Nine principles, refined over twenty-five years of running programmes — and rescuing the ones that needed rescuing.
Most programmes don't fail on capability — they fail on the wrong problem. The first job is finding what's actually in the way.
Agile, SAFe, waterfall, hybrid — pick what fits the client, not the consultant.
Suppliers, sponsors, the team — if they don't believe you, the plan is wallpaper.
I don't outsource the thinking, and I don't disappear into a steering pack.
Status reports are a tax. Spend the hour on the thing that's actually slipping. Green is not an aspirational status.
Be consistent. Agree the decisions, set the boundaries, write the SOPs, communicate them. The discipline isn't bureaucracy — it's making the right call easy for the team when you're not in the room.
To the sponsor, to the supplier, to the team. The difficulty of the message is no excuse for fudging it.
The programme is the deliverable. The operating model and the team you leave behind are the legacy.
I don't name clients, deals or numbers I haven't been cleared to name. Track record speaks loudly enough.