Move guide
Own it at the top
Your report suggested a move on at least one of these two practices:
- who owns the programme at the top;
- whether the top team is committed.
This move guide puts the programme in the chief executive's diary and a signed number in front of every leader. Then it makes one hard call early, so the business can see the programme is real.
1. When it applies
Use this move guide if your report placed either practice in the lowest two stages.
| Practice | Where it may sit today | Where this move guide aims |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the programme at the top | Lagging: "The CEO announced the programme and moved on; it is run by a project lead or the advisers and rarely reaches the leadership agenda." Basic: "The CEO is the sponsor on paper and attends the steering meeting when the diary allows." |
Competent: "The CEO chairs the programme reviews personally and the board or owners hear progress every quarter." |
| Whether the top team is committed | Lagging: "Everyone nodded at the offsite; afterwards several leaders do nothing and nobody expects to be held to a number." Basic: "Leaders accept their targets in the room and reopen them in private, and the painful decisions are deferred to next year." |
Competent: "Each leader has signed up to their own target in writing, and at least one hard call (a closure, an exit, a role change) has been made rather than deferred." |
If both already sit at the middle stage or higher, skip this move guide.
It comes first. Every later move guide assumes the programme has an owner at the top.
2. What to do
Four steps, in two to four weeks, before anything else starts.
- Put the programme in the chief executive's diary. A weekly review, a monthly leadership slot and a quarterly board report, each dated for a year. The sponsor worksheet holds the diary.
- Give each leader a number for their own area, and have them sign it. A leader without a number is a spectator. The commitment worksheet records each one.
- Make one hard call early, and in public. Stop a pet project, close a site or move a senior leader. It shows the programme is real.
- Write down who decides what. The board, the programme owner, the programme office and each initiative manager each get their own list.
Table A below holds the rhythm and the numbers on one page.
The two free worksheets do the recording:
- /worksheets/transformation/sponsor for the diary and the decision rights;
- /worksheets/transformation/commitment for the signed numbers and the hard calls.
3. What to produce
One table, plus the two worksheets above.
Table A. The rhythm and the numbers
| Item | Who | When | Signed or held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly programme review | Chief executive (chair) | Each week, dated for a year | |
| Monthly leadership slot | Leadership team | Each month | |
| Quarterly report to the board | Chief executive | Each quarter | |
| Leader 1: their number | |||
| Leader 2: their number | |||
| The first hard call |
A number nobody signed will be reopened in private.
4. A worked example
Illustrative. Written for this move guide. It describes no client.
A building products group has launched a programme to take cost out of its overheads. The advisers run the weekly meeting, and the chief executive drops in when the diary allows.
The diary.
- The chief executive now chairs the weekly review. A monthly slot sits on the leadership agenda, and the board hears progress every quarter.
The numbers.
- Each of the six leaders signed a number for their own area. Two had argued against theirs in private. Both signed after a one-to-one with the chief executive.
The hard call.
- The group closed a small loss-making branch in the first month, and said so to every site.
One month on.
- 52 weekly reviews in the chief executive's diary
- 6 of 6 leaders with a signed number
- 1 hard call made in public
On a retake, both practices could be answered at the middle stage.
What it looked like in our work
From our own work. Redrawn.
An equipment maker set up its programme with four levels, each with its own decisions. The board approved big changes. The programme owner ran delivery. A small office tracked it, and each initiative had one manager.
- BoardApproves big changes to the plan, the budget and any new initiative
- Programme ownerMakes sure benefits land; approves changes to scope, dates and budgets
- Programme officeTracks progress and benefits each month; raises risks and issues
- Initiative managersOne per initiative; deliver the tasks and resolve blockers
- Programme ownerMakes sure benefits land; approves changes to scope, dates and budgets
| Level | Decides | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Board | Big changes to the plan, the budget and any new initiative | Hears status and benefits each month |
| Programme owner | Changes to scope, dates and budgets; issues raised to it | Takes the office's monthly update |
| Programme office | Nothing on its own; tracks and raises | Status, benefits, risks and issues |
| Initiative managers | How the tasks get done | Progress and blockers to the office |
Every initiative had one manager, and every change had one place to be approved.
5. Effort and dependencies
- Chief executiveChairs the weekly review and reports to the board.
- Leadership teamEach leader signs a number for their own area.
- Board chairAgrees the reporting rhythm.
What you need
- The programme's target, split by area.
- A year of diary dates.
How long
- Two to four weeks, before anything else starts.
What gets in the way. We have seen this in our own work:
- Nobody at the top. A drinks producer's programme had no executive sponsor, and no meeting, tracking or reporting schedule.
6. How will you know it worked?
The test is what the chief executive's diary and the leaders' signatures show. Retake the check after the first quarterly board report. Each of these should be true when you answer:
| Practice | You can answer Competent when | A document alone does not count if |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the programme at the top | The chief executive chairs the reviews, and the board hears progress every quarter. | The diary is set, but someone else chairs most reviews. |
| Whether the top team is committed | Each leader has signed a number, and at least one hard call has been made. | The numbers are signed, but every hard call is still waiting. |
The worked example is illustrative.
Think we've used your work without proper credit? Tell us and we'll fix it.