Theme 2, Article 4: Optimising Value.

The activation of enabling capability outcome(s) introduces them to live conditions. What follows is a period of operational adaptation during which the dial moves along the value realisation trajectory as:

• Users adjust behaviours

• Management routines mature

• Integration friction is reduced

• Measurement stabilises

Early measurements reflect movement of the dial, though not necessarily yet to an optimised or settled state. A credible baseline emerges only once:

• A predicted settling in period has passed

• The trajectory begins to flatten

• Variance narrows in range

• Behavioural norms are reasonably consistent

If value realisation falls below, or is in excess of target, configuration and performance are recalibrated from that initial baseline. The question then becomes how far realised value sits from target value, or credible optimum, and what adjustments are required to close that gap.

Initial performance may reflect friction, behavioural lag, uneven adoption, imperfect configuration, and residual design compromise. It may also reflect strategic constraint. Targets may have been optimistic to secure political approval, or conservative to signal aversion to risk. Either way, the first measurable state should be seen as a starting point.

From Visibility to Variance

When realised value becomes visible in performance data, variance from target will emerge.

The delta between realised value and target value provides the focal point for optimisation:

• Where value underperforms expectation

• Where value exceeds expectation

• Where value stabilises below its potential

• Where value proves volatile or fragile

This is an analytical activity. Evidence must be interrogated objectively. Data can mislead; early overperformance may reflect temporary conditions, and underperformance may reflect behavioural adaptation that is still underway.

Optimisation should ask three hard questions:

1. Is the capability functioning as designed?

2. Is behaviour aligning with intended operating practice?

3. Are the targets themselves calibrated to strategic reality?

Without examining all three propositions, the dial will neither strengthen  nor stabilise at its optimum realised value.

Underperformance: Corrective Calibration

Where realised value falls short, the temptation may be to take the overly simplistic view that the gap is a delivery failure. Underperformance typically arises from misalignment across four dimensions:

• Capability configuration: tools, processes, integration logic

• Operational management: how performance is monitored, governed, and reinforced

• Behavioural adoption: whether intended ways of working are consistently applied

• Target calibration: whether expectations were realistic in the first instance

Optimisation isolates which variable, or combination of variables, is driving variance.

• Capability configuration may require adjustment, e.g., integration logic tightened, workflow simplified, thresholds recalibrated.

• Usage discipline may require strengthening, e.g., leadership attention, coaching, or incentive alignment.

• Performance expectations may require recalibration, e.g., targets raised, or moderated, to reflect observed performance.

If the gap reveals that original targets exceeded feasible performance within the prevailing financial, regulatory, or cultural constraints, optimisation is simply realignment to reality.

Overperformance: Strategic Recalibration

Initial overperformance should not be read as success achieved. In practice, this too demands scrutiny.

If realised value exceeds target value, one of three dynamics may be at play:

• Capability has latent strength not originally assumed

• Behavioural adoption has outpaced expectation

• Targets were set conservatively

Optimisation in this context asks whether strategic ambition should increase. If the system can deliver more value than originally projected, is it appropriate to recalibrate expectations upward?

Where evidence demonstrates sustainable capacity to generate stronger value, leadership may choose to increase exposure, scale adoption, or raise performance thresholds. This too is simply realignment to reality.

The dial moves either way, correcting weakness, or exploiting strength. But failure to respond to stronger than estimated performance is a lost opportunity.

Evidence, Interpretation, & Governance

The credibility of optimisation depends on the integrity of the evidence upon which it is based.

Performance dashboards, management information, and assurance reporting provide data, but interpretation determines consequence. Governance arrangements need to distinguish between meaningful signal and transient noise. Short-term volatility should not trigger immediate intervention; persistent variance should not be normalised.

The optimisation loop typically operates across three layers:

• Operational layer: day-to-day management of performance vs defined measures

• Programme layer: structured review of realised value against intended benefit

• Portfolio layer: assessment of whether strategic exposure should be adjuated

  
  

This layered interpretation ensures that optimisation remains proportionate. Not every fluctuation warrants structural redesign; not every gap requires escalation.

Adjusting the Configuration

Optimisation rarely relies on a single lever. It involves deliberate adjustment across interconnected elements:

• Reconfiguring capability parameters

• Refining operating procedures

• Reinforcing behavioural norms

• Adjusting measurement thresholds

• Reallocating management attention

Each adjustment changes the system. The objective is strengthened realised value within strategic and operational constraints, which matter.

Financial ceilings, statutory requirements, workforce capacity, and political risk form the boundary conditions within which optimisation operates. Full potential may be theoretically identifiable yet practically unattainable. Optimisation therefore operates within bounded ambition.

The skill lies in moving the dial as far as those constraints credibly allow.

Strengthening to a Stable State

Optimisation is an ongoing calibration process.

Initial strengthening of realised value may be visible within weeks or months. Strengthening to the point of optimum stability may require more time and deliberate management:

• Embedding feedback loops

• Maintaining leadership attention

• Avoiding regression to previous behaviours

Without proactive management, performance may drift towards decay. Early gains may decay. The dial may prematurely stall.

Reaching Full Potential

As we have shown, there is a distinction between realised value post activation and maximised end-point value. The former is baseline. The latter is full potential within constraint.

Optimisation bridges the gap. It recognises that value may not emerge at maximum strength and that improvement requires deliberate recalibration. It treats realised value as variable rather than fixed. It accepts that strengthening value is an operational responsibility.

The dial moves when alignment is restored, whether by strengthening realised value or recalibrating expectation.

Activation establishes that potential value exists.

Optimisation determines how far the dial can move.

Once the dial has moved as far as constraint credibly allows, the task becomes one of disciplined vigilance. Strengthened value must hold under normal operating pressure. Routine or cyclic variance should not provoke intervention; persistent deviation should not be ignored. Where performance remains stable within its recalibrated range, optimisation rests. Where it drifts, vigilance reopens the cycle.