Rebuilding Trust and Momentum Through Governance
Large programmes rarely fail because people stop trying. They fail because governance stops working. The Programme Recovery Imperative introduces Oak Consult’s G.R.I.P.S. Framework — a practical, evidence-based method for diagnosing failure, restoring authority and rebuilding delivery confidence. It reframes recovery not as firefighting, but as disciplined governance: clarity of ownership, truth without fear, and decisions made at the speed required.
This is a whitepaper for leaders who need to turn stalled transformation into controlled, credible, measurable progress.
Who the Programme Recovery Imperative whitepaper is for
Designed for senior sponsors of major programmes — CEOs, CFOs, COOs, Programme Directors, PMO leaders and Transformation Executives — who must restore confidence, unify leadership and re-establish control when delivery drifts.
What’s inside the whitepaper
A structured, leader-ready guide that explains:
- Why programmes really fail (and why it’s almost never effort or talent)
- The behavioural drivers behind governance drift and decision latency
- The G.R.I.P.S. five-phase recovery model
- How to detect early warning signals before crisis hits
- How to diagnose truth independently and cut through political noise
- How to rebuild leadership unity through The Acorn Foundation
- How to re-establish momentum through a 90-day S.A.S. Reset
- How to convert programme recovery into long-term governance maturity and ROI
Why this matters now
The data is blunt: more than 70% of major programmes miss their intended outcomes. Budgets slip, trust evaporates, and decision-making becomes reactive. Yet the root cause is consistent — governance erodes faster than teams realise.
G.R.I.P.S. gives leaders a way to intervene early, rebuild authority and restore confidence before failure becomes irreversible. It replaces opinion with evidence, politics with unity and drift with discipline.
In an era where strategic programmes define competitive advantage, governance is now a core leadership capability, not an administrative function.
Inside the Programme Recovery G.R.I.P.S. Framework
Govern — Detecting the drift
The early-warning phase that surfaces the behavioural and systemic indicators of control loss. Leaders get a clear, honest view of visibility, cadence and ownership — before damage compounds.
Root — Diagnosis without politics
An independent assessment that separates fact from narrative. Interviews, data and governance analysis reveal the true causes of failure, enabling intervention based on evidence, not blame.
Integrate — The Acorn Foundation
The moment unity is rebuilt. Sponsors sign the Leadership Alignment Charter, define decision rights, re-establish cadence and commit to a single version of truth. This is where recovery takes root.
Perform — The S.A.S. Reset (Stabilise, Accelerate, Sustain)
A 90-day operating rhythm that turns alignment into visible progress. Quick wins are delivered, momentum returns and confidence is rebuilt across leadership, teams and customers.
Sustain — Institutionalising resilience
Where recovery becomes capability. Governance audits, decision-velocity tracking and maturity scoring ensure discipline stays embedded long after the crisis ends.
What makes G.R.I.P.S. different
Most recovery attempts add reports and meetings.
G.R.I.P.S. restores control.
It focuses on decision rights over documentation, unity over activity, and evidence over perception. Its tools are practical, its cadence is disciplined and its impact is visible fast.
For leaders under pressure, it provides a structured path from drift to control, from confusion to clarity, and from crisis to capability.
Key questions leaders should ask
- Where does the real truth of our programme live — and who owns it?
- What decisions are slowing us down, and why aren’t they being made?
- How aligned are our sponsors on scope, budget and success?
- Do our teams trust the reporting, and does the reporting reflect reality?
- What would our board see if we showed them the unfiltered truth today?
About the author
Mark Conway is the founder of Oak Consult and creator of the G.R.I.P.S. Recovery Framework, SUCCESS, GROWTH Governance and Customer Spectacles. He has led complex transformations across private and public sectors, helping executive teams rebuild trust, restore momentum and deliver measurable programme outcomes.