Project impact on operating performance
Projects usually exist to improve operating performance. The project creates something to improve output, speed, quality or safety, to be more competitive, or to save money. Often the project does two or three of those things. Projects help us get better and realise benefits. At least that is what is supposed to happen. Projects need…
Read MoreStrategy that lands
Why How matters “How” matters in strategy implementation. Knowing how to succeed helps your strategy land. How do we connect vision to action? How do we align the way we work to get the outcomes we seek? How do we get folks to choose us? How do we redirect money, talent, and time? How do…
Read MorePerspective matters – New Zealand’s place in the world
Perspective matters when considering anything. New Zealand has challenges but they are outweighed by opportunities. This map adopts the equal earth approach just approved by the United Nations but centres the map of the world on a country seen as being at the end of the world: New Zealand. You can create your own view…
Read MoreSuccessful AI Adoption starts with the right Foundations and Capability
New Zealand is moving quickly when it comes to generative AI. Tech NZ’s August 2026 report Digital Foundations First: A Practical Pathway for New Zealand SMEs places New Zealand third among APEC economies for generative AI use among the working-age population. New Zealand is embracing AI, but adoption alone doesn’t drive business transformation. For real…
Read MoreDoes your organisation have the capability to deliver its strategy?
Every organisation has a strategy. Most have strategic plans, investment priorities and annual work programmes. Yet even with considerable effort and investment, we can struggle to achieve the outcome we have set. The issue may not be the quality of the strategy. It’s whether we have the capability to deliver it. Strategy needs capability Capability…
Read MoreAddress threats but seize opportunities
In latest news, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) describes a challenging national security landscape. New Zealand faces active risks from foreign state espionage, coercion of diaspora groups, insider threats, and polarized homegrown violent extremism. From a workplace perspective, the main threat to address is foreign states and their proxies actively targeting New Zealand’s…
Read MorePursuing Excellence requires targets
Edward De Bono invented the word “PO” – a provocative operation. A po is an idea (often silly) to take us out of the comfort of an existing pattern and move to a new one. The po generates possibilities. De Bono described five ways of getting movement: 1.Extract a principle or feature and work forward…
Read MoreIs your strategy good enough to eat?
Clarity of strategy is key to execution. It needs to be shared in bite-sized chunks so it can be consumed and feed action. I once wrote a marketing plan which was well received. My manager then told me it should align with the company’s strategy. I said I could do that but I hadn’t seen…
Read MoreImplementing strategy is a team sport
Image source: Strategy Implementation Institute Experience delivers results I am an experienced consultant but I learn new things every day because I make an effort to do so. Being active in professional associations helps me mix with experts at home and across the world. Last month I joined a workshop where we all talked through…
Read MoreOpen for business
Holiday mode We don’t have a White Christmas in New Zealand. We head off to the beach, lake or river. I like summer holidays as much as the next Kiwi but Hague Consulting is open for business now and in January. Being open for business means being open to opportunities for growth, innovation, optimisation and…
Read MoreThe Importance of being You – trust matters
Sometimes the most important thing you can bring to work is you. Your experience, your values, your gut feelings, your passion, your caution, your knowledge and your perspectives. You are the sum of all you have learned and that has value so bringing the real you to work adds value to what you do. You…
Read MoreCut your coat to fit your cloth
Should we budget based on our bank balance or our wish list? There is an old saying : “Cut your coat to fit your cloth”. We should make our plans based on the resources we have, not what we wish we had. I had reason to reflect on that recently for personal reasons which I…
Read MoreProductivity is simple … and complicated
What is productivity? Productivity is both simple and complicated. Productivity measures the efficiency with which we convert capital, labour and materials into outputs. It is simple because we measure productivity by units of output divided by units of input. Lots of different inputs make productivity complicated. It may not be obvious how those inputs interact…
Read MoreA fresh pair of eyes helps you grow
A fresh pair of eyes – how it helps me Each year I get to hear about great ideas being implemented around the world. And I get to ask the people who lead those initiatives any questions I like. Even better, I get to do it with colleagues from around the world who are in…
Read MoreOpportunities we miss
I live in Wellington, New Zealand, the windiest city on earth. But as I walked through Parliament grounds this morning, all the flags were hanging limply. It is a clear, still, mid-winter day. The harbour is flat as a pancake, perfect for kayaking or paddle-boarding but…there are always opportunities we miss. Why we miss opportunities…
Read MoreLearning by doing … and Vikings
We often learn best by doing things. We need knowledge and data but we need to do something useful with it too. If we don’t act on our knowledge, we limit our learning. A recent visit to the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde highlighted that learning by doing teaches us more. The last stop on…
Read MoreTransformation creates value. Are you transforming or tinkering?
Transformation creates value while tinkering just keeps us busy. Transformation is driven by a strategic focus on being in a different place in the future. Strategic transformation redefines an organisation’s operations, identity and direction. That can mean entering new markets, shifting from products to services, digitalisation at scale, switching from physical stores to online etc.…
Read MoreDoing things badly costs money
One short piece of free advice: “Doing things badly costs money.” I’m a management consultant. Recently someone asked me if that meant giving people advice all the time. I replied that it was more about observing and asking questions. We then analyse and apply lessons from one context to a different one while taking account…
Read MoreGhost benefits and real project benefits
Ghost benefits are scary. They threaten to use up your money, time and reputation with nothing to show for it. Ghost benefits are the imaginary gains from projects that haunt business cases, PowerPoint presentations and project meetings. Most people know they aren’t real but they won’t say anything in case little Jimmy still believes in…
Read MoreProject rescue – a simple guide
A project rescue is a structured approach to save a failing project. Your project fails when quality, scope, budget, or schedule does not meet expectations. It can also fail because the business case no longer stacks up. Projects exist to implement strategy so a project rescue saves your strategy and maybe your business or your…
Read MoreProject success vs organisational success
Projects implement strategic change. If a project meets its goals (succeeds) then the organisation meets its goals (succeeds). Right? Well maybe. Let’s take a closer look at success, value, strategic goals and what they mean for projects and organisations. What does success look like? Are project managers responsible for project delivery or for strategic goals…
Read MoreHow does ERP add value in a property business?
An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can help a property business deliver its strategy. It is up to each business to decide what that means. How does ERP help deliver strategy? Strategy delivery may mean ERP or any system is not a magic bullet No ERP or other property system is a silver bullet for…
Read MoreThe Value for Money (VfM) gap
What is the Value for Money gap? The value for money gap is a lack of confidence that money is being spent on the right things and in the best way to get desired outcomes. It arises when spending choices do not reflect perceived priorities and when spending is seen as wasteful. It is subjective…
Read MoreWhat is a feasibility study?
A feasibility study is an early examination of the merits of an idea, proposal or project. It looks at whether or not it can be done, its likelihood of success and, perhaps most importantly, identifies the factors that could lead to success or failure. It gives an independent assessment that examines all aspects of a…
Read MoreERP return on investment (ROI)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems promise benefits but it takes time and effort to achieve the promised results. You need a recipe for success. An ERP system return on investment (ROI) is not guaranteed. In 2012, Auckland city forecast a NZ$10 million per year return on its SAP ERP system investment of NZ$71million. By 2014…
Read MoreThinking before implementing strategy
Our team helps implement strategy – turning strategic objectives into results. Funnily enough, when we meet a new client the strategic drivers and objectives are often far from clear. Executives come to us because they want to do something and they want to make it happen quickly. That’s fine. We can help with that. Among…
Read MoreDegree Apprenticeships: An Alternative to Higher Education
Higher education is becoming more expensive and more employers are looking for ability over academic grades for Graduate positions. However, many employers report ongoing challenges with hiring suitably qualified people who can readily apply their skills. In response, the UK introduced Degree Apprenticeships in 2016 as an alternative to traditional higher education that can bridge…
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