Ensuring Project Spend Delivers: Leveraging Collective Wisdom to Maximise Capital Returns

In a world of complex decisions and competing priorities, participation can make or break outcomes. Recent reports from the 2024 U.S. presidential election, however, indicate that fewer people are participating: with only 53.5% of the voting-age population casting a ballot, the turnout was the lowest in more than two decades, trailing behind the average in other G7 nations. But this isn’t about politics; it’s about the wisdom of crowds and the risks we face when it goes untapped. The same is true in businesses which need engagement for project success.

The wisdom of the crowd, when informed perspectives align on decisions, produces outcomes that can surpass those led by a few isolated voices. For CFOs, the analogy is clear. Projects are increasingly complex, with capital commitments under greater scrutiny and immediate pressures on profit and cashflow. Yet, as with voting, the success of these projects is directly influenced by who contributes to decisions and how insights are applied. We always look at engagement for project success.

When organisations fail to fully tap into diverse perspectives, they risk building projects that overspend, overrun, or under-deliver. At How2-Change, we’ve seen this dynamic in countless organisations with portfolios of 100+ inflight projects, each needing alignment with strategic goals. Through our How2-Change Reality Check®, we bring collective wisdom to the forefront, enabling CFOs to make targeted, high-impact adjustments across M&A, integration, and transformation projects and ensuring engagement as a mechanism to drive project success.

The Power of Collective Wisdom: A Catalyst for CFOs

In his book The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki explains how groups often outperform even the best individual experts, especially in complex, multifaceted decisions. But this wisdom only becomes actionable when people participate fully. Just as low voter turnout limits the accuracy and strength of a collective choice, a lack of diverse input in project decisions hinders true project alignment and effectiveness. For CFOs, this means that projects require more than good intentions or expert plans. They need engagement and holistic insights that only a collective approach can provide.

In our work with organisations, the reality is consistent: when project planning and execution fail to incorporate a broad range of expertise, projects fall short. To ensure capital investments achieve their intended returns, CFOs must look beyond standard project governance. They need a structured approach that transforms input from all stakeholders into clear, actionable plans. That’s why we named our proposition with the words “Reality Check” because when this is missed, as it almost always is, this is why 70% of change initiatives fail.

How How2-Change Reality Check® Delivers Actionable Wisdom

The How2-Change Reality Check® is designed to bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation, translating insights into a focused, results-driven approach that drives value across the project lifecycle. Here’s how it addresses the needs of CFOs to ensure that every pound of project spend is strategic and delivers measurable returns:

1. Comprehensive Portfolio Analysis: When we’re engaged because there are projects in flight or awaiting take off, we begin by analysing every project individually, with a lens on financial performance and alignment to strategic objectives. This approach, much like a high turnout in voting, ensures that no perspective is overlooked, and each project is evaluated on its potential to deliver against both immediate and long-term goals. How? By both our own knowledge and expertise and by how effectively the projects have engaged the organisation to define how they should set up for success.
2. Project-Level Course Corrections: CFOs need more than diagnostics. They need actionable plans to address underperformance swiftly. For each project, we provide precise course-correction strategies, allowing CFOs to make informed decisions such as what to stop, start and accelerate and likewise how to optimise M&A and integration projects. These recommendations are built on insights that combine team-level input with strategic oversight, ensuring each decision is robust and supported by the collective wisdom of the organisation. It’s rapid. We did this for 100+ projects in an organisation and it took less than a month to assess, develop and implement project level and strategic changes to prevent recurrence.
3. Turnaround Governance for Sustainable Improvement: The How2-Change Reality Check® doesn’t stop at course correction. We implement turnaround governance to prevent future oversights, refining processes so that projects don’t just succeed individually but also contribute to a more resilient, agile organisational culture. This continuous improvement approach creates a foundation where collective insights shape future project decisions.
4. Strategic Investment Recommendations: Beyond the immediate corrections, our insights allow CFOs to approach project investments strategically, identifying which initiatives to accelerate, pause, or stop altogether. In volatile markets, this guidance enables CFOs to protect their capital by ensuring every pound is spent with purpose, risk is minimised, and projects are fully aligned with financial and operational objectives.

For CFOs: The Importance of Actionable Wisdom in Project Spend

In an era where CFOs are expected to safeguard investments while delivering on P&L and cash flow expectations, projects cannot afford to be speculative. The wisdom of the crowd provides an invaluable asset: a way to design and execute initiatives that are genuinely strategic, fit for purpose, and poised for success. Through How2-Change Reality Check®, CFOs can tap into this collective insight and ensure that projects are grounded in robust, actionable wisdom.

The recent voter turnout, though disappointing, serves as a reminder of the power, and the risks, of disengagement. In the context of organisational projects, every voice matters, every perspective counts, and every insight contributes to the success of the whole. CFOs who harness this collective wisdom gain a distinct advantage, transforming complex portfolios into lean, efficient, and strategically aligned investments.

A Call to Action for CFOs

If you’re a CFO tasked with optimising project spend in an unpredictable market, consider how How2-Change can support you in creating a project portfolio that aligns with your strategic goals. With How2-Change Reality Check®, we ensure that every decision—whether to stop, start, or accelerate a project—is informed by a broad base of insights and focused on delivering returns. Let us help you ensure that your project investments are designed to perform, strategically aligned, and positioned to drive measurable value.

If you have 2 minutes now, why not take our free 4 question Change Health Check? It’ll tell you whether a 15-30 minute discussion with us would be warranted. Or, if you’d like to jump straight to a discussion, click here for our live calendar to pick a time.

How2-Change Words of Wisdom – interesting people, interesting insights, 5 minutes

Have you checked out our podcasts? We ask interesting people for the single best piece of advice they;ve ever received and how they applied it. Most episodes are under 5 minutes – just the time it takes to make a hot drink. Here’s one we think you might like:

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