We all nod sagely when the topic of prioritisation comes up.

“Focus on what matters most,” we preach. “Identify the vital few that will truly move the needle.” It sounds so simple, so logical. Yet, in the messy reality of organisational life, this fundamental principle often goes out the window, leaving us drowning in a sea of well-intentioned but ultimately distracting initiatives.

I recently witnessed a stark illustration of this challenge.

A client in the financial sector, grappling with a seemingly unwieldy strategic portfolio. They believed they had had a strategic portfolio boasting a “tad over 100” technology enablement projects, all in flight, but nothing was getting over the line. They brought me in to help them prioritise.

There were some disagreements around the list. So I got them to visualise every project, generating sticky notes on a wall, and then linking related initiatives. The leadership team in the room collectively looked horrified, as they realised they had more than the original number.

What unfolded in the room as we meticulously mapped out every single undertaking was a collective gasp of disbelief. The actual number? Over 200. More than double what they thought.

Reality check, “we have over 200 projects simultaneously vying for resources and attention”.

This isn’t an isolated incident. In ambitious, growth-oriented cultures, the enthusiasm for new ideas can easily outpace the capacity to execute them effectively. Every compelling proposal, every passionate stakeholder, every perceived opportunity gets added to the ever-growing pile of “strategic priorities.”

The result? A diluted focus, stretched resources, and a team so busy managing the chaos that they have little time left for actual progress.

The Hidden Cost of Busyness… and Lost Agility

The most insidious cost of this “strategic overload” isn’t always the individual project budgets. It’s the busyness it breeds. When you have hundreds of initiatives vying for attention, your people spend more time in meetings, writing status reports, chasing updates, and trying to maintain a semblance of control than they do on the core work that delivers value. It’s the corporate equivalent of spinning so many plates that they all eventually wobble and crash.

But there’s another significant casualty in this frantic juggling act: agility.

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, the ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions, emerging technologies, and evolving customer needs is paramount. How can an organisation be nimble and responsive when its resources are fragmented across a massive portfolio of initiatives? The sheer inertia of managing so many projects simultaneously makes swift pivots virtually impossible.

Think about it:

• Slowed decision-making: Any shift in strategy requires re-evaluating a vast number of projects, leading to lengthy delays.
• Inability to seize new opportunities: Resources are already tied up, making it difficult to quickly allocate them to promising new ventures.
• Increased complexity: Coordinating changes across hundreds of projects introduces significant complexity and risk.
• Reduced responsiveness to customer feedback: When teams are stretched thin, they have less capacity to listen to and act on customer insights.

The Wake-Up Call: When You Need Prioritisation Help

How do you know if your organisation is suffering from “strategic overload” and sacrificing its agility in the process? Here are some tell-tale signs (building on the previous list):

• An ever-growing list of “top priorities.” If everything is a priority, then nothing truly is, and your ability to shift focus is nil.
• Teams constantly complaining about being stretched too thin. Burnout and decreased morale are often symptoms of overcommitment, leaving no spare capacity for agile responses.
• A significant amount of time spent in meetings and on administrative tasks related to project management, with little visible progress on key outcomes. This overhead makes rapid adjustments incredibly difficult.
• A lack of clarity on which initiatives are truly driving the most strategic value, making it hard to know which ones to pivot or stop.
• Difficulty in saying “no” to new projects, even when resources are already strained, further cementing the lack of flexibility.
• A slow response time to market changes or competitor actions.
• An inability to quickly experiment and learn due to the sheer volume of ongoing work.

The Opportunity: Reclaiming Focus, Driving Impact, and Embracing Agility

The good news is that this situation isn’t irreversible. By embracing a more disciplined and ruthless approach to prioritisation, organisations can unlock significant potential – not only in terms of efficiency and impact but also in their ability to adapt and thrive in a dynamic environment.

It requires a fundamental shift in mindset, moving away from the desire to do everything and embracing the power of strategic focus. It means having the courage to say “no” to good ideas in favour of great ones. And it demands a commitment to understanding true capacity, rigorously defining value based on strategic outcomes, and implementing dynamic sequencing to ensure efforts are concentrated where they will have the biggest impact – freeing up resources and mental bandwidth for crucial agility.

Have you experienced the crippling effect of too many “strategic” priorities and the resulting paralysis of agility?

What steps has your organisation taken (or needed to take) to regain focus, drive meaningful results, and become more responsive?

Let’s share our experiences and learn from each other. The cost of staying busy without purpose – and without the ability to adapt – is far too high.