Pause and Plan: A Strategic Planning Engagement Delivers Big Value

Summary

Taking time to plan pays off. A short strategic planning engagement helps organizations from state agencies to private enterprises align stakeholders, define priorities, and reduce risk before major investments in data, AI, or digital transformation. Learn how Resultant’s Wayfinder approach delivers clarity, accelerates success, and drives measurable results through focused strategy sprints that turn uncertainty into confident action. 

[Estimated read time: 6 minutes]

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In today’s fast-moving world of technology and transformation, organizations often feel pulled in a dozen directions at once. Whether it’s a data initiative, an AI rollout, or a major systems upgrade, the road ahead can seem uncertain and costly. 

That’s why at Resultant, we believe the best first step is not more technology; it’s more clarity. 

 Why “pause and plan” matters

It’s tempting to dive headfirst into solutions: pick software, kick off teams, and get moving. But research shows that one of the biggest reasons projects fail is inadequate upfront scoping and alignment. A 2022 McKinsey study found consistent shortfalls across IT initiatives, with average cost overruns near 75 percent, schedule delays approaching 50 percent, and realized value about 40 percent below projections. Without a clear roadmap, organizations are vulnerable to cost overruns, timeline creep, and stakeholder misalignment. 

By contrast, organizations that invest in a short, focused strategy sprint, typically a couple of weeks, see a significantly higher likelihood of success. Gartner reports that organizations with stronger upfront strategic alignment on digital initiatives realize nearly a 50 percent better success rate than those without. Planned, strategically aligned projects also tend to avoid major rework, which means lower cost and higher quality outcomes. 

Introducing Wayfinder

Enter Wayfinder: a short, high-impact engagement from Resultant designed to help you gain alignment, define strategy, and build a roadmap before committing major resources. In just a few weeks, our team works alongside your stakeholders, asks the tough questions, and delivers something you can act on immediately, whether you’re in the public sector or private enterprise. 

What to expect from a Wayfinder engagement

When organizations partner with Resultant for a Wayfinder sprint, they gain a short, focused opportunity to align leadership and bring clarity to complex decisions.

Here’s what to expect from the process: 

• Wayfinder is a short, focused strategy engagement designed to bring clarity before commitment. Over just a few weeks, Resultant’s experts work alongside your team to uncover insights, align priorities, and define a practical path forward. 
• Every Wayfinder engagement is tailored to your specific needs, but outcomes often include: 
• A clear understanding of your current landscape and challenges 
• Alignment among leadership and key stakeholders 
• An actionable roadmap that highlights where to focus next 
• A framework for confident, data-informed decisions 
• Rather than a one-size-fits-all deliverable, Wayfinder flexes to provide what’s most valuable to your organization, whether that’s a readiness assessment, roadmap, or investment plan.

Why this small investment pays off

When you begin with clarity, the rest of the journey becomes faster, smoother, and better aligned. 

• Faster, smoother implementation: By doing a short strategy engagement up front, you reduce the rate of surprises mid-project.  
• Cost savings and better ROI: Addressing issues early is far cheaper than reacting later.  
• Higher success rates and less risk: Projects with a structured kickoff phase are markedly more likely to achieve their objectives, meet deadlines, and stay within scope. In short, a few weeks of focused planning are an insurance policy for your initiative. 
• Better stakeholder satisfaction and alignment: When stakeholders engage early, expectations are clear and everyone’s on the same page. That builds confidence, fosters collaboration, and reduces friction down the road, a key factor when consultants are assessed on trust and partnership. 

A strategic accelerator

Think of Wayfinder as your kick-starter for whatever major initiative lies ahead. It compresses what could be months of uncertainty into a few weeks of direction. You leave with more than just ideas; you leave with a plan, priorities, and momentum. 

A short upfront engagement doesn’t delay progress; it accelerates it. 

Getting started

If your organization is facing key decisions about where to invest next, whether that’s in data modernization, AI readiness, digital transformation, or process automation, a Wayfinder engagement might be exactly what you need. It sets the foundation, reduces risk, and aligns all parties on one version of truth before dollars are spent. 

Let’s find your way forward. Connect with our team to learn how a short, focused Wayfinder engagement can accelerate your next initiative.

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