Direction
Direction is where the organization chooses to move: the course of action selected to realize the intent.
How is direction different from execution?
Direction and execution are different problems. An organization can execute poorly in the right direction, or execute well in the wrong one. Strong execution cannot correct a weak direction; it can only complete it.
Execution
Execution is how effectively the organization moves in the direction it has chosen.
Execution determines how faithfully a direction is realized, not whether it was worth realizing. This is why delivery performance predicts outcome success only where the direction rests on sound reasoning.
Not the same as delivery management. Execution here is one of two dimensions of change, paired with direction, rather than a set of practices.
What it is not
Not the intent itself. Intent is what should improve and why; direction is the chosen way to bring that improvement about. The distinction has consequences: a revised direction continues the change, while a replaced intent begins a new one.
Where it sits
Direction is chosen in the Decision stage; execution is how the Execution stage realizes that choice. Conflating them hides the decision gap behind delivery metrics.
Related concepts
- Intent: A direction is selected to serve the intent, and selecting it well is the second job of decision quality.
- Decision Quality: A direction is selected to serve the intent, and selecting it well is the second job of decision quality.
- Decision Gap: The distance between the chosen direction's expected outcome and the best available one is the decision gap.
Referenced by
Cite this page
Lars. “Direction.” Intent Integrity. https://www.intent-integrity.com/direction-and-execution. n.d.
The “n.d.” marks that no publication date is asserted on this living page. Add an access date if your citation style requires one.