The Challenge

The organisation had made significant investments in data platforms, reporting, and analytics capability, supported by a central Insights Centre of Excellence (CoE). While delivery momentum was strong, leadership recognised emerging risks that required deliberate intervention.

Key challenges included:

• Lack of a clearly articulated and consistently understood purpose for the Insights CoE

• Tension between self-service enablement and delivery of high-value strategic insight

• Competing priorities across enterprise initiatives, squads, and tribes

• Risk of the CoE becoming reactive or overextended

• Inconsistent expectations from senior stakeholders about what “good” insight looked like

Addressing these issues required more than a single conversation — it required structured reflection, alignment, and shared decision-making.

The Goal

The objective of the engagement was to work with the Insights CoE leadership to:

• Clarify and articulate the core purpose of the Insights CoE

• Review the current strategy, initiatives, and ways of working

• Identify where the CoE should focus to deliver the greatest organisational value

• Align leadership on priorities, trade-offs, and engagement models

• Establish a clear strategic foundation for the coming planning cycle

The intent was to create durable alignment, not just short-term agreement.

Our Approach

We partnered with the Insights CoE leadership team as an independent strategic advisor, supporting the engagement across several connected stages.

1. Discovery and Context Building

We began by developing a deep understanding of the Insights CoE context through:

• Review of existing insight strategies, roadmaps, and delivery artefacts

• Targeted one-on-one discussions with senior CoE leaders

• Identification of key tensions, risks, and decision points

This phase ensured subsequent discussions were grounded in reality, not theory.

2. Leadership Alignment and Strategic Working Sessions

Insights from discovery were used to design and facilitate a series of structured leadership working sessions, focused on:

• Purpose and value creation

Clarifying why the Insights CoE exists and how it creates value for the organisation.

• Focus and prioritisation

Agreeing where specialist insight capability should be applied versus where enablement should be the primary focus.

• Ways of working

Aligning on how the CoE should engage with the broader business to maximise impact and minimise friction.

Rather than presentations, sessions were designed as working forums, enabling real discussion, challenge, and convergence.

3. Synthesis and Strategic Framing

Following the working sessions, we:

• Synthesised insights into a clear strategic narrative

• Articulated agreed principles, focus areas, and implications

• Highlighted trade-offs and risks requiring ongoing attention

• Created materials to support leadership communication and planning

This ensured outcomes were captured in a form that could guide future decisions.

The Solution

The engagement resulted in a shared strategic foundation for the Insights CoE, including:

• A clearly articulated purpose and mandate

• Alignment on the balance between enablement and high-value insight delivery

• A common understanding of insight maturity and progression

• Clear principles to guide prioritisation and investment decisions

• Greater consistency in how the CoE engages with stakeholders

The outcome was not a static document, but a practical reference point for ongoing leadership decisions.

Results & Impact

The engagement delivered several important outcomes:

• Stronger alignment across the Insights CoE leadership team

• Reduced ambiguity and internal tension around priorities

• Increased confidence in planning and resourcing decisions

• A clearer narrative for engaging executives and delivery teams

• A foundation for scaling insight capability without diluting value

Most importantly, the CoE moved from reactive delivery to intentional, value-led focus.

Key Takeaway

Insight organisations perform best when purpose, focus, and ways of working are explicit and shared.

By investing in alignment and strategic clarity, organisations can ensure insight capability scales in a way that genuinely supports better decision-making.