The Strategic Projects Hamster Wheel

Why your strategic projects are not on track and what you can do about it.

At the time of writing this article, spring has sprung in Australia. The birds are back, the sun is lingering, and there’s a little more optimism in the air. But for many leaders, there’s a cloud chasing that sunshine.

There are only three weeks left in Q1, and already, the quarterly milestones on your strategic projects might be starting to slip.

What appears to be the finish line for one year is actually the start line for the next.

To be fair, you’ve just come off the back of closing out a financial year while planning for the new one. One minute you’re signing off financials and talking to your accountant. The next, you’re wondering where the last two months have gone.

Why does this happen?

There are four likely scenarios. And they’re more common than you think.

1. Your team is optimised to do their day job

No well-run organisation builds in large chunks of unused capacity. You hire for the roles needed to deliver the day-to-day. So when strategic projects come along, it’s no surprise the team is short on capability or capacity.

2. Your team isn’t experienced in projects or change

Projects are a different rhythm to business-as-usual. If your team hasn’t had much exposure to structured project work, it can feel uncomfortable. Sometimes even intimidating.

3. You’re missing a project owner and rhythm

You and your leaders may not have the time or the skill to design and lead projects. That’s not a fault — project leadership takes focus and experience. Without it, things stall.

4. Culture and dynamics

This one’s a little spicy, but worth calling out. Strategic projects almost always cut across functions. This introduces new dynamics. Who you select to lead and participate can make or break progress. If any team member is uncomfortable with the dynamics, decision-making, or workload, they often become a quiet handbrake.

5. Strategic decision-making and empowerment

Sometimes the project looks like it’s set up for success. The team is in place, momentum is building, and things are humming along. Then it stalls or veers off track. Often, it comes down to the team not having the right framework or the ability to make strategic decisions. If they’ve been positioned to follow instructions rather than solve problems, they can easily make the wrong decisions or avoid making them altogether.

How do you fix it?

If you’re thinking, thanks for holding up the mirror, but now what?, here’s my advice:

Get the right outside help.

That’s where I come in. When I’m not helping organisations develop their strategy, I help them design and deliver their strategic projects.

Not with vague timelines or beautifully unrealistic Gantt charts. But with actual project design and leadership.

I take the time to get under the skin of your business. Understand how it ticks. Where the leverage points are. What your superpowers and limitations are. And who the people are that need to be involved.

Then I do the part most teams don’t want to do: I take responsibility for running and delivering the project.

That frees your team up to do what they’re great at — contribute expertise, shape outcomes, and stay engaged without getting stuck in the mechanics.

Projects I lead are designed around your business and your team. And I often roll up my sleeves beyond project management to contribute hands-on in areas like:

• Program design

• Research and insights

• Workshop design and facilitation

• Asset development

• Product specification

• Product leadership

• Financial modelling

• Toolkits and templates

• Prototyping

• Project reporting

• Change management planning and comms

• Board reporting and leadership papers

How do I do it?

Most of my career has been spent in strategic creative agencies. Not just delivering projects — running the business, too.

Agencies live or die by their ability to deliver multiple, high-quality projects across different clients, sectors, and formats. And I’m not talking about a handful of projects. I’m talking hundreds, running simultaneously.

They’re cross-functional by nature, with strategy, account service, design, copywriting, UX, developers, motion, and production all in the mix. The only way to succeed is to make the project work for everyone involved, while still delivering success for the client.

So that’s what I bring. Practical, cross-functional project design that aligns to business strategy and works for the team tasked with delivery.

And truthfully, it’s something I love doing. Helping businesses move forward and giving teams the structure and support to get great work done.

What kinds of projects?

The good news: almost any strategic project.

Whether it’s change, innovation, systems, process improvement, people and culture, growth or optimisation — the common thread is helping a business move from where it is now to where it needs to be.

What next?

To wrap this up — if you’ve made it this far and suspect your strategic projects could use a nudge (or a lifeline), let’s chat.

Getting projects unstuck is what I do. And chances are, it’ll take less effort than you think.