Quay Consulting

We’re excited to share that Quay Consulting Practice Lead, Jon Pascoe, has joined the Smartsheet Partner Executive Advisory Council! 🌟 This opportunity allows us to collaborate with fellow industry leaders, share delivery-first insights and thought leadership in the project and portfolio management space, and contribute to shaping strategies that drive measurable client outcomes. A big thank you to Smartsheet for the invitation – we’re looking forward to helping the Smartsheet team with developing best practice, strengthening the partner ecosystem, and helping clients unlock even greater value. #SmartsheetPartner #PartnerLeadership #EcosystemGrowth #ThoughtLeadership

Circular business models are no longer just a sustainability story—they’re becoming a strategic imperative. But how do you measure whether they stack up? This MIT Sloan article introduces a practical method for evaluating circular business cases, but one that moves beyond vague ESG narratives and digs into value creation, system change, and material impact. The framework focuses on three lenses: profitability, environmental value, and scalability. That shift is crucial. Because if circular models are to move from pilot to platform, they need commercial rigour and cross-functional clarity—not just good intentions. In a world under pressure to decarbonise and decouple growth from resource use, this kind of thinking helps business leaders ask better questions about how circularity supports resilience, innovation, and long-term competitiveness. #CircularEconomy #BusinessModelInnovation #SustainableStrategy #ESG #SystemsThinking Read more on: https://lnkd.in/gWzUcQ3Y

In an AI-driven world, it’s not just technology that needs upgrading—our change resilience does too. adoption accelerates, the real challenge isn’t implementation—it’s adaptation. How can leaders build a culture that responds to change with curiosity, not fear? Rather than shielding teams from disruption, the goal is to equip them to navigate it—through transparent communication, psychological safety, and upskilling that feels empowering, not threatening. Critically, it reframes resilience not as endurance, but as capability: the ability to reorient, learn, and engage with change at speed. For organisations rolling out AI initiatives or navigating transformation, the message is clear: resilience isn’t a side effect of good change—it’s the precondition for it.#ChangeLeadership #AITransformation #Resilience #CultureChange #FutureOfWork #WorkforceTransformation Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/edq525f5

Keeping track of delivery is essential—but hovering over every task? That’s a fast track to burnout and disengagement. As projects multiply and complexity increases, leaders often default to control when what’s needed is clarity. There's a compelling case for visibility without interference, offering practical ways to stay informed without micromanaging your team. From creating shared project dashboards to scheduling outcome-focused check-ins, the emphasis is on setting structure that enables trust—not surveillance. The key insight? The right system reduces the need for constant updates because your team knows what matters, how progress will be measured, and when it’s time to escalate. For senior leaders navigating hybrid teams, cross-functional delivery, or shifting priorities, these strategies can help balance autonomy with accountability—and reclaim headspace for more strategic thinking. #Leadership #ProjectManagement #TeamPerformance #TrustAndAccountability #DeliveryExcellence #FutureOfWork #Micromanagement #HBRInsights #StructuredLeadership Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAumBR3v

How do you ensure your digital transformation efforts don’t just launch, but actually stick? It’s a question many senior project managers and technology leaders in large corporates face daily. Launching new technologies is one thing — embedding them into the fabric of the organisation is another. It’s not just about systems; it’s about mindsets. From what I’ve seen, the companies that succeed are those that balance bold ambition with disciplined execution, and align leadership behaviours with operational realities. The most resilient transformations are led by teams that ask: are we empowering our people to adopt, adapt, and sustain this change long term? If you’re navigating these waters and want to benchmark your approach, McKinsey’s recent piece on the four mindsets that make digital transformation stick is worth a read 👉 https://lnkd.in/gKkj4y6X How are you embedding lasting value in your organisation’s transformation journey? #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #ChangeManagement #TechnologyLeadership #OperationalExcellence #StrategyExecution

Not every project needs a full delivery team—but every project needs delivery discipline. As business-led initiatives become more common, lean projects are being launched without the scaffolding of a formal PMO. The intent? Move fast, stay nimble. The risk? Drift, delay, and diminished value when time-poor leaders can’t give projects the attention they need. Fractional project executives offer a middle ground: targeted oversight, strategic input, and delivery rigour without the overhead of a full-time hire. Whether it’s shaping scope, mentoring a business lead, or helping a PMO sharpen its value case, this model flexes to meet the moment. In a resource-constrained environment, fractional support is becoming a savvy move: protecting investments, uplifting internal capability, and de-risking delivery when the stakes are high. #ProjectDelivery #FractionalLeadership #PMO #CostOptimisation #PMO #Governance Read the article: https://lnkd.in/gDJcjgUG Want more like this? Subscribe: https://lnkd.in/gZbHviXg

Many SaaS platforms quietly stagnate after go-live. No roadmap, no ownership, no continuous improvement. Just another tool doing the same job, only slightly shinier. But unlike legacy tech, SaaS is designed to evolve. Features are added regularly. Workflows can be reconfigured. Capability improves month by month—if someone’s paying attention. The issue isn’t ambition or technology. It’s bandwidth. When no one’s responsible for watching what’s changed, the value gap grows. Teams work around the system. Optimisation drops off the list. And before long, the platform that promised transformation becomes just another cost centre. You don’t need a big bang to make progress. Sometimes, the most meaningful shift comes from reactivating the roadmap, re-engaging your ecosystem, or bringing in external eyes to spot what’s been missed. #SaaS #ContinuousImprovement #ProjectDelivery #EnterpriseTools #Leadership #ProjectLeadership #StrategicDelivery #Governance #PMO Read the article: https://lnkd.in/g95ZQt88 Want more like this? Subscribe: https://lnkd.in/gZbHviXg

Even the most established PMOs can quietly stall momentum. When governance frameworks don’t evolve with the portfolio, it’s easy to miss the early warning signs: reporting that doesn’t spark decisions, approval delays that add days to delivery, and resource visibility that vanishes just when complexity increases. A stagnant PMO isn’t always broken—but it might be out of step with how your business delivers today. A rapid PMO review can reveal untapped capacity, streamline overloaded processes, and refocus governance on business-critical outcomes. No org chart changes. No headcount increases. Just clarity—about where your value is being delivered (or delayed). If your PMO can’t articulate its impact, if reporting doesn’t drive action, or if processes feel more like red tape than enablers, it might be time for a fresh perspective. #PMO #Governance #ProjectDelivery #PortfolioManagement Read the article: https://lnkd.in/g4kjMwQx Want more like this? Subscribe: https://lnkd.in/gZbHviXg

Bulletin #139 | The biggest delivery costs often aren’t where people expect them. It’s easy to zero in on rates, resources, and tooling but in my experience, the real drag builds when the early calls aren’t right. Sponsors too removed, capability misaligned, or decisions deferred until it’s too late to course-correct without paying for it twice. This month’s Bulletin dives into what those compromises really cost and how to avoid them. Because when delivery goes off track, it’s rarely due to one big miss. It’s the accumulation of small, ‘reasonable’ trade-offs that quietly chip away at momentum, clarity, and value. The fix? Not just spending more. It’s about being deliberate: setting up well, sequencing for impact, and protecting the parts of the work that protect the outcome. #projectdelivery #costoptimisation #alignment

Project blowouts aren’t always about the money. Yes, contractor rates and licences matter—but often, the true cost driver is misalignment. Decisions delayed. Leadership unclear. Resources mismatched. Time and again, challenged projects reveal a pattern: churn, not spend, is where budgets unravel. Rework from vague scopes, meetings without resolution, or sponsors too senior—or too distant—to steer the work effectively. Good governance isn’t bureaucracy. It’s a lever for clarity and momentum. It prevents the friction that sends delivery off course and cost off the charts. Cost optimisation doesn’t mean picking the cheapest resource or trimming governance. It means aligning leadership, capability, and sponsorship with the scale and complexity of the work—before things drift. Want to keep costs under control? Consider the old adage: Measure twice, cut once. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/gs86gMHV Want more like this? Subscribe: https://lnkd.in/gZbHviXg #ProjectDelivery #CostOptimisation #PMO #Governance