Starting Point
A media group with approximately 600 employees was in the midst of digital transformation. Ambition was high, resources were limited. Twenty-three transformation initiatives were running in parallel, without clear prioritization, without consistent accountability, and without visible progress on most of them.
Challenge
- Too many parallel initiatives with limited resources
- No criteria for prioritization and sequencing
- Leaders feared their project might be cut
Objective
- Create transparency across all active initiatives and their strategic contribution
- Prioritize rigorously: what stays, what gets paused, what gets ended
- Develop a sequencing logic that combines focus with flexibility
Approach
- One-day strategy workshop with executive management and division heads
- Visualization of all 23 initiatives by impact, effort, and strategic fit
- Collaborative assessment and clustering by leverage points
- Development of a 90-day sequencing plan with clear ownership assignments
Outcome
- Reduced from 23 to 7 core initiatives: 9 paused, 7 ended
- Clear ownership and resource allocation for each initiative
- 90-day rhythm introduced as a strategic governance format
- Tangible relief across the leadership team, focus instead of activism
“For the first time in two years, we feel we’re working on the right things.” — CEO, Workshop Sponsor (paraphrased)
Anonymized and condensed: to protect clients, details have been changed and experiences from several engagements combined or split across cases. Quotes are paraphrased.