Insights
Perspectives on complexity, change and execution, and what it takes to keep intent and execution aligned.
When one policy changes, what else needs to change?
Changing a policy is relatively straightforward. Understanding everything that change affects across a large organisation is another matter entirely.
Read more →
A simpler structure doesn't necessarily mean a simpler organisation
As Australia's major banks reshape their operating models, the real test of simplification may not be how many management layers disappear, but whether the organisation becomes easier to operate.
Read more →
AI can find your policies. But can you trust the answers?
Enterprise AI is transforming how employees access organisational knowledge. But in complex, regulated environments, finding information is only part of the challenge. The more important question is whether that information can be trusted when decisions depend on it.
Read more →
When the government changes, who knows what else needs to change?
Machinery of Government changes are designed to reshape responsibilities and improve the delivery of public services. But transferring a function is only the beginning. The harder challenge is ensuring that the policies, decisions and operational processes supporting it remain aligned.
Read more →
The $100 Million Drift: Why Your Bank’s Policy Library Is a Ticking Time Bomb
It’s 9 AM on a Tuesday, and APRA is sitting across from your COO. They’re not asking for your policy library. They already have it – all 10,000 pages of it.
Read more →
The gap AI can’t close
Most organisations are asking the wrong question about AI. They’re asking if it’s smart enough. They should be asking if it’s governed enough. Because the real danger is not bad technology. It is misplaced trust.
Read more →
Are You Executing Strategy Or Interpreting It?
The Problem Isn’t Policy. It’s Translation. Your team set the policy 12 months ago. All signed off. All attested. On paper, everything aligns. Then the audit comes.
Read more →
From Documents to Infrastructure: Understanding Intent Driven Operations
Your credit policy says loans above $500K require two approvals. Your system approved one with a single sign-off. Your compliance team finds it three months later during an audit.
Read more →
When Bank Systems Fail Customers (And What It Costs You)
Standing in a bank branch for an hour taught me more about operations than any MBA could. Last month, I walked into my local Darlinghurst branch for what should’ve been five minutes.
Read more →
When Did We Stop Asking If This Is Working?
I was staring at my computer screen in disbelief. Tender document open. Third time around. Same broken system that’s consumed $200+ million and six years of precious time and energy. Still running. Still funded.
Read more →
When Justice Systems Don’t Connect, Families Pay the Price
If someone you love is arrested in Australia, the clock starts. Information stops. Rebecca hung up the phone in 2024, and I knew immediately something was wrong.
Read more →
The Drug Dealer Problem in Software Development
“You know, the only other people in the world who refer to their customers as ‘users’ are drug dealers.” SAP conference, packed auditorium. The CEO drops this line and the room erupts in laughter. I laughed too.
Read more →