Turning ambitions into outcomes
at a world renowned university

Every year, departments at the university put time and effort into the planning process. Yet something was off. What they had wasn't a lack of ambition — it was friction: too many systems, too little connection, and no shared rhythm for execution.

• Teams were chasing different versions of "important."
• Plans didn't talk to each other, nor align to organisational goals.
• Progress was hard to track or explain.
• Priorities set by leaders didn't reach the teams doing the work.
• Collaboration across teams was like pushing through fog.

PQ worked alongside divisional leaders to co-design a planning framework that people could actually use and trust. This wasn't about adding another framework — it was about creating a unified rhythm for the whole system.

• Aligned priorities and plans by connecting the strategy cycle with quarterly planning, so short-term work reflected long-term direction.
• Created a common planning language based on objectives and key results written in plain English, so everyone could understand the target and track progress.
• Introduced digital templates and a single platform to make planning visible and useful, not bureaucratic.
• Brought teams together through "Big Room" sessions that put people at the centre of planning and moved the focus from spreadsheets to discussion.
• Built routines and habits with leaders and teams, and used a network of champions to sustain the change beyond the engagement.

Within months, the divisions had shifted from parallel effort to collective progress.