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Practice area 8

Out of 9

Creating coherent organisational narrative and priorities

Aligning executive governance and strategic impact includes the activities, methods and tools used to establish journey management within senior leadership forums, securing executive sponsorship and aligning cross-functional teams around a shared direction. This practice area includes visualising organisational interdependencies across systems and operating models to break down structural silos and resolve competing internal priorities. It also involves using journey data to build evidence-led performance narratives that clearly demonstrate commercial, operational, and human value to decision-makers.


What activities, methods and tools make up this practice?

Survey respondents first rated the relevance of each practice (0–5, from ‘not relevant at all’ to ‘very relevant’). For practices scoring 3 or higher, respondents scored their organisation’s effectiveness in applying them (0–5, from ‘not effective at all’ to ‘very effective’). The chart above shows both the range and average scores for relevance and effectiveness across each practice.

Avg relevance 2.01–3.98 · Avg effectiveness 2.67–3.72
12345
Establishing executive sponsorship & governance
Building an evidence-led performance narrative
Aligning journeys to organisational strategy
Communicating value and impact
Visualising organisational interdependencies
RelevanceEffectivenessAverage

Insight

Organisations deliver the most value by visualising organisational interdependencies from the start

Visualising organisational interdependencies ranks as the most relevant practice across all practice stages and demonstrates the narrowest overall gap (0.82) between relevance and effectiveness. Organisations get even better at these over time. This demonstrates that a primary strength of journey management lies in mapping how journeys, teams, systems, and operating models interconnect across organisational boundaries, delivering clear and demonstrable value early in an organisation's practice.

Insight

Organisations deliver the most value by visualising organisational interdependencies from the start

Visualising organisational interdependencies ranks as the most relevant practice across all practice stages and demonstrates the narrowest overall gap (0.82) between relevance and effectiveness. Organisations get even better at these over time. This demonstrates that a primary strength of journey management lies in mapping how journeys, teams, systems, and operating models interconnect across organisational boundaries, delivering clear and demonstrable value early in an organisation's practice.

Insight

Organisations deliver the most value by visualising organisational interdependencies from the start

Visualising organisational interdependencies ranks as the most relevant practice across all practice stages and demonstrates the narrowest overall gap (0.82) between relevance and effectiveness. Organisations get even better at these over time. This demonstrates that a primary strength of journey management lies in mapping how journeys, teams, systems, and operating models interconnect across organisational boundaries, delivering clear and demonstrable value early in an organisation's practice.

Insight

Early-stage practices see all other practices as important, but can’t make them work yet

Overall, early-stage practices rate the relevance of these activities at 3.95 out of 5 (between applicable and very applicable). In contrast, their average effectiveness score sits at 2.90 out of 5 (between slightly and moderately effective), representing a gap of 1.05. Over time, organisations get better, and the relevance of these practices increases

Insight

Early-stage practices see all other practices as important, but can’t make them work yet

Overall, early-stage practices rate the relevance of these activities at 3.95 out of 5 (between applicable and very applicable). In contrast, their average effectiveness score sits at 2.90 out of 5 (between slightly and moderately effective), representing a gap of 1.05. Over time, organisations get better, and the relevance of these practices increases

Insight

Early-stage practices see all other practices as important, but can’t make them work yet

Overall, early-stage practices rate the relevance of these activities at 3.95 out of 5 (between applicable and very applicable). In contrast, their average effectiveness score sits at 2.90 out of 5 (between slightly and moderately effective), representing a gap of 1.05. Over time, organisations get better, and the relevance of these practices increases

Insight

Proving the value of Journey Management, using evidence to demonstrate the impact of experience issues and aligning strategic priorities are the hardest practices for everyone

Practices that communicate the commercial, operational, human, and social value of journey initiatives, use evidence to illustrate the impact of experience issues on broader organisational performance, and apply journey frameworks to align strategic priorities across cross-functional teams prove the most challenging. Across each of these areas, the difference between relevance and effectiveness remains substantial, approximately to the value of 1. This gap is statistically significant and is a common experience for all organisations.

Insight

Proving the value of Journey Management, using evidence to demonstrate the impact of experience issues and aligning strategic priorities are the hardest practices for everyone

Practices that communicate the commercial, operational, human, and social value of journey initiatives, use evidence to illustrate the impact of experience issues on broader organisational performance, and apply journey frameworks to align strategic priorities across cross-functional teams prove the most challenging. Across each of these areas, the difference between relevance and effectiveness remains substantial, approximately to the value of 1. This gap is statistically significant and is a common experience for all organisations.

Insight

Proving the value of Journey Management, using evidence to demonstrate the impact of experience issues and aligning strategic priorities are the hardest practices for everyone

Practices that communicate the commercial, operational, human, and social value of journey initiatives, use evidence to illustrate the impact of experience issues on broader organisational performance, and apply journey frameworks to align strategic priorities across cross-functional teams prove the most challenging. Across each of these areas, the difference between relevance and effectiveness remains substantial, approximately to the value of 1. This gap is statistically significant and is a common experience for all organisations.

Methods, tools and activities that make up this practice area

Establishing executive sponsorship & governance

Embedding journey management within senior leadership and board forums through regular discussion, reporting and accountability.

Aligning journeys to organisational strategy
Visualising organisational interdependencies
Building an evidence-led performance narrative
Communicating value & impact

What challenges do organisations experience with this practice?

The following challenges summarise the core themes identified across participant interviews. Survey participants rated the frequency of each challenge. The graph below compares average scores by different stages of practice:

The following challenges summarise the core themes identified across participant interviews. Survey participants rated the frequency of each challenge,
with average scores compared by practice stage below.

Emerging practicesEstablishedLeading
Circumvention ofjourney managementAccountabilityand incentive gapsMethodologicalimmaturityCriteria ambiguityScalabilityof practicesLack of integratedjourney-management tools

Insight

These challenges are structural, not a sign of inexperience

While advanced-stage practices demonstrate greater effectiveness, they do not experience a lower frequency of issues impacting their practice. Instead, they encounter the same persistent challenges, with some obstacles becoming noticeably more frequent as capability develops. Strategic alignment, for instance, rises from 3.40 out of 5 (between sometimes and often) at the exploratory stage to 4.10 out of 5 (between often and very often) at the established and advanced stage practices.

Insight

These challenges are structural, not a sign of inexperience

While advanced-stage practices demonstrate greater effectiveness, they do not experience a lower frequency of issues impacting their practice. Instead, they encounter the same persistent challenges, with some obstacles becoming noticeably more frequent as capability develops. Strategic alignment, for instance, rises from 3.40 out of 5 (between sometimes and often) at the exploratory stage to 4.10 out of 5 (between often and very often) at the established and advanced stage practices.

Insight

These challenges are structural, not a sign of inexperience

While advanced-stage practices demonstrate greater effectiveness, they do not experience a lower frequency of issues impacting their practice. Instead, they encounter the same persistent challenges, with some obstacles becoming noticeably more frequent as capability develops. Strategic alignment, for instance, rises from 3.40 out of 5 (between sometimes and often) at the exploratory stage to 4.10 out of 5 (between often and very often) at the established and advanced stage practices.

Insight

Breaking down boundaries (silos) and strategic alignment are the top challenges at every stage

Strategic alignment emerges as the most pervasive challenge, closely followed by the friction involved in breaking down organisational and disciplinary silos. Almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) report experiencing difficulties often or very often when aligning leaders and teams around shared customer outcomes while broader organisational priorities remain fragmented or internally focused. Furthermore, over half (54%) face frequent obstacles in overcoming functional ownership, entrenched hierarchies, and competing methodological mindsets that resist integrated ways of working. Average challenge frequency escalates steadily from emerging to advanced practice stages, demonstrating that scaling journey management inevitably creates more direct points of friction with competing organisational priorities.

Insight

Breaking down boundaries (silos) and strategic alignment are the top challenges at every stage

Strategic alignment emerges as the most pervasive challenge, closely followed by the friction involved in breaking down organisational and disciplinary silos. Almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) report experiencing difficulties often or very often when aligning leaders and teams around shared customer outcomes while broader organisational priorities remain fragmented or internally focused. Furthermore, over half (54%) face frequent obstacles in overcoming functional ownership, entrenched hierarchies, and competing methodological mindsets that resist integrated ways of working. Average challenge frequency escalates steadily from emerging to advanced practice stages, demonstrating that scaling journey management inevitably creates more direct points of friction with competing organisational priorities.

Insight

Breaking down boundaries (silos) and strategic alignment are the top challenges at every stage

Strategic alignment emerges as the most pervasive challenge, closely followed by the friction involved in breaking down organisational and disciplinary silos. Almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) report experiencing difficulties often or very often when aligning leaders and teams around shared customer outcomes while broader organisational priorities remain fragmented or internally focused. Furthermore, over half (54%) face frequent obstacles in overcoming functional ownership, entrenched hierarchies, and competing methodological mindsets that resist integrated ways of working. Average challenge frequency escalates steadily from emerging to advanced practice stages, demonstrating that scaling journey management inevitably creates more direct points of friction with competing organisational priorities.

Challenges that organisations experience

Building a shared understanding of journey management

Addressing inconsistent or limited understanding of journey concepts and their role within the organisation.

Breaking down organisational & disciplinary boundaries
Securing executive sponsorship & influence
Demonstrating the relevance & value of journey management
Achieving strategic & cross-functional alignment
Other practice areas to explore

Practice area 1

Practice area 2

Practice area 3

Practice area 4

Practice area 5

Practice area 6

Practice area 7

Practice area 8

Practice area 9

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