Transformation can be turbulent. Many of us wear the battle scars of past change efforts, plans that looked solid on paper but were quickly thrown off course by unexpected challenges. Even the most well-thought-out programmes are vulnerable to curve balls along the way.
One of the most common pitfalls we see? Setting out to do too much, too fast. While individual plans may appear reasonable, it’s easy to miss how they collide with other initiatives already in flight. The result: multiple demands converging on the same teams at the same time, creating confusion, overload, and ultimately disruption to both the transformation effort and business as usual.
Overloading teams can critically undermine success.
A simple but powerful way to mitigate this risk is what we call ‘Air Traffic Control’. It’s a low-maintenance process and tool that brings visibility to the total demand on teams or roles, across all organisational priorities, in one centralised view.
By visualising this net demand, Air Traffic Control helps identify potential ‘collision points’, moments when certain roles or teams are likely to be overstretched. This enables informed decisions such as re-prioritising, re-planning, or bringing in additional resource, before issues arise.
Even the lightest-touch version of this process can significantly improve outcomes. Beyond capacity management, Air Traffic Control drives better collaboration across the organisation. It invites people to share what’s already on their plate, helping them feel heard and valued, key ingredients in building trust during change.
Here’s what our client, Vice President for Delivery & Planning, had to say about Air Traffic Control in action…
“Over the past four years, we’ve been super happy to deliver multiple transformational initiatives, at pace, with a lean team. A key contributor to this success has been our simple but effective ‘Air Traffic Control’ process, designed, mobilised and supported by CMG. This light touch process and tool facilitates collaboration with tech and business teams, and surfaces a centralised and joined up view of business as usual and programme demand. We are able to identify and course correct overload issues in a timely way, and have remarkably avoided significant challenges, and kept our plans on track!”
Want to know more about how Air Traffic Control can help you land change safely? Get in touch—we’d love to share what we’ve learned.
