Case Study: Building Capacity for Strategic Delivery in a New Zealand Government Organisation

Client: A Key New Zealand Government Organisation
Service: Strategic Roadmapping, Organisational Design, and Capability Planning

The Challenge:

A vital New Zealand government organisation, responsible for delivering critical public services and implementing national policy, had recently articulated ambitious 3-year strategic objectives aimed at improving service delivery, enhancing public engagement, and leveraging data for better outcomes. While the strategic vision was clear, the business units within the organisation faced a significant challenge in translating these high-level objectives into actionable plans and ensuring they had the right people and organisational structure to deliver. Working with one of the largest business units, comprising procurement and supply chain management, fleet, equipment management and sustainability, key challenges included:

• Translating Strategy to Action: Difficulty in breaking down broad strategic goals into concrete initiatives and measurable outcomes.
• Resource Alignment: Uncertainty about the specific roles, skills, and capacities required to execute the new strategy.
• Organisational Structure: Existing business unit structures were not optimally aligned to support the cross-functional nature of the new strategic objectives.
• Capability Gaps: A lack of clarity on where skill gaps existed within the workforce relative to future strategic needs.
• Prioritisation: Challenges in prioritising initiatives to ensure focus on the most impactful activities within resource constraints.
• The client recognised that without a clear roadmap, an optimised structure, and a well-defined workforce plan, their strategic ambitions risked remaining aspirational.

Our Role:

Engaged to facilitate the development of a comprehensive strategic roadmap, identify the necessary employee capabilities, and design an optimal business unit structure to ensure the successful delivery of the organisation’s 3-year strategic objectives.

Our Approach:

Our methodology was highly collaborative and structured, designed to bridge the gap between high-level strategy and practical execution:

1. Strategic Objective Deconstruction & Prioritisation:

• We began by facilitating workshops with the organisation’s senior leadership and key stakeholders to thoroughly deconstruct the 3-year strategic objectives.
• Each objective was broken down into key outcomes, critical success factors, and potential initiatives. We then worked to prioritise these initiatives based on strategic impact, feasibility, and interdependencies.
• Outcome: A clear, prioritised list of strategic initiatives aligned to each 3-year objective.

2. Current State Capability & Structure Assessment:

• We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the existing business unit structures, roles, and current employee capabilities through interviews, surveys, and document review.
• This involved understanding current reporting lines, decision-making processes, and the skills present within the relevant teams.
• Outcome: A detailed Current State Organisational and Capability Assessment Report, highlighting strengths and areas for development.

3. Future State Organisational Design:

• Based on the prioritised strategic initiatives, we designed a “to-be” organisational structure for the relevant business units. This involved:
• Defining new or refined roles and responsibilities required to deliver the strategic objectives.
• Proposing optimal team structures and reporting lines that fostered collaboration and accountability.
• Considering cross-functional dependencies and how the new structure would facilitate seamless workflow.
• Outcome: A Future State Organisational Design blueprint, including proposed team structures and key role definitions.

4. Employee Capability Identification & Planning:

• For each new or modified role within the future state structure, we identified the specific skills, knowledge, and experience required.
• We then conducted a gap analysis between existing employee capabilities and future requirements. This informed a detailed capability development plan, including recommendations for upskilling, reskilling, and new hires.
• Outcome: A comprehensive Capability Requirements Matrix and a Workforce Development Plan, outlining recruitment and training needs.

5. Strategic Roadmap Development:

• We integrated the prioritised initiatives, the new organisational structure, and the capability plan into a cohesive 3-year strategic roadmap.
• This roadmap detailed key milestones, dependencies, resource allocation (including identified employees/roles), and a timeline for achieving each strategic objective. It also included a phased approach for organisational transition.
• Outcome: A detailed 3-Year Strategic Roadmap, providing a clear visual and actionable plan for delivery.

6. Stakeholder Validation & Buy-in:

• Throughout the process, we facilitated regular review sessions with senior leadership, department heads, and relevant government agency stakeholders. This ensured strong buy-in, addressed concerns, and built collective ownership of the roadmap and new structure.

Key Outcomes & Impact:

Through this comprehensive engagement, [Your Consultancy Name] provided the New Zealand government organisation with a clear and actionable path to achieve its strategic objectives:

• Clear Strategic Direction: The organisation gained a robust 3-year strategic roadmap, translating high-level goals into concrete, prioritised initiatives.
• Optimised Organisational Structure: A redesigned business unit structure was put in place, specifically engineered to support cross-functional collaboration and efficient delivery of strategic objectives.
• Defined Workforce Needs: The organisation clearly understood the exact number and type of employees required, along with the specific skills and capabilities needed to execute the strategy.
• Enhanced Capability: A targeted workforce development plan was established, enabling the organisation to proactively address skill gaps and build internal capacity.
• Increased Accountability: Clear roles, responsibilities, and timelines within the roadmap fostered greater accountability for strategic delivery.

This project empowered the business unit within the New Zealand government organisation to confidently embark on its strategic journey, ensuring it had the right structure, people, and plan in place to deliver enhanced public services and achieve its national objectives.