Two Billing Systems, One Warning Sign
Strategic misalignment wastes millions. This cautionary story reminds us that we must be alert at all times and provides a solution for addressing misalignment early.
Misalignment in change programmes doesn’t announce itself with dramatic project failures or boardroom battles. It creeps in quietly. Sometimes, it reveals itself in small but telling moments—like discovering that two departments are developing two separate billing systems, unaware of each other’s plans.
That was precisely the situation I found at a large client. Both projects had budget approval. Both were led by competent teams. Both had department-level support. And yet, neither team was aware of the other's existence.
This wasn’t a technical oversight. It was a strategic one. And it’s more common than many leaders realise.
Misalignment Doesn’t Start With Mistakes—It Starts With Pressure
Most misalignment isn’t caused by incompetence or lack of effort. It’s the result of operating under pressure—pressure to deliver quickly, to respond to market shifts, or to satisfy competing internal demands.
In this case, different business units had been granted significant autonomy. While that flexibility had encouraged innovation, it also created blind spots. Projects were being developed in silos, often solving the same problems or, worse, pulling in opposite directions.
And no one had a complete picture of what was going on.
When You Can’t See the Whole, You Can’t Steer the Ship
By the time misalignment is noticed, it often comes with a cost—financial or operational.
In the billing systems example, the immediate concern was wasted spend. But as we dug deeper, the implications became wider:
Teams were stretched thin across overlapping initiatives
Critical resources were being double-booked
Leadership was making decisions without access to accurate data
Staff were losing confidence in leadership’s ability to prioritise
Misalignment, in short, was eroding both performance and trust.
How We Fixed It: One Funnel, One View
We introduced a governance funnel to create structure, consistency and visibility.
The goal was simple: to ensure that every new idea—no matter how promising—went through a consistent evaluation process. That meant standard formats for business cases, shared financial and operational data, and a single cross-functional steering group to approve or stop projects.
The first step was to test the governance framework. We retrofitted the funnel onto live projects. That decision raised eyebrows. Some thought it was overkill. But it served two essential purposes:
It allowed us to test the framework before applying it at scale.
It sent a clear message that alignment wasn’t optional; it was the new standard.
We were now ready for the implementation.
We mapped dependencies, uncovered conflicts, and created a shared view of the whole project pipeline—from idea to implementation.
Building a Culture of Informed Decision-Making
In the early stages, the change was met with resistance. Department heads felt their autonomy was under threat. Some managers pushed back when their projects didn’t make it through the funnel.
But over time, perceptions began to shift.
People saw the benefits of having a clear decision criteria. They realised that submitting a stronger business case increased the odds of approval. They appreciated the fairness of decisions being made based on data.
The Real Value: Better Use of Time, Money and Trust
The most visible benefit was financial. We reduced duplicated effort, avoided unnecessary spending, and redirected resources to initiatives that aligned with strategy.
But the deeper value was cultural. What began as a governance mechanism evolved into a cultural shift.
The organisation moved from reactive, fragmented decisions to a more coherent, strategic approach. Staff became more engaged, better prepared, and more confident that their work was connected to something bigger.
And leadership regained trust—because decisions were transparent, consistent, and clearly linked to strategic priorities.
Final Thought: Alignment Is Not About Control—It’s About Clarity
Too often, organisations confuse alignment with bureaucracy. But the real goal is clarity.
When teams understand how their work fits into the bigger picture, they can focus, collaborate and deliver. When leaders have a clear view of what’s happening and why, they can steer with confidence.
Misalignment might seem like a minor issue at first. But left unchecked, it compounds quickly. If you’re seeing signs - conflicting initiatives, unclear priorities, overworked teams - it’s time to step back and ask: are we all really moving in the same direction?