Strategy Implementation: Closing the Gaps Between Strategy and Results

An overview of the BIG CIC Strategy Implementation discussion, 12 October 2026, with links to pre-reading, the event report and further developments.

Why did we have this discussion?

An organisation agrees a strategy. It sets objectives, approves investment and launches initiatives.

Its operations continue serving customers, its product and asset teams make decisions about developing and sustaining value, and its programmes and projects deliver change.

Yet, months later, leaders may struggle to explain whether the organisation is moving towards the outcomes it expected – or what should change if it is not.

We often call this the strategy execution gap. But what exactly is the gap? Or, more accurately, what are the gaps?

Our proposition is that there are several, including:

• Design and delivery gaps: Those developing strategic choices are insufficiently connected with those responsible for making them real.
• Translation gaps: Strategy is not translated into coherent objectives, accountabilities, priorities, resources and expected results.
• Coordination gaps: Operations, value creation, finance and change compete for capacity or work to incompatible assumptions.
• Expectation and outcome gaps: Actual results differ from those intended or promised.
• Learning gaps: Information about performance, results and uncertainty does not adequately inform decisions about delivery or strategic direction.

These are not necessarily failures of individual professional disciplines. Organisations can have excellent strategy, project management, finance, operations and assurance functions yet still struggle to connect their contributions.

The question we set out to explore was: What would it take to make strategy implementation an enduring organisational capability, rather than a one-off mobilisation exercise?

There is no shortage of good practice

BIG CIC does not claim to have invented strategy implementation or discovered an absence of professional knowledge.

The International Association for Strategy Professionals (IASP) provides extensive knowledge on strategy management. Other professional disciplines offer well-developed practices for managing operations, products, assets, portfolios, programmes, projects, finance, risk, assurance, information and organisational change.

Approaches including strategy maps, OKRs, scorecards, Hoshin Kanri and portfolio management already address important parts of the challenge.

The Business Integrated Governance perspective is concerned with connecting these disciplines so that they operate as an effective organisational system.

We are particularly interested in the interfaces between strategic choices, objectives, accountability, investment, capacity, ongoing operations, value creation, change, risk, decisions and evidence of results.

The BIG Body of Knowledge provides concepts, principles, components and models that can help organisations apply and integrate this existing good practice.

Our proposal is that strategy implementation needs to be explicitly established and operated as an organisational capability – one that can support new strategies, strategic adjustments and the continuous management of performance.

The pre-reading: Building the discussion

Ahead of our 12 October BIG Body of Knowledge Club session, we developed a series of articles to set out the challenge, offer a BIG perspective and invite contributions from practitioners across disciplines.

1. The Strategy Execution Gap Is Still With Us. What Are We Missing?

An introduction to the problem, why traditional approaches can leave gaps between strategy and results, and why we need to look beyond the hand-off from strategy development to delivery. – Article here

2. Why Does Strategy Implementation Become an Issue?

Growth, mergers, underperformance, disappointing investment results, a new CEO or a strategy refresh can all expose weaknesses in an organisation’s ability to connect its strategic intentions with delivery.

This article considers why apparently local problems can be symptoms of a wider organisational capability gap – Article here

3. How Do We Make a Strategy Implementable?

Strategy development and implementation capability need to develop together.

This article considers how purpose, current reality, vision and strategic choices connect with objectives, accountability, resources, capacity, risk and delivery contributions.

It introduces the importance of a connected Strategy Information Model, providing the information needed to make decisions and manage results. – Article here

These articles were intended to stimulate discussion and challenge, rather than present a finished solution.

The BIG BoK Club discussion – 12 October 2026

On 12 October, we brought together practitioners from strategy, governance, portfolio management, transformation and other disciplines to examine the proposition.

Our discussion explored whether strategy implementation should be recognised as an enduring capability of the organisation, how that capability might be established and operated, and what BIG could contribute by connecting established professional practices.

A number of themes emerged:

• The strategy execution gap is not a single problem. Different gaps can exist in formulation, translation, coordination, delivery, evidence and learning.
• Having capable specialist functions does not guarantee that their work is connected around shared organisational outcomes.
• Strategy delivery must encompass operations, ongoing value creation and change, not just programmes and projects.
• Implementation considerations need to influence strategy development, rather than only begin once a plan has been agreed.
• Strategy needs to be continuously managed, evaluated and adapted.
• Executive ownership, meaningful accountability, connected information and effective Business Support are central to making the system work.

The conversation also reinforced the importance of considering what is already available from different professional disciplines, and how their knowledge can be applied together.

Read the event report from our Strategy |Implementation Discussion, 12th October:

We thank everyone who participated and provided additional feedback.

Where next? Developing the Strategy Implementation proposition

The session was a milestone in an ongoing programme of work, not the conclusion.

We are now consolidating the pre-reading, BIG Body of Knowledge material, practitioner contributions and event findings into more substantial content on two connected subjects.

Strategy Implementation as an Enduring Organisational Capability

This will explore what organisations need to establish, operate and continuously improve their ability to translate strategic choices into coordinated activity, results and learning.

It will draw on BIG’s existing principles, components and models, together with knowledge and experience contributed by strategy, governance and delivery professionals.

Strategy Configuration and the Models That Enable Implementation

This will explore how an organisation can maintain a coherent, connected understanding of its purpose, vision, strategy, objectives, accountability, resources, risks, delivery contributions and performance.

It will develop the roles of the Strategy Information Model, Strategy Operating Model and BIG Operating Model in supporting effective decisions, governance and adaptation.

We intend to share developing material with reviewers and Full BIG Members before wider publication.

Interested in reviewing or contributing? We welcome contact from practitioners willing to challenge the thinking, share experience or contribute relevant professional knowledge.

Become a Full BIG Member

Further events and opportunities

The Strategy Implementation discussions will also inform upcoming events and presentations.

3 and 4 November 2026 – Beyond Siloed Leadership

Together with partners, we will examine how integrated governance can help connect purpose, strategy, organisational capabilities and performance, drawing on a practical organisational example.

• Tuesday 3 November, 2pm UK time – Register here
• Wednesday 4 November, 4pm UK time – Register here

24 November 2026 – APM PMO Interest Network Conference. Strategy Delivery Does Not Happen by Magic: The PMO Opportunity in Business Integrated Governance – APM PMO Interest Network Conference on 24 November.

We will explore the opportunity for PMO and portfolio professionals to contribute to the wider organisational capability needed for successful strategy implementation.

Get involved with BIG CIC

Business Integrated Governance CIC is a not-for-profit organisation developing and sharing knowledge to help organisations connect purpose, strategy, governance and delivery.

We do not seek to replace established professional disciplines. Our role is to help people recognise, connect and apply the knowledge and capabilities needed to make the organisation work effectively as a whole.

You can explore our work and participate through:

• BIG Membership: Join the community, participate in discussions and access developing knowledge. – Explore BIG Membership
• BIG Partners and Professional Members: Find practitioners and organisations offering relevant specialist expertise.
• BIG Solution Providers: Explore tools and services that can support integrated governance. – Explore BIG Solutions

Our invitation is simple: help us connect the good practice that already exists and make strategy implementation a dependable part of how organisations work.