Matt’s approach from the get-go was clear and concise. He got straight to the core of what needed to be delivered and communicated how we would all get there together.
As a leadership team, we knew what needed to be done – we had an idea of what focus areas and activities would deliver the results we needed. But we needed someone to guide and navigate the differing views and personalities to get the best out of everyone.
Despite tight timelines, Matt kept us on track. His collaborative approach helped unite the fairly new working group, creating support for each and buy-in to the organisation’s vision.
Matt encouraged the team to look objectively at the situation and agree on a bold vision that would elevate its short-term strategy to long-term security.
Sarah Kulman
The Metropolitan Roads Program Alliance (MRPA) is currently responsible for removing dangerous level crossings on behalf of the Victorian State Government.
MRPA’s current projects include, Evans Road, Lydhurst, Cardinia Road Pakenham, South Gippsland Highway, Dandenong; and Clyde Road, Berwick.
It wanted to create a long-term strategic plan that would help cement its vision, motivate its people and become the government and community’s preferred infrastructure supplier.
The TL;DR snapshot:
- We helped develop a new strategic plan to guide and focus the MRPA, and its people on key priorities.
- The strategy is visionary, actionable and measurable.
- We mapped the existing baseline and leveraged Kaplan and Norton’s balanced scorecard.
- The workshop engendered both executive, and organisational collaboration.
- It did a dual job of accelerating short-term priorities and long-term growth.
The challenge: Collaboratively build a strategy for now, and the future
A change of the guard in leadership offered an opportunity to reflect and refocus, and co-create a new organisational vision.
While the outcome was clear, how to get there wasn’t – until ULab joined the fray.
Our approach: Strategic inputs and future-focused collaboration
- Strengthen collaboration
- Co-create an evolved three-year strategic plan – with clear responsibilities, delivery dates and success measures.
- Ignite blue-sky thinking.
When done well, it creates a safe environment where people can solve problems, plan together, and build collective ownership – moving from “no, but” argumentation to “yes, and” collaboration. In doing so, it harnesses the intelligence of a group.
Once our objectives and workshop insights were locked down, we developed a cohesive plan deliver against them.
The solution: Strategy is what you choose not to do
We only had a day and a half with the Leadership Team, and we had to make it count.
First, we did a retrospective to discuss which elements of the existing strategy and operating model worked well, what could be improved, and where we needed to focus our efforts.
Once we understood the current baseline, we moved to strategy. We’re big fans of Kaplan and Norton’s balanced scorecard, which unifies focus, simplicity, vision and measurement.
To evolve the vision, we worked in both smaller groups and as a collective – something we’d replicate for the rest of the workshop.
Next, we identified the four strategic pillars that would enable the MRPA to realise its vision:
- Financial certainty: Strengthen financial position and performance
- Capability and culture: Become the infrastructure employer of choice, with strong retention and diversity
- Reputation: Enhance the Level Crossing Removal Program and Metropolitan Roads Program Alliance brands and build social licence with diverse stakeholders
- Transformation: Future proof by transforming how we operate, collaborate and utilise technology to become more agile and efficient.
We then developed the performance measures, targets and specific initiatives (with owners and deadlines) that would determine both our short and long-term success.
Finally, we pressure tested the plan to ensure we’d truly embraced blue sky thinking – rather than being operational – and evolved our work to embed some audacious goals.
Once the workshop was complete, we worked alongside with the Alliance’s Communications and Strategy Manager, Sarah, to synthesise all outputs and package them into a cohesive document for feedback.
She re-engaged the leadership team and refined the strategic plan, before finalising it for stakeholder and organisational socialisation and dissemination.
Making it happen: Develop a two-tiered strategic road map that’s actionable
Specifically, this approach to strategy development enabled the MRPA to:
- Develop a short and long-term strategic roadmap that is visionary, actionable and measurable.
- Co-create a tangible plan that the entire leadership team ‘bought into’.
- Break silos and enhance collaboration – ensuring top-down and bottom-up alignment.
- Accelerate its commitment to social procurement, and building a diverse and inclusive workforce.
- Showcase how it rejuvenates existing infrastructure to improve safety and help better connect local communities.
Don’t just take our word for it.
For results like this,
get in touch:
Don’t just take our word for it. For results like this, get in touch:
