Digital strategy challenge and portfolio planning
A digital strategy reads well on paper. The test comes when it has to be funded, staffed and delivered in the order it assumes. I challenge strategies for ICBs, trusts and independent providers before they are committed, then help turn them into a portfolio that can be delivered.
The challenge
Questions I test a strategy against
- Does every ambition lead to a benefit someone will measure? If a line in the strategy has no owner and no measure, it will be the first thing to drift.
- Is the order right? Neighbourhood teams and risk stratification depend on a working shared care record. Ambient voice and AI triage depend on clinical safety and IG capacity. Dependencies like these decide what can start first.
- Is there capacity to deliver it? Programme managers, clinical safety officers, analysts and supplier time are finite. A strategy that needs all of them at once won't happen.
- Does the funding match the timeline? Capital and revenue profiles often don't line up with the year the strategy says the work will happen.
- Does it fit national direction? The Medium Term Planning Framework, the Federated Data Platform and the NHS App all shape what local plans need to deliver.
From strategy to portfolio
Once the strategy holds up, I turn it into a portfolio: the programmes and projects that deliver it, a roadmap that respects their dependencies, a benefits map linking each one to the outcome it serves, and governance that tracks the portfolio as a whole as well as each project.
What you get
- Written challenge of the strategyWith priorities to fix
- Dependency and sequencing mapWhat has to come first
- Draft portfolio and roadmapProgrammes and projects
- Benefits mapOwners and measures
Writing or refreshing a digital strategy?
Book a 30-minute call to talk through the scope.