The Glue Holding Your Strategy Together

In this article, I’ll be showing you how to accelerate your strategy with project governance.

Has your interest level plummeted because of the g-word?

You’re not alone. When I mention “governance,” some of my clients roll their eyes and give me looks of terror or total disinterest. To many, governance feels like bureaucracy, red tape, and endless meetings. But here’s the truth: governance is seriously the

most

useful

GLUE for getting things done.

Governance generates traction

And traction is exactly what’s needed to execute a strategy successfully.  In fact, persistent traction is usually required over 12 months or more.

Without governance, even the most ambitious strategies tend to fizzle out, sidetracked by competing priorities and stretched resources.

Governance can be a game changer

In one mid-sized business I worked with, the leadership and team were incredibly dedicated professionals. They had a clear strategic vision and were working hard on implementing it. But despite their best efforts, they just couldn’t seem to make progress. The CIO (let’s call him Ian to protect privacy) told me he felt like he was on a hamster wheel—running flat out, but getting nowhere fast.

The problem was, they had dozens of business-as-usual (BAU) projects, each demanding attention. On top of that, there were more than a dozen strategic projects to execute, each vital to the company’s future growth. The team was spread too thin, and resources were stretched to the limit.  Despite strong motivation and hard work, the strategic initiatives were stalling.

Minimum viable project governance

We decided to run a prioritisation exercise, but instead of merely choosing which projects to focus on, we did something else: we introduced a governance framework to create discipline and structure around their strategic initiatives.

The governance framework helped them prioritize which projects were most important.  It also gave the team a clear decision-making process for allocating resources, resolving conflicts, and holding people accountable.

We implemented a “minimum viable governance” model tailored to the company’s culture—enough structure to keep things on track without introducing unnecessary complexity. Ian, the CIO, and leadership team immediately saw the benefits. Governance became their secret weapon for creating focus and moving the strategy forward with purpose. They could see traction building week by week.

By the end of the first 6 months, Ian had completed two critical strategic projects that had previously been stuck in limbo. Progress was highly visible and motivational.  The team also felt relieved—they weren’t treading water anymore; they were advancing toward their goals.

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3 Tips to Use Governance to Accelerate Strategy

1. Understand your organizational culture
   Governance doesn’t mean implementing a cookie-cutter set of rules. Your governance approach has to match your culture. Is your organization formal and hierarchical? Or more casual and collaborative? Governance will only work if it feels like a natural part of how your teams already operate. In the mid-sized business example, a heavy-handed approach would have backfired. Instead, we crafted a lightweight framework that respected their existing culture but still created much-needed accountability and focus.
2. Prioritise the projects
   It’s impossible to accelerate strategy when every project is treated as equally important. Governance allows you to set priorities based on what will deliver the most impact. Start with a prioritisation exercise. Identify what must be completed to move the needle on your strategic goals, and focus your resources there.
3. Implement a minimum viable governance approach
   In addition to a one-off prioritization, you need to put in place a sustainable approach.  It may be as simple as regular strategic project check-ins, clearly defined decision-makers, or a streamlined process for escalating issues. Ensure that whatever governance structure you use doesn’t overwhelm your culture. Keep it simple but effective. For Ian’s team, a light-touch governance framework was all that was needed to start building momentum.

Governance doesn’t have to be a dirty word. When used wisely, it can become the key to turning strategy into action. It’s the glue that holds strategic work together, providing the structure, discipline, and clarity needed to keep teams focused and moving in the right direction.

So, the next time someone mentions governance and your instinct is to groan, remember that the right governance, tailored to your organization, might just be the missing ingredient to help you deliver your strategic goals.

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Quote of the week

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently

that which should not be done at all.”

Peter Drucker

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