs. Recognize that team leadership skills are at a premium, and assign the best leaders with sufficient capacity to tackle head-on the most challenging programs and those essential for successful strategy implementation.
To build on this, part of resource planning is determining and prioritizing the various aspects of the business and aligning the right resources accordingly. A general rule of thumb is to give “running the business” the minimum effective amount of resources it needs (not shortchanging it, however, lest it become a critical issue) and giving the “change the business” initiatives the maximum effective resources, even applying a concentration of force where appropriate to strategic programs (to use an age-old military principle). Again, these are general guidelines, not unilateral rules.
In point 8 (Check ongoing initiatives before committing to new ones), they state:
Add new initiatives in response to new opportunities, but first be sure you understand both the existing portfolio and your organization’s capacity to deliver change. Actively address any issues you discover.
This gets to the heart of resource planning: assessing capacity and keeping the existing portfolio in mind whenever considering new initiatives. It’s possible that shifting resources, shifting projects, or seeking alternate sourcing may be required. In any case, potential capacity issues shouldn’t be ignored, as many companies are prone to do.
It’s great to see these oft-forgotten principles recognized as key elements of the strategy execution process. They also promote other principles I’ve always touted, including simplicity, engagement, and cross-business cooperation, I highly encourage reading the full list and sharing it with others in your organization.
