Crises can drive strategic transformation. Effective management of a “burning platform” involves both addressing immediate threats and seizing opportunities for long-term change.

Popular wisdom says you should never waste a good crisis, and we are inclined to agree. When it comes to business transformation, nothing gets people moving more effectively than an “act now or suffer dire consequences” scenario.

Often known as a “burning platform” in management speak (the term originated from an actual burning oil rig platform in the North Sea in 1988), a crisis situation typically offers both challenges and opportunities in equal measure. That is, the challenge of managing the immediate situation, and then the opportunity of turning the crisis into a strategic transformation initiative.

Too often we see organisations with a burning platform focus their efforts on the ‘urgent’ problem in front of them that needs immediate attention, yet neglect the opportunity for important change. More on that a bit later.

What constitutes a burning platform?

First, let’s take a look at what constitutes a burning platform. Most obviously, you have any threat that poses an existential crisis to your operations. That could be a financial, reputational, regulatory or technological event that would mean game over (or close to it), if the fire is allowed to burn out of control.

It can also be helpful to extend the burning platform definition to include a range of situations that may not necessarily be the end of life within your organisation as you know it, but could cause substantial disruption if left burning unchecked. For example, losing a core platform such as an ERP that is essential to running the organisation may completely shut down the organisation’s ability to function, process and generate revenue.  Losing a key capability like a data warehouse won’t bring the organisation to a stand still in the same way, but it will generate significant frustration, error and demand on people to find a workaround.

In the case of a failing core platform, the first step would be mitigating the immediate challenges to keep things working in the short-term. The second step might be seizing the opportunity to introduce a new and improved system that does not have the vulnerabilities or business continuity challenges the previous had, or change the underlying factors that cause the loss in the first place, such as lax upgrade and patching standards or poor maintenance operations.

How to seize the burning platform opportunity

Let’s say you’ve identified a burning platform in your organisation and have taken immediate, tactical action to contain the situation: crisis averted. Your leadership team then assesses that there may be an opportunity to drive longer-term strategic change, off the back of your crisis. How do you ensure the project remains strategic?

We have identified two key steps in the process:

Create a strong theory of change and narrative

Every project needs a story. The burning platform is its origin story, and it needs a good theory of change to back up why the project will deliver the desired outcomes and benefits.

To create a strong story, think of the burning platform as being the catalyst or event that changes what has been done in the past. Next you need to define why things need to change. The project is the protagonist, paving the way forward and driving change.

In technical project speak, we often talk about the “why” and the problem statement, which can run the risk of becoming dry and uninspirational. A burning platform can be captivating and emotive, which can boost the level of importance associated with your project. Critically, your theory of change narrative should also express clear alignment on the solution. When you’re dealing with a crisis, many people will have an opinion about how well-defined the problem statement is.

If you’re still feeling overwhelmed by solutions, take a step backwards to the problem statement. There may be more work to be done on your “why”.

Syndicate the narrative

When it comes to getting people aligned and on board, most of us tend to think about traditional change management principles. These are undeniably important, and robust change management should be built into any project where people need to come on the journey. However, it can also be helpful to get creative and think outside the traditional change management box when you’re dealing with substantial change.

Creating your narrative is the first step; next it’s time to syndicate it. By this, we mean working to get everyone on board and moving in the same direction. Dissension and lack of understanding during times of strategic change can be unhelpful at best, and a complete derailment of what you’re trying to do at worst.

Typically, the more audacious and transformative the change, the more doubters there will be. Ensuring your message is linked to the crisis and is seen as important is paramount to preparing for and driving long-term transformative success.

Is strategic change still possible without a burning platform?

If you’re lacking a burning platform, yes – substantial strategic change is still possible. However, it will be harder without the immediate motivating factors.

We would never recommend creating a burning platform or lighting fires to get things moving – that is, presenting a crisis scenario which may cause unnecessary panic and alarm. However, you can take the principles you would apply to a burning platform scenario, outlined above, to create the required momentum.

To find out more about how Quay Consulting can help your team with managing change and benefit risk,  please contact us.

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Quay Consulting is a professional services business specialising in the project landscape, transforming strategy into fit-for-purpose delivery. Meet our team ...