{"id":2393,"date":"2026-05-14T10:44:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/?p=2393"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:29:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:29:51","slug":"strategy-to-delivery-the-gap-we-all-seem-to-treat-as-invisible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/strategy-to-delivery-the-gap-we-all-seem-to-treat-as-invisible\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategy to Delivery &#8211; the gap we all seem to treat as invisible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Strategy to Delivery &#8211; the gap we all seem to treat as invisible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some time ago, I ran a session with colleagues from the <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/connecting-project-strategy-management-through-integrated-governance-awareness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">APM Governance Interest Network<\/a><\/span><\/strong> exploring a proposition that \u201cstrategy to projects\u201d is far less straightforward than many organisations assume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The response was significant:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>over 400 participants<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>more than 500 contributions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and repeated evidence of the same underlying issue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We explored six recurring themes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>communication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>cascade of objectives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>prioritisation and competing workloads<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>metrics establishment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>support capability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and information and data capability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What emerged was striking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practitioners do not generally believe organisations lack:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>strategic thinking capability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>analytical capability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>or delivery capability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Most organisations can develop strategy. Most organisations can deliver projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What they struggle with is the management of the space in between:<br>implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or more accurately: continuous implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because strategy implementation is not a one-off transition from planning to delivery.<br>It is an ongoing management discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>managing strategic communication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>maintaining the cascade of objectives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>orchestrating prioritisation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>establishing meaningful measures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>enabling fair accountability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and sustaining integrated information and data capability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Those themes surfaced again last night during a dinner discussion on AI, Portfolio Management, and Financial Services hosted by leaders from Uppwise and Aries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/gioacchino-gaudioso\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Gioacchino Gaudioso<\/a><\/span><\/strong> from Uppwise presented a compelling vision for a connected backbone supporting strategy execution and portfolio governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/masonedwards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Mason Edwards<\/a><\/span><\/strong> from Aries explored the growing impact AI may have on portfolio management, decision support, and strategic coordination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stefano-corradino-5a747061\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Stefano Corradino<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, Head of Group PMO at Sella, shared practical experience from transforming governance across more than 550 projects using Uppwise as a portfolio backbone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One part of the discussion particularly resonated with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nobody in the room questioned the ability of leadership teams to create ambitious strategies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nobody questioned the capability of PMOs and delivery professionals to execute work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Yet there was broad recognition that many organisations still suffer from a serious disconnect between strategy and delivery.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At one point the issue was summarised simply: \u201cwe just don\u2019t talk to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That sounds simplistic, but it captures something very real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Too often:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>strategic intent is insufficiently connected to operational prioritisation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>departmental plans drift away from enterprise objectives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>strategic work is repeatedly displaced by short-term crises<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>portfolio prioritisation becomes detached from strategic outcomes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>risk reporting lacks visibility of Mission Critical Objectives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and governance falls into \u201cDon\u2019t Ask \/ Don\u2019t Tell\u201d behaviour patterns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The conversation also connected strongly with themes from the BIG CIC session on Data the previous evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The issue is rarely lack of information. The issue is fragmentation.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Finance arrives with one version of reality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delivery teams bring another<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operational functions hold their own<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strategy teams maintain separate views again<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The challenge is not simply producing dashboards. It is creating trusted, integrated, decision-ready information with visible provenance and shared context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Platforms such as Uppwise can help provide integration points and operational visibility.<br>But there was also recognition around the table that many organisations still do not see PPM capability as a core enterprise management function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From my perspective, several conclusions continue to emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strategy implementation is a major organisational weakness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The connection between strategy and projects remains poorly managed in many environments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organisations underinvest in the operational capability needed to sustain integrated strategy execution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PMOs and portfolio management capabilities are often treated as administrative support functions rather than strategic operating capabilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer is not another colourful strategy slide pack. Nor is it simply implementing a PPM platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deeper issue is how organisations operate the connection between strategy, governance, prioritisation, delivery, accountability, and information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That operating gap is real &#8211; and increasingly, people across strategy, governance, PMO, portfolio, and transformation communities are recognising it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The organisations that successfully solve this problem should be talking far more loudly about how they are doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>More about the Uppwise Technology:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Product<\/strong> Uppwise<\/td><td colspan=\"5\"><strong>Website<\/strong> https:\/\/www.uppwise.com\/<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Contact<\/strong> Tom Joice and Chiara Cesari<\/td><td colspan=\"5\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong> Uppwise is a strategic portfolio and execution management platform designed to connect strategy, investment decisions, portfolio prioritisation, resource capacity, and delivery execution into a single operational management environment. It helps organisations align initiatives to strategic goals, optimise portfolio decisions, manage constrained resources, and improve execution visibility across enterprise change portfolios.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Email<\/strong> t.joice@uppwise.com \/ c.cesari@uppwise.com<\/td><td colspan=\"5\"><strong>BIG Blog<\/strong> &nbsp;&#8211; this is it.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Location<\/strong> Global<\/td><td colspan=\"5\"><strong>Summary<\/strong> Uppwise operates in the strategic portfolio management and enterprise execution layer, helping organisations translate strategic intent into prioritised, funded, and resource-balanced delivery portfolios. It combines strategy alignment, portfolio prioritisation, capacity management, and execution governance within a connected management system. The platform appears particularly strong in helping organisations balance competing demand, constrained resources, and portfolio trade-offs while maintaining alignment to strategic objectives.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Area<\/strong> Execute<\/td><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>Primary role<\/strong> Strategic portfolio management, strategy execution &amp; resource optimisation<\/td><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>System type<\/strong> System of coordination and portfolio orchestration<\/td><td><strong>Level of operation<\/strong> Enterprise \/ EPMO \/ portfolio governance \/ transformation office<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Buyer<\/strong> COO \/ CIO \/ Chief Transformation Officer \/ Head of Portfolio \/ EPMO Lead<\/td><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>Key Difference<\/strong> Strong emphasis on integrating strategy, portfolio prioritisation, funding, resource capacity planning, and execution governance into a unified operating layer<\/td><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>Entry Point<\/strong> Strategic portfolio management \/ portfolio rationalisation \/ capacity bottlenecks \/ enterprise transformation governance<\/td><td><strong>Maturity level<\/strong> Mid to late &#8211; strategy established, organisation seeking integrated execution discipline, portfolio optimisation, and resource-aligned delivery<\/td><\/tr><tr><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>Trigger problem<\/strong> Organisations struggle to align strategic priorities with finite resources, investment decisions, and delivery capacity across competing portfolios<\/td><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>Pain<\/strong> Portfolio overload, resource conflicts, weak prioritisation discipline, disconnected execution reporting, and poor visibility of whether investment and delivery activity truly reflect strategic inten<\/td><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>Desired outcome<\/strong> A connected strategic execution environment where objectives, portfolios, investments, resources, and delivery activity are continuously aligned, prioritised, governed, and optimised to support effective enterprise decision-making and strategic outcomes.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What next?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bigcic.agilecrm.com\/forms\/5215722411851776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Subscribe<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to receive notification of blogs and events<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Become-a-Member-1.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Become a Member<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to access BIG Materials<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/solutions-listing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">BIG Solutions<\/span><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0we have connected with already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/about-us\/contact-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Contact us<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for deeper insights on BIG Solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Strategy to Delivery &#8211; the gap we all seem to treat as invisible Some time ago, I ran a session with colleagues from the APM Governance<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,36,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-implementation","category-information","category-pmo-p3o-theme"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Strategy-Icon1-e1776245353431.png?fit=308%2C261&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2393"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2400,"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions\/2400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/big-cic.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}