Making
Transformation Stick
What it Really is and How We Deliver it
How is Business Transformation Applied?
This is what transformation means to me:
In simplest terms, business transformation is when an organisation wants to significantly change its direction. That might mean a shift in culture, technology, strategy, operations, or all of the above.
The two key words are significant and change. These aren’t surface-level tweaks. They’re bold moves that require structure, support, and the right experience, especially while the business keeps running day-today, with all the pressures, systems, and people that come with it.
At Cross 8, we help organisations make that change. We shape it, deliver it, and make sure it sticks.
Of course, that leads to the next set of questions:
“But what does that actually involve? How is transformation done? What is your actual day-to-day job?”
Fair questions. And ones I get a lot.
So, here’s what delivering transformation often looks like in practice. It’s how we help shape, lead and deliver meaningful change, from first conversation to lasting results.
And I’ve added a few practical tips along the way; in case you’re tackling something similar in your own organisation.
What is Transformation?
When someone asks, “What do you do?” and I reply, “I’m a consultant at Cross 8 and we lead transformations,” I often get a vague expression, followed by, “Lead transformations?”
It’s a great tagline and well understood within the industry. But outside of it, the meaning isn’t always clear, so it’s worth unpacking.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve delivered transformation programmes across national infrastructure, energy, and technology. I’ve worked on everything from smart meter rollouts and joint ventures to customer migrations and regulatory change. One thing I’ve learned is that transformation doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.
That got me thinking: if transformation means different things to different people, how is it actually defined? Like most people these days, I turned to ChatGPT.
I typed in, “What is transformation?” and it came back with:
‘Transformation can mean different things depending on the context.’
It listed five categories where the word is commonly used, each with different definitions. And depending on the context, even those categories had sub-definitions.
Helpful, but also kind of the point.
Which explains why the term can feel vague to people outside the industry.
Take Time to Really Understand the Customer’s Need for Change
Understanding the significant changes that businesses want to make is fundamental to leading a successful transformation. It might not be the 90/10 split from Einstein’s quote on problem solving. “Spend 90% of the time understanding the problem and 10% solving it,” but the principle still applies. You need to really understand the challenge before you can start fixing it.
Sometimes that challenge is instinctive: a feeling that something isn’t working, or that the business is ready for a shift. Other times, it’s prompted by something external: a regulatory shift, new technology, or pressure from customers or competitors.
Part of my role is helping shape that need into a direction that makes sense across the business.
It is also important that the vision is supported not just by the sponsor or the transformation consultants, but by all the areas of the business it will impact.
Tip
Don’t rush to the answer, take time to challenge your understanding of the vision with the customer and wider stakeholders. Test how it will actually deliver value.
What we do
Set up senior stakeholder workshops, shape strategy into simple, clear messages, help quantify the benefits case, develop a high-level plan.
Translate the Customer Vision into Change Language
The customer vision is usually explained in terms of outcomes or benefits, not in methodology or process. The skill of transformation is distilling the vision into what needs to change.
For example, changing a contract is very different from changing a system, but both might be necessary to deliver the vision. And sometimes, customers aren’t sure what needs to change, they just know the end state they want to reach. Helping connect that ambition to clear, practical actions is where we come in.
Clearly articulating what needs to happen across the business is the cornerstone of transformation.
This stage is normally known as the ‘design’ phase because you’re designing what the business will look like in the future.
Tip
Break down the vision into various ways the outcome could be achieved. Work through the “how” with the customer. Let them shape the best approach, and don’t let designers run ahead of those doing the work, make sure impacted areas lead the discussion.
What we do
Develop an ‘as is’ change blueprint (operating model), design through a customer lens (map customer journeys), develop process flows that articulate sequence of steps, define change requirements that explain what needs to change.
Understand What’s Important and What’s Not
Once the design is completed, the next step is to work with the business to prioritise what to deliver first. This is done through validation of the complexity of the changes to understand what will take longer and what could be delivered quickly.
This shapes a transformation plan with the customer and helps identify the resources and costs needed to deliver it. Including the customer, helps manage expectations on timescales, cost of the changes and quality of the customer
experience.
Tip
Talk through the plan with the customer. Identify where they get the most value. Let them own the plan. And don’t shy away from the tough conversations on timelines or cost — it’s far better to have them now than at the end.
What we do
Build the detailed plans, allocate resources, develop the solution blueprint, understand the key risks and threats, walk the stakeholders through the plan to get feedback.
Start To Deliver Change
Once the plan is approved, it’s time to mobilise. This means onboarding resource and suppliers, setting up delivery structures, managing risks and ensuring key relationships are in a positive place. Mobilisation often sets the tempo for the whole programme.
A cardinal sin in programmes is to think you’ve got time in the mobilisation period when actually, this is your best chance to get ahead of the plan and make the programme more stable and joined-up.This is also the point where many customers start to feel the change becoming real, which is exciting, but also where nerves can creep in. Clear roles and confident mobilisation help ease that.
Tip
Don’t wait for ‘big bang’ changes, break up the complexity if possible. Keep the structures simple and as admin free as possible without losing control. Start the plan on the front foot to help build a positive programme environment.
What we do
Design and implement the governance framework, set up the project teams, develop the communication and reporting processes, provide the project management, manage the senior stakeholder relationships.
Make Sure the Change Works
Giving enough time to properly test the changes is one of the top three most important steps in transformation. Oddly enough, it’s also one of the areas that programmes cut short the most. People can be overly optimistic and fail to factor in the cost of things going wrong at implementation.
Testing is not just a ‘system thing’, it needs to happen across all changes, with input from the change owners and the people using it. And it’s often where customers realise whether the change actually works for their people, not just in theory.
It’s essential to look at the exception cases too and ensure the testing environment is as close to real life as possible. That’s what gives people confidence the change will actually work.
Tip
Make sure there is enough time in the plan for testing. If things get squeezed, don’t automatically cut the testing window without fully understanding the risks and consequences. Build an environment where people feel comfortable challenging things and calling out exception cases.
What we do
Create test plans and test scenarios. Train business users so they know what the outcomes should be. Build the test reporting structure. Manage any defects and resolution plans. Govern the go/no-go change decisions
Check the Vision, Make Sure the Customer is Happy
The final stage is about assessing what’s been delivered, what benefits it’s achieved, and how that aligns with the customer’s original vision. These benefits are normally quantified in pounds or service improvements, such as improved timescales or fewer incidents etc. They should have been defined at the start of the programme, in partnership with the customer.
But that doesn’t mean the journey is over. For customers, this is often the moment of truth, has it actually worked, and was it worth it? The answer depends not just on what was delivered, but how people feel about the change.
When things haven’t gone to plan, reviewing what happened, what went wrong, and how it was managed is a key part of making sure the same issues don’t crop up next time, for either the customer or the consultants.
Tip
The benefits metrics need to be clear, well defined and simple to understand. Otherwise, you risk different views on what “success” actually means. Be honest and transparent. If the changes have not delivered what the benefits suggested then understand why rather than distort the story.
What we do
Develop a benefits realisation plan. Pull together a lessons learned report. Complete a closure report. Facilitate stakeholder meetings to close out the programme and capture feedback.
Why Cross 8 excels in Transformation?
Transformation is both a science and an art, anddelivering it well means understanding both.
The science is the structured bit: outcome-led thinking, proven methodologies, known toolsets. Most consultancies do that. They know the formula and have the capability to deliver it.
The standard model is to hand-pick bright university graduates, teach them the science, and drop them into businesses. And in many cases, that works. But it doesn’t always reflect the real world. Businesses aren’t uniform. Each has its own shape, pace, politics and culture. That’s where experience matters.
Many businesses have tried transformation before and been left with slide decks or systems that don’t quite fit. That’s often because no one really took the time to understand the culture and context.
This is where Cross 8 are different. We’re skilled in the artistry too. We take the time to understand each business properly: how it runs, how it feels, and how people work within it. The dynamics and the context aren’t separate from the transformation. They’re part of it.
To deliver this approach successfully, you need emotional intelligence and experienced, real-world people who can tailor the transformation to fit the
business and its people.
It’s the difference between a poorly fitting suit off the shelf, and one that’s been carefully measured and made to fit. At Cross 8, we recognise the human side of businesses and transformations.
If your organisation is considering change, or struggling to make it land, we’d be happy to talk. Whether you’re navigating complex stakeholders, legacy systems, or just need a fresh set of eyes, we can share what’s worked for others and how it might work for you
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