Assuming that you are adopting a programme or portfolio approach to transformation, it’s important that the team you put in place have the necessary skills and experience. A successful programme manager will have a different skillset, mindset and approach to a successful project manager. In this episode, Jason and Joe deep dive into the skills and competencies that a programme team needs to possess in order to ensure a successful transformation.

A functional transformation can either be defined as a programme or a portfolio depending on the scope and scale of the change required and whether you are transforming one or multiple functions. This seemingly esoteric point matters when coming to choose the best methodology to use and when building your transformation organisation and team. In this episode, Jason and Joe explore the differences between a project, programme and a portfolio, and why it's essential to define your...

The question of who makes decisions is often a vexed one in transformation programmes that get into trouble. A clearly defined governance structure, built to solve complex problems and manage unforeseen risks, is a pre-requisite for successful business transformation. Unpacking exactly what this means, and how best to make decisions with imperfect information, quickly and at scale, is the subject of this week's conversation.

So many aspects of functional transformation are unknown and unknowable when you begin, putting you deep into the territory of unknown unknowns. To combat the uncertainty inherent in transformation programmes, your team need clear, simple guidance to help inform their design decisions. In this week's episode Jason and Joe discuss the importance of having clearly defined vision, objectives and design principles, and how they will help your team make the best possible design decisions that...

In too many transformation programmes, change management only gets thought about just before new systems and processes are about to go live, but to deliver a successful outcome, to change the culture, you have to engage people in the change process from the very start. In this week's episode, Jason and Joe discuss some of the common mistakes made when delivering change, how change management is about a lot more than communications and training, and when and who to engage in the...

Transformation Initiatives require changes to people, processes and systems. But it can be all too easy to get fixated on technology, especially if it’s new, shiny and expensive. This week Joe and Jason discuss the importance of collecting a broad range of ‘capability requirements’ that describe the culture that we seek to build, how people will work in the future, and the processes and systems they will use to deliver to their customers. We discuss the benefits of engaging multi-functional...

Business transformation initiatives often start due to external events, a change in the senior leadership team, a merger, an acquisition, or changes in regulation. But that only describes why we need to change, not what needs to change. This week Jason and Joe discuss the importance of defining the problem that you're seeking to address before rushing headlong into solution design. What do our customers believe needs to change? What’s important to them? How much effort do we attribute to...

Following on from our roundtable debate in Episode one, in this episode Jason and Joe discuss the essential role of programme sponsorship in more depth. Discover the knowledge, skills, experience and capabilities a sponsor needs to have to deliver a successful transformation, and how to connect people, business strategy and programme objectives for maximum impact. Jason and Joe also share their top tips for programme sponsors new to the role, looking at what you need to consider to set...

In our first episode of the Underscore Transformation podcast, we invite you into our recent live roundtable debate, where Joe and Jason are joined by special guests to discuss the 10 critical success factors in scoping a transformation programme. Hear real world, practical advice from programme sponsors and transformation practitioners on this too often overlooked stage of business transformation.

Welcome to Underscore Transformation, your practical guide to successful business change. Each week, join Underscore co-founders Joe Ales and Jason West as they discuss the critical elements of successful business transformation