Why nobody can say what's actually moving this quarter

Who in your organisation holds the complete view of how strategy execution fits together, not just their part of it?

Early in my career, I worked with an organisation that designed and delivered in silos.

When we reviewed the full change portfolio, the truth hit hard: projects overlapping, conflicting outcomes, millions wasted.

After redesigning the strategy, we brought together a small group of senior leaders. Not to add governance, but to maintain a single shared lens for execution.

This view covered everything: the projects, programs, and activities required to deliver the strategy as well as the key organisational activity that put strategy at risk. 

It was uncomfortable at first.

Leaders had to let go of functional priorities for the collective. But that connected view soon proved invaluable.

For the first time, we could see where execution was drifting and what needed to shift to get back on track.

That experience changed how I think about execution: not as control, but as connection.

In my last post, we explored translation, turning strategy into one integrated plan. Now, in Lever 3, we unpack the Execution Management System, the structure that wraps around the plan to ensure it is actually delivered.

At its foundation sits what I call Execution Management, the discipline of overseeing the entire system of work to ensure every activity, initiative, and investment aligns within an integrated execution plan and works together to achieve its intent.

In my research, leaders described the friction that arises when no one holds a unified view: each initiative runs on its own logic, priorities multiply, capacity strains, and decisions are made in isolation.

Nobody holds the whole view because holding it isn't anyone's job. Every function can run its own portfolio competently and the organisation still can't tell you what's moving. Building the function that holds that view, and giving it enough authority to stop things, is what Execution covers.

I’ve created a carousel breaking down:
 • Why a central view across the strategy execution matters
 • How Execution Management differs from traditional Portfolio Management
 • What organisations can do differently

This is part of lever 3 (Execution Management System) of the Strategy Execution by Design Model. See the full framework →

Not sure which of the seven levers is holding your execution back? Take the Strategy Execution Maturity Model Assessment →

Written by Rebecca Reti, strategy and execution consultant working with boards and executive teams across Australia and New Zealand.

There's more on this in the carousel. It breaks down why a central view matters, how execution management differs from traditional portfolio management, and what organisations can do differently.
See the carousel on LinkedIn →