Making Change Land: Lessons from complex delivery, made simple.
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
How did it get this complicated?
Most organisations don’t set out to create complex, fragmented systems… but almost all of them end up there.
We’ve all seen it. What started as a neat, well-structured business solution… slowly becomes something else entirely. A new feature here. An urgent fix there. A workaround that “we’ll tidy up later” (we won’t).
And before long, you’re standing in what feels like an office building where meeting rooms appear where cupboards used to be, corridors don’t quite connect and no one is entirely sure which door leads where. It still functions… just about. But every extension now feels a lot harder than it should be.
How did we get here?
Interestingly, it’s not usually because people are doing the wrong thing. Across most organisations, the same patterns show up:
Pressure to deliver quickly: deadlines matter, so we optimise for speed and worry about design later.
Programmes are funded individually: each initiative has its own objectives, but no one is accountable for the whole landscape.
“Just this once” decisions accumulate: workarounds feel temporary… until they become permanent.
Different teams solve similar problems differently: sensible local decisions create inconsistency at scale.
Success is measured at project level: if the project delivers, it’s a success, even if it adds complexity overall.
Each initiative makes sense on its own but collectively, they create complexity and an eco-system that has evolved, rather than been designed.
A Small Shift That Makes a Big Difference
We all know the adage getting it right first time saves money in the long run? Before we build anything, we stop and ask how does this fit into the overall design? Not as a bureaucratic checkpoint. Not as a technical debate.
But as a deliberate moment to step back and think:
Does this strengthen the overall platform?
Are we solving the right problem in the right way?
Are we truly optimising for the business?
Will this make the next change easier or harder?
What Changes?
Interestingly, it’s less about process and more about behaviour. When it’s working well:
Sponsors take ownership of the whole solution, not just their project
Teams think beyond immediate delivery to long-term fit
Local optimisation is challenged in favour of enterprise value
Conversations shift from “can we build it?” to “should we build it this way?”
And perhaps most importantly we stop adding to the complexity, and start designing our way out of it.
The Payoff
Nothing dramatic at first. But over time decisions get easier, delivery becomes more predictable and the platform starts to feel intentional. Which is usually when someone says “This feels a lot more joined up than it used to”. This is part of our Making Change Land series: short, practical perspectives from working on complex programmes.
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. It’s something we see regularly, and we’re always happy to share what has worked elsewhere.
Ashley Davies
Insight and Innovation Lead
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