🧭 Mission-based working, meet our messy Monday: What coordination really looks like

By the start of the week, we were already holding:

• A set of red-rated projects
• Reminders to check RAG statuses for five mission areas
• Final tweaks for reports
• And follow-up actions from the Major Programmes Board

All before the first meeting of the day.

This is what Mission Control really looks like: behind-the-scenes, sometimes chaotic, occasionally quiet — but always focused on helping others see more clearly and act with more confidence.

We don’t sit above the work. We sit within it — joining the dots, spotting patterns, and building the scaffolding that helps people lead well.

✍️ Writing the story of the quarter — warts and all

Last week, we pulled together our quarterly update for the Joint Strategic Committee coming in July. That meant weaving 20+ project updates into a single public-facing report that told the truth about what we’ve delivered, where we’re stuck, and what help we need next.

We didn’t want it to feel like a corporate filing cabinet.

We wanted it to feel like a shared moment of reflection.

We highligh where delivery is on track, but also where system-wide pressures are biting. We help shape risk narratives that are honest without being alarmist. And we make sure staff have the confidence to talk about gaps and mitigations in public.

That’s what real coordination looks like: not just pulling updates together, but creating enough trust for the organisation to speak clearly, even under pressure.

🧩 Connecting the parts — because delivery doesn’t happen in silos

Mission Control isn’t just a reporting function. It’s connective tissue.

This week, that’s meant:

• Helping Delivery Managers test what’s actually feasible major projects — so they’re not stuck between ambition and capacity.
• Tracking pressures across several targets in a mission area — so teams feel supported, not siloed.
• Surfacing where teams need better coordination to meet performance targets — especially where staffing gaps risk knock-on impacts.

These aren’t isolated issues. They’re system signals. And if we don’t pay attention early, they snowball.

That’s why we log and track — not to create more process, but to spot the moments where one small action could stop a bigger problem from emerging.

🚦Red-rated doesn’t mean red-faced

Right now, we’re supporting services under intense pressure. But being in the red isn’t about blame.

It’s a signal that support is needed. That something isn’t working. That we can’t just ask for more effort — we need to make space to do things differently.

So we’ve been:

• Supporting recruitment sprints to ease pressure
• Preparing governance updates that surface the right risks — not every detail
• Working with leads to unblock decision delays

We’re learning that what services need most isn’t a longer to-do list. It’s the clarity and backing to change the rhythm.

🔄 Preparing for what’s next: resilience, reorganisation, and reality checks

Looking ahead, we’re coordinating a July session with the Organisational Leadership Team focused on resilience. The goal? To help managers reflect on pressures, identify collective actions, and feed insights into our upcoming Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) plan.

We’ll be asking questions like:

• What’s shifted since last month?
• Where are we turning the corner — and where are we close to tipping?
• What support would have made a difference earlier?

At the same time, we’re finalising our own transition. From July, Mission Control shrinks from five people to two.

That means tightening our focus:

• Prioritising the most critical programme boards and reporting tools
• Mobilising colleagues to ease admin pressures
• Enabling teams to self-serve through clearer frameworks

It’s bittersweet and the colleagues leaving have made a big difference to our challenges over the year

💬 Final thought: Coordination is emotional work

None of this is glamorous.

Much of it happens in the background. But every update chased, every risk surfaced, every board pack simplified — it all creates the space for better decisions, calmer leadership, and a more resilient organisation.

Mission-based working only works when the centre holds — not tightly, but gently.

So if you’re doing this work too — whether you’re a delivery manager, programme lead or the one holding the project tracker when everyone else has moved on — I see you.

Let’s keep learning together.

Are you working on mission-based structures or organisational coordination? I’d love to swap notes — especially if you’re simplifying reporting or supporting service resilience under pressure.