Koen Harbers

Moving Beyond Compliance

As digital threats become more frequent and complex, many organizations are feeling the pressure to comply with a growing web of laws, regulations and standards. Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt (FUD) reporting in the media fuels this pressure. The board and senior management often have the idea that this compliance first approach at least gives effect to their duty of care responsibilities. Yet, a "compliance first" mindset—where ticking boxes and meeting regulatory demands take precedence—can create a false sense of security. True resilience requires a holistic, resilience-first strategy. One that goes beyond compliance and embeds operational resilience into the DNA of the organization. At Highberg, we help organizations make this crucial shift, ensuring organizations are prepared not just to pass audits, but to withstand and recover from real-world disruptions.

Portfolio Performance Measurement #3: Build your own CIA

Many business school classrooms echo with lectures on the value of precise, analytic approaches to management. Yet when we look at what is happening all around us, there is a big gap between what we are taught and what we do in our own organizations. Measuring the value we are delivering, and how we are delivering it, is not always obvious to leadership teams. A reason can be found in the varying opinions on measurement effectiveness in the first place. Some organizations are doing just fine without too much measurement. To others, these systems might seem more like a luxury than a necessity given their day-to-day worries. It is not seen as critical for survival, yet.

Portfolio Performance Measurement Continued: A Plea for Actionable Metrics

There is nothing wrong with looking in the rearview mirror. It is necessary. The obvious nuance is it should not be the only thing you do as you drive your car down a busy road. Two insights broaden the view of metrics . Continuing the car analogy: it is not just the roads, or the other cars around, but also the speedometer plus a mindful eye on any blinking red lights trying to warn you of a future car failure. These first two insights can lead to a more holistic understanding of portfolio performance. With such a wide set of metrics to choose from comes the next challenge: what should we focus on? How to use them to effect?

Are project metrics dead? A quick guide to Lean Portfolio Measurement

Do on-time, on-scope and on-budget metrics really have no place in modern, product-led and agile-embracing organizations. Having spoken with many organizations who have largely adopted the lean-agile delivery model, the possibly surprising answer is NO. Agile delivery model supporters argue that the methodology opposes anything that remotely resembles traditional project management practices. But even those that call themselves agile by nature confess to some nuance.

Product-led impact

There is little doubt that few businesses function, let alone flourish, without digital technology supporting them. The positive impact of fintech on profitability in the banking sector is well-established[1]. The automotive industry has been rocked by Tesla’s “over-the-air updates”. The energy sector is trying to keep up with the demands placed on its capabilities to support a wide array of EV charging solutions. The pharmaceutical industry has launched its own version of Industry 4.0 with its vision for Pharma 4.0. No surprise - digitalization tops the list of transformation priorities everywhere.

Crisis-driven business transformation

The impact of the COVID pandemic will likely be overestimated in the short term but underestimated in the long term. Creating a responsive, adaptable organization is key to navigating the uncertainties associated with the current crisis’ economic aftermath and any future crises. Yet at the same time, many companies have shown exceptional agility during this period.

Budget approved: Why still fight for priority

Did you ever feel the frustration of having all the necessary budget approvals but still having to defend yourself before your agile-embracing department will finally spend time on it? Program and project managers, strategy managers and business executives who are dependent on others for execution will recognize this frustration. It’s one thing having to defend yourself to the investment committee or even to the CEO to get your strategic business case approved. It’s something else entirely if that victory to a seemingly uphill battle only gets you into another, even murkier one. You’d be glad to hear you are not alone. We have many anecdotes like these. For all the reported benefits of the agile way of working, this side effect is rarely considered enough.

Revamping pharma: Agile strategy shifts

The last decade, organizations are more and more confronted with different competitive pressures. Emerging technologies, rising consumer expectations, complex value chains and changes to the way people live and work are just a few factors that trigger organizations to rethink their strategy. Combined with a relatively poor track record on large scale change execution, this has created a need for organizations to reinvent their strategy definition and execution processes.