Frameworks Are Not a Personality

Lesson learnt: don’t hide behind the model.

As consultants, we love a framework.

5 Hats. PESTEL. The 3 Cs. 9 box matrix and on and on.

But if you drop a slick framework on a client without context, they may smile and nod—but inside they’re thinking, “What are you talking about?”

Remember that frameworks are not rigid rules but more like...guidelines. 🏴‍☠️

The point isn’t to sound smart. The point is to be flexible and adapt your frameworks so that you can make progress together. So explain it in their terms. Translate it. Tweak it. Make it feel like theirs.

🧠 Fancy frameworks don’t deliver value—shared understanding does.

#Consulting #Frameworks #ClientSuccess #LessonsLearnt

VECTOR - A Smarter Way to Track Strategic Goals

At Veraxis, we've worked with a lot of businesses at that critical moment:

👉 They're ambitious.

👉 They know change is needed.

👉 But turning ambition into structured, trackable progress? That’s where it can fall apart.

We realised that while SMART goals and OKRs for tracking strategic goals have their place, they don’t always stand up to the complexity of real-world projects especially when strategy is evolving, priorities are shifting and real traceability matters.

That's why we developed VECTOR.

Vision-Aligned, Evaluable, Clear, Trackable, Outcome-Driven, Responsive.

Not just another goal-setting framework but a practical way to build clarity, track success and stay strategically aligned.

Here's how we use VECTOR differently:

📊Comparison: SMART Goals vs. OKRs vs. VECTOR

Feature	SMART Goals	OKRs	VECTOR
Scope	Focus on a single, specific goal	Broader objectives with multiple measurable results	Track multiple goals across projects with clarity and detailed tracking
Measurability	Requires clear success criteria	Measured by multiple key results	Richer, in-depth view: Direct + Indirect Metrics & KPIs combined
Ambition	Realistic and achievable	Encourages stretch goals	Encourages clear understanding of the goals (the "why") and detailed metric tracking
Flexibility	Static, detailed targets	More adaptable, reviewed regularly	High effort upfront, then steady review to stay adaptable without losing focus
Best Used For	Tactical, execution-focused goals	Strategic alignment and growth objectives	Starting new projects or when strategy is uncertain and detailed clarity is essential
When it's not enough	Fails when the environment is dynamic or complex.	Falls short when real-world traceability and cause-effect clarity are needed.	Specifically built for uncertainty, ambiguity, and when detailed clarity is critical

 

Why we use VECTOR instead

• Helps organisations think beyond "setting a goal" and toward tracking success meaningfully over time.

• Builds clarity and resilience right from the start. 

• Combines the vision, metrics, benefits and risks into one traceable model. 

• Supports dynamic, real-world execution while keeping long-term strategic alignment. 

At Veraxis, VECTOR sits at the heart of our North Star Scoping (NSS) service.

We use it to help organisations not just define their goals but build the full structure around them: aligning every objective to a clear vision, setting meaningful metrics, tracking milestones and ensuring adaptability over time.

Represents	Refined Meaning	Aligned Real-World Example
Vision-Aligned	Anchored in your long-term aspiration, guiding principles and the WHY behind your direction. Goals aren’t just practical - they reflect where you’re ultimately headed.	A renewable energy company rejects a profitable project that doesn't align with its vision: "A world powered by clean energy."
Evaluable	KPIs and measures are meaningful, not just easy to track. They must be relevant, justifiable and show real progress against the goal.	A SaaS company focuses on customer activation rate (rather than just sign-ups), because it better reflects true engagement.
Clear	The goal is specific, well-articulated, and clearly understood by everyone involved - with no ambiguity.	A logistics team aims to "reduce last-mile delivery time by 15% in 6 months", not just "improve efficiency."
Trackable	Progress is structured around key milestones or checkpoints - not just deadlines. This creates momentum and encourages focus.	A product launch has milestones like MVP release, user testing, and 1000 users onboarded, all reviewed regularly.
Outcome-Driven	Objectives are focused on the real-world value or benefit delivered, not just activity or task completion.	Objective: “Increase client retention by improving onboarding experience and reducing first-30-day churn by 20%.” → The focus is on an outcome that reflects strategic value, not just completing onboarding tasks.
Responsive	Designed to be adapted when needed based on learning, feedback, or change. Reviewed regularly to ensure relevance, without chasing shiny objects.	A team adjusts feature priorities mid-project after user feedback but keeps the overall goal and outcome steady.

By embedding VECTOR into NSS, we ensure that the strategy a business sets on day one stays traceable, adaptable, and outcome-driven, giving leaders the clarity and tools they need to execute with confidence, even as priorities shift.

VECTOR - Vision-Aligned, Evaluable, Clear, Trackable, Outcome-Driven, Responsive.

→ It's goal-setting, evolved for today's complexity. Helping you know exactly where you’re going and stay on track even as the world changes around you.

Would love to hear from others:

👉 Where have you seen goal frameworks succeed — or fail — in the real world?

#Strategy #Execution #Leadership #VECTOR #NorthStarThinking #BusinessTransformation

Scope Creep: Spot It. Stop It. Stay Sane.

A Guide: How to Recognise It, What to Do About It and Why Prioritisation Is Your Superpower + some handy templates for you to use

What Is Scope Creep?

Scope creep happens when your project starts absorbing extras that weren’t originally agreed - more features, more expectations, more work - with no corresponding bump in time, money, or resources.

And no, it rarely ends with "just a quick tweak."

The trick isn’t just recognising it; it’s having a prioritisation process that helps you say:

“Where does this sit in our priorities and what are we prepared to trade off?”

🔍 Spot the Creep

1. "Just one more thing..." requests “It won’t take long, right?”

2. Vague or changing requirements Watch for shifting sands in what "done" means.

3. Mismatched expectations When someone says, "Oh, I thought that was included."

4. Informal yeses Commitments made in passing or emails without proper tracking.

5. The moving finish line You’re constantly catching up and nothing feels complete.

6. New stakeholders asking for features New opinions mid-way through the project.

👷‍♀️ What To Do About It

1. Re-anchor to the original scope

   • Pull out the scope doc like it’s a sacred text.

2. Frame with priorities

   “That sounds valuable. Where would you place it against our current priorities?”

   At Veraxis, we use our VECTOR model to guide this.

3. Say yes with conditions

   “Sure, if we shift x or extend y.”

4. Track scope shifts visibly

   MoSCoW boards, change logs, burn-up charts. Visibility is queen.

5. Empower polite pushback

   “Let’s log that and review at our next prioritisation checkpoint.”

📊 The Role Lens: BA vs PM

Role	Business Analyst	Project Manager
Focus	Understanding needs, analysing value	Managing delivery, timelines, resources
Scope Risk	Misaligned solutions	Budget/time blowout
Superpower	Root cause digging, great questions	Framing decisions, managing trade-offs
Approach	Clarify if change is necessary	Clarify if change is viable

💡Tips!

• Keep a Scope Creep Log: Great for pattern-spotting.

• Be clear on what "done" means: Ambiguity = sneaky scope.

• Educate early: Flag scope creep in kick-off docs and ways of working.

• Use visual aids: Show what’s in vs. out, literally.

🎗️ Bonus for Members

The resources below can be found in Member Resources or download below:

• Try our editable Scope Change Request Template

• Run a scope creep/ prioritisation workshop using our Workshop Guide

• Log sneaky extras with our Scope Prioritisation Tracker and run a North Star Alignment review and prioritisation