Expertise
From strategy to the tools, one approach
We work on the whole chain that connects a strategic intent to the work of teams. We start with the link that is blocking, but we always look at the chain as a whole: a well-governed portfolio achieves little if funding does not follow, and well-configured tools cannot rescue an inconsistent model.
How the expertise fits together
Strategy-to-Execution is the overall framework. Each of the other areas covers one part of the chain, and none of them is sold as a separate product.
| Area | Its role | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy-to-Execution | The overall framework | Turning strategy into measurable priorities, funding, portfolio decisions and work for teams, with a feedback loop. |
| Lean Portfolio Management | Portfolio, funding and decisions | A portfolio that makes real trade-offs: Portfolio Kanban, WSJF, capacity funding, governance forums, roles. |
| Operating Model & Execution | From leadership to teams | How governance and execution work together: value streams, decision rights, governance cadence, PI Planning, VMO, LACE. |
| Tools & Data | The implementation layer | The model represented in the portfolio and execution tools, with one source of truth for each data item. |
| AI-Augmented Strategy & Execution | The augmentation layer | AI that prepares, consolidates and analyses. Accountable people decide. |
Tools are capabilities, not the offer
Clarity, Planisware, Primavera, Jira and Confluence are where the model has to live. We know them in depth, with PPM and Clarity expertise since 2007, and that depth is what allows us to design a model that can actually be implemented. They are not what we sell: we sell no licences and resell no vendor. The Clarity PPM and Jira and Confluence pages describe what we do in each.
How an engagement runs
1. Diagnostic of the chain. What the organisation actually does, not what the framework describes. We follow one strategic priority down to the work of teams and find where it gets lost: funding, governance forums, decision paths, tools, data. You get a clear picture of the current state and an achievable target, with the gaps qualified.
2. Operating model design. Priorities and stop criteria, funding rules, portfolio structure, governance forums and cadence, roles and decision rights, value streams. Every object in the model already has its counterpart in the tool. We do not design a model that later turns out to be impossible to represent.
3. Implementation in the tools. Configuration of the tools chosen to carry the model: the portfolio tool (Clarity, Planisware or another), the execution tool (Jira, Jira Align, Azure DevOps or Rally) and the knowledge base, Confluence or equivalent. Object hierarchy, workflows, fields, permissions, dashboards, automated feeds. Our rule: no steering view that needs continuous manual entry.
4. Running it, then handing over. Support for the first portfolio forums and the first PI Planning, coaching for the people in the roles, handover to the tool administrators, documentation of what was configured. The aim is that you no longer need us.
Engagement formats
| Format | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Strategy-to-Execution diagnostic | Current state, target, gaps, roadmap |
| Lean Portfolio Management in practice | Portfolio governance, capacity funding, governance forums, and the tools that serve them |
| Operating model and a first train | Value streams, roles, decision rights, first PI Planning, Jira aligned |
| Redesign of governance tools and data | Portfolio tool, execution tool and knowledge base aligned with the model |
| Proof of concept | A demonstration on your real scope, with success criteria set at the start |
| AI applied to governance | Diagnostic, then a pilot over one governance cycle or one PI |
Scope and budget are agreed together, after a first conversation.
What we do not do
- We sell no licences and resell no vendor. If the tool you already have is fit for purpose, we will tell you.
- We do not roll out a framework for its own sake. SAFe applied to the letter in an organisation that is not ready produces ritual, not decisions.
- We do not deliver dashboards fed by hand. They will not be maintained.
- We do not design a model that nobody has planned to implement in the tools. It stays on slides.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can we bring you in for the tools only?
Yes. Part of our work is taking over the tooling of a model designed by someone else. We then start by reviewing the model, because a tool does not fix an inconsistent model.
Can we bring you in for the model design only?
Yes, but we will raise the question of tools from the scoping stage, and tell you whether your current platform can carry the target model.
Do you work alongside integrators and firms already in place?
Yes. On large programmes it is the most common situation. We take on the part of the chain that is missing.
Who does the work?
The founder leads every engagement. Depending on scope, we bring in independent experts we have worked with before, introduced at the scoping stage.
One link blocking, or the whole chain to rethink
A diagnostic of the chain shows where your strategy gets lost. Let's talk about it.