Why BIG?
Organisations often face systemic issues when it comes to effectively integrating strategy and delivery. Some of these issues include:
- unsatisfactory strategy formulation, implementation planning, and delivery
- difficulty balancing and prioritising BAU, Change, and Value Creation
- a lack of business support and assurance resources to orchestrate governance operations
- inadequate information infrastructure for agile decision making
- cultural difficulties in achieving accountability for strategic outcomes and
- disappointing results from strategy delivery workloads
Furthermore – it is becoming more widely accepted that our organisations must focus on sustainable wellbeing as well as our traditional financial motives. – See more here (watch it to the end): “Quality Governance …will fix an un-sustainable world”.
Given both points, it makes practical sense and sense for our future existence to improve our ecosystems for governance – at all levels.
What is BIG?
Business Integrated Governance (BIG) refers to a comprehensive approach to managing and aligning corporate governance within an organisation.
Figure 7. Business-as-Usual, Value Creation and Change underpin Strategy
It involves integrating governance principles, practices, and structures throughout business operations and decision-making processes.
The challenge of BIG is to shift from relying on a patchwork of governance practices to defining and managing fully integrated governance operation with the necessary Capability.
A well-defined (BIG) Capability primarily enables the effective communication of strategic expectations, followed by ongoing systematic performance oversight, decision making, re-steering, and course corrections, leading to greater strategic outcomes and agility.
Figure 6. Illustration of a Strategic Process Cycle
BIG Capability achievement requires the consideration of several crucial elements, including a strategy information model, integrated operating models, and a governance regime. Clear accountability management, suitable enablers (tools, processes, standards), business support and assurance (orchestrating the operation), data / information solutions and leadership are all essential for success.
BIG is described fully in the BIG Body of Knowledge (BoK).
Figure 16. How BIG connects example operating models
Within the BIG BoK, the BIG Framework provides key concepts, principles, and capability component definitions to facilitate the development of integrated governance and strategy delivery capability. It also addresses culture needs, offers example deliverables, and references methods and models.
BIG is particularly relevant to stakeholders involved in strategy management, change delivery, value creation, governance, risk, compliance, assurance, business support, and line of business leadership. It is especially valuable for potential sponsors and programme managers seeking to improve governance practices within their organisations.
Figure 20. BIG Principles and core connections
BIG can be applied:
- tactically – to solve specific governance, assurance and accountability issues, or
- strategically – to improve strategy delivery outcomes
The first step in a strategic BIG Journey is to engage a suitable sponsor in a small project that seeks to develop consensus on the problem and opportunity at hand. This project aims to build desire for improvement at the most senior levels of the organisation.
Following this initial step, the BIG Journey offers a pathway to determine the desired state of governance, agree on a vision, initiate a roadmap, make a compelling case, build enablers, and ultimately achieve lasting culture change within the organisation.
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