Intent

Intent is what a change is meant to achieve and why: the problem or opportunity it addresses, the outcomes it seeks, and the reasons those outcomes are valuable.

What is intent in organizational change?

Made explicit, intent becomes a usable reference point rather than an inspirational statement: explicit enough that directions can be compared against it, delivery decisions judged by it, and realized outcomes evaluated against it. Where intent remains implicit, tracing and validation lose their object, because there is nothing to trace to and validation defaults to confirming delivery.

What it is not

Not the plan, the scope, or the business case, which are artifacts produced from it. Not a long-term strategic ambition of the kind meant by strategic intent: intent here belongs to one particular change and ends when that change ends.

Where it sits

Intent is established in the Decision stage of the Intent Loop and is the reference point every later stage consults.

For the contrast with strategic intent: that phrase names a long-term ambition; intent here belongs to one particular change and ends when that change ends.

Related concepts

• Direction: Intent is the reference point a direction is chosen to serve.
• Decision Quality: Defining it explicitly is the first job of decision quality.

Referenced by

• Direction