Aaron Percival
@ampercival.bsky.social
aaronpercival.substack.com
Director / @SSC_SPC / Public Sector Transformation Leader – Driving Change for Real Impact | Obsessed with Value, Cares Deeply, Gets Things Done #PublicSector #DigitalGovernment #ServiceDelivery #Transformation #GCDigital
Director / @SSC_SPC / Public Sector Transformation Leader – Driving Change for Real Impact | Obsessed with Value, Cares Deeply, Gets Things Done #PublicSector #DigitalGovernment #ServiceDelivery #Transformation #GCDigital
Why do initiatives start strong but lose direction? Too often, teams jump into tasks before defining the purpose. Right-to-left thinking helps leaders anchor delivery in outcomes that citizens truly value. 🧵👇
Think Right to Left: Defining the Why for Better Public Sector Results
Happy Tuesday, Transformation Friends.
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Why do initiatives start strong but lose direction? Too often, teams jump into tasks before defining the purpose. Right-to-left thinking helps leaders anchor delivery in outcomes that citizens truly value. 🧵👇
Successful projects: What if the secret to finishing faster is starting slower? 🧵👇
#BeyondTheStatusQuo #PublicSectorLeadership #Transformation #ProjectDelivery #ThinkSlowActFast
#BeyondTheStatusQuo #PublicSectorLeadership #Transformation #ProjectDelivery #ThinkSlowActFast
Think Slow, Act Fast: The Science of Delivering Public Projects on Time and on Budget
Happy Tuesday, Transformation Friends.
open.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Successful projects: What if the secret to finishing faster is starting slower? 🧵👇
#BeyondTheStatusQuo #PublicSectorLeadership #Transformation #ProjectDelivery #ThinkSlowActFast
#BeyondTheStatusQuo #PublicSectorLeadership #Transformation #ProjectDelivery #ThinkSlowActFast
“Resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms.” – Jean Chatzky
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🧵👇
October 22, 2025 at 4:02 PM
“Resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms.” – Jean Chatzky
🧵👇
🧵👇
Why do IT projects go off the rails... fast?
This week on Beyond the Status Quo, I unpack Flyvbjerg’s analysis of 11,011 projects. IT looks steady—until it doesn’t. Once costs pass 50% over, the average blowout is 453%. That’s wild risk where the “tail” drives the story.
🧵👇
This week on Beyond the Status Quo, I unpack Flyvbjerg’s analysis of 11,011 projects. IT looks steady—until it doesn’t. Once costs pass 50% over, the average blowout is 453%. That’s wild risk where the “tail” drives the story.
🧵👇
When IT Projects Go Wild: What We Need to Know
Happy Tuesday, Transformation Friends.
open.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Why do IT projects go off the rails... fast?
This week on Beyond the Status Quo, I unpack Flyvbjerg’s analysis of 11,011 projects. IT looks steady—until it doesn’t. Once costs pass 50% over, the average blowout is 453%. That’s wild risk where the “tail” drives the story.
🧵👇
This week on Beyond the Status Quo, I unpack Flyvbjerg’s analysis of 11,011 projects. IT looks steady—until it doesn’t. Once costs pass 50% over, the average blowout is 453%. That’s wild risk where the “tail” drives the story.
🧵👇
Public service quality isn’t just about speed or efficiency. Citizens judge it by the gaps between what they expect and what they actually experience.
Those gaps can make or break trust.
🧵👇
Those gaps can make or break trust.
🧵👇
Decoding the Gaps and Determinants of Service Quality
Unveiling the Secret to Service Excellence
aaronpercival.substack.com
September 23, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Public service quality isn’t just about speed or efficiency. Citizens judge it by the gaps between what they expect and what they actually experience.
Those gaps can make or break trust.
🧵👇
Those gaps can make or break trust.
🧵👇
“Project managers who think their project is unique are therefore a liability.”
Bent Flyvbjerg’s research shows why. 🧵👇
Bent Flyvbjerg’s research shows why. 🧵👇
September 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
“Project managers who think their project is unique are therefore a liability.”
Bent Flyvbjerg’s research shows why. 🧵👇
Bent Flyvbjerg’s research shows why. 🧵👇
Budgets shrink. Expectations rise. Outcomes stall.
The UK tried something new: the Office for Value for Money. An agile unit that challenges spending before it happens.
I break it down in my latest Beyond the Status Quo article. 🧵👇
The UK tried something new: the Office for Value for Money. An agile unit that challenges spending before it happens.
I break it down in my latest Beyond the Status Quo article. 🧵👇
Spending Smarter: Lessons from the UK’s Office for Value for Money
Happy Tuesday, Transformation Friends.
open.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Budgets shrink. Expectations rise. Outcomes stall.
The UK tried something new: the Office for Value for Money. An agile unit that challenges spending before it happens.
I break it down in my latest Beyond the Status Quo article. 🧵👇
The UK tried something new: the Office for Value for Money. An agile unit that challenges spending before it happens.
I break it down in my latest Beyond the Status Quo article. 🧵👇
Budgets are shrinking. Expectations are growing.
For IT leaders, the big question is:
👉 How do you do more with less without putting services at risk?
🧵 A quick framework for smarter IT budget choices ⬇️
For IT leaders, the big question is:
👉 How do you do more with less without putting services at risk?
🧵 A quick framework for smarter IT budget choices ⬇️
September 9, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Budgets are shrinking. Expectations are growing.
For IT leaders, the big question is:
👉 How do you do more with less without putting services at risk?
🧵 A quick framework for smarter IT budget choices ⬇️
For IT leaders, the big question is:
👉 How do you do more with less without putting services at risk?
🧵 A quick framework for smarter IT budget choices ⬇️
Delegation is easy to preach, hard to practice. Too many of us keep doing the work instead of leading. HBR’s latest article + podcast nailed why — and how to fix it. 🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership #Delegation #GovOps #PolicyDelivery #SundayLongRead
#PublicSector #Leadership #Delegation #GovOps #PolicyDelivery #SundayLongRead
Why Aren’t I Better at Delegating?
All leaders—from new managers to seasoned executives—must delegate tasks to free up time and attention for the big-picture work their more-senior roles demand. But too often leaders find themselves caught in the weeds of execution. This article helps leaders determine which work to keep and which is better left to a team member. Then it identifies four challenges that stop even those who know how to delegate from doing it successfully: (1) an addiction to the dopamine hit of easy productivity, (2) a disinclination to reject requests for help, (3) a desire to meet their own bosses’ or clients’ unmanaged expectations, and (4) a misunderstanding of what “work” should mean for a manager. Drawing on research and two decades of experience advising senior leaders, the author offers concrete recommendations for overcoming each challenge. Even for leaders with the best of intentions, overcoming these challenges will take time. However, if you stick with it and learn to delegate effectively, you’ll get much more out of your team members—and yourself, as a developer of talent and as a big-picture, strategic thinker.
hbr.org
September 7, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Delegation is easy to preach, hard to practice. Too many of us keep doing the work instead of leading. HBR’s latest article + podcast nailed why — and how to fix it. 🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership #Delegation #GovOps #PolicyDelivery #SundayLongRead
#PublicSector #Leadership #Delegation #GovOps #PolicyDelivery #SundayLongRead
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
That truth is familiar in government. Change unsettles—but it can also be opportunity. 🧵👇
That truth is familiar in government. Change unsettles—but it can also be opportunity. 🧵👇
September 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
That truth is familiar in government. Change unsettles—but it can also be opportunity. 🧵👇
That truth is familiar in government. Change unsettles—but it can also be opportunity. 🧵👇
Public services should feel easy. Too often, they feel like work.
That’s where astronauts come in. 🚀
NASA built the Task Load Index (TLX) to measure workload in space. What if we used it to rethink government services?
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That’s where astronauts come in. 🚀
NASA built the Task Load Index (TLX) to measure workload in space. What if we used it to rethink government services?
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September 2, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Public services should feel easy. Too often, they feel like work.
That’s where astronauts come in. 🚀
NASA built the Task Load Index (TLX) to measure workload in space. What if we used it to rethink government services?
🧵👇
That’s where astronauts come in. 🚀
NASA built the Task Load Index (TLX) to measure workload in space. What if we used it to rethink government services?
🧵👇
99.5% of megaprojects fail. Out of 16,000 studied, only 0.5% finished on time, on budget, and delivered the promised benefits.
Frank Gehry’s projects defy those odds. Here’s what leaders can learn from him. 🧵👇
Frank Gehry’s projects defy those odds. Here’s what leaders can learn from him. 🧵👇
papers.ssrn.com
August 31, 2025 at 11:16 PM
99.5% of megaprojects fail. Out of 16,000 studied, only 0.5% finished on time, on budget, and delivered the promised benefits.
Frank Gehry’s projects defy those odds. Here’s what leaders can learn from him. 🧵👇
Frank Gehry’s projects defy those odds. Here’s what leaders can learn from him. 🧵👇
Public sector transformation: You won’t always see the results right away.
The systems are complex. The challenges are endless.
And the wins? They’re often quiet.
But they matter.
🧵👇
The systems are complex. The challenges are endless.
And the wins? They’re often quiet.
But they matter.
🧵👇
August 28, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Public sector transformation: You won’t always see the results right away.
The systems are complex. The challenges are endless.
And the wins? They’re often quiet.
But they matter.
🧵👇
The systems are complex. The challenges are endless.
And the wins? They’re often quiet.
But they matter.
🧵👇
The UK reexamined the goals of procurement and made a bold shift.
At stake: billions in public spending.
The result: a model that aims to deliver social, environmental, and economic value with every contract.
🧵Let’s talk about the Social Value Model.
At stake: billions in public spending.
The result: a model that aims to deliver social, environmental, and economic value with every contract.
🧵Let’s talk about the Social Value Model.
How the Social Value Model is Reshaping Public Procurement
Happy Tuesday, Transformation Friends.
aaronpercival.substack.com
August 26, 2025 at 2:07 PM
The UK reexamined the goals of procurement and made a bold shift.
At stake: billions in public spending.
The result: a model that aims to deliver social, environmental, and economic value with every contract.
🧵Let’s talk about the Social Value Model.
At stake: billions in public spending.
The result: a model that aims to deliver social, environmental, and economic value with every contract.
🧵Let’s talk about the Social Value Model.
Your Sunday Long Read → The Uniqueness Trap 🧵👇
“This project is unique.”
We’ve all heard it: at kick-off meetings, during oversight, even in post-mortems. It feels empowering. But new research shows it may be the biggest risk factor in your project.
“This project is unique.”
We’ve all heard it: at kick-off meetings, during oversight, even in post-mortems. It feels empowering. But new research shows it may be the biggest risk factor in your project.
The Uniqueness Trap
Project managers and planners are highly prone to believing that their projects are one of a kind—partly because those that seem new and distinctive are more likely to win support. But research on 1,300-plus projects reveals that few, if any, actually are unique. The problem is, the perception of uniqueness causes managers to think there’s nothing to learn from other projects, which leads them to underestimate risk, make poor decisions, and blow through budgets and schedules. The cure is to always assume that someone, somewhere has undertaken a project like yours. If you can’t find an analogue, break your project into components, which may prove comparable with other projects. Then use forecasting and other risk assessment tools to avoid biases that undermine good choices.
hbr.org
August 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Your Sunday Long Read → The Uniqueness Trap 🧵👇
“This project is unique.”
We’ve all heard it: at kick-off meetings, during oversight, even in post-mortems. It feels empowering. But new research shows it may be the biggest risk factor in your project.
“This project is unique.”
We’ve all heard it: at kick-off meetings, during oversight, even in post-mortems. It feels empowering. But new research shows it may be the biggest risk factor in your project.
"It is very rare that the [Office of the Auditor General] (OAG) reports on miscues committed by central agencies, the PMO, Finance, the PCO, or even the OAG itself."
📖 Donald Savoie, Speaking Truth to Canadians About Their Public Service (p. 34)
🧵👇
📖 Donald Savoie, Speaking Truth to Canadians About Their Public Service (p. 34)
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August 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM
"It is very rare that the [Office of the Auditor General] (OAG) reports on miscues committed by central agencies, the PMO, Finance, the PCO, or even the OAG itself."
📖 Donald Savoie, Speaking Truth to Canadians About Their Public Service (p. 34)
🧵👇
📖 Donald Savoie, Speaking Truth to Canadians About Their Public Service (p. 34)
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The public sector value chain holds the key to delivering better services and building trust.
Here’s how the 5 elements shape transformation in government
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#PublicSector #Leadership
Here’s how the 5 elements shape transformation in government
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#PublicSector #Leadership
August 19, 2025 at 2:07 PM
The public sector value chain holds the key to delivering better services and building trust.
Here’s how the 5 elements shape transformation in government
🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership
Here’s how the 5 elements shape transformation in government
🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership
Your Sunday long read: In public projects, speed and rigour often seem like opposites. They don’t have to be.
A new paper by Bent Flyvbjerg shows how “fast-and-frugal” heuristics can make better, quicker decisions in complex programmes.
🧵👇
#SundayLongRead #PublicSector #ProjectManagement
A new paper by Bent Flyvbjerg shows how “fast-and-frugal” heuristics can make better, quicker decisions in complex programmes.
🧵👇
#SundayLongRead #PublicSector #ProjectManagement
journals.sagepub.com
August 17, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Your Sunday long read: In public projects, speed and rigour often seem like opposites. They don’t have to be.
A new paper by Bent Flyvbjerg shows how “fast-and-frugal” heuristics can make better, quicker decisions in complex programmes.
🧵👇
#SundayLongRead #PublicSector #ProjectManagement
A new paper by Bent Flyvbjerg shows how “fast-and-frugal” heuristics can make better, quicker decisions in complex programmes.
🧵👇
#SundayLongRead #PublicSector #ProjectManagement
Waiting for the perfect moment can mean waiting forever.
Edmund Burke, a political thinker during the age of revolutions, captured the danger of delay:
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” 🧵👇
Edmund Burke, a political thinker during the age of revolutions, captured the danger of delay:
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” 🧵👇
August 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Waiting for the perfect moment can mean waiting forever.
Edmund Burke, a political thinker during the age of revolutions, captured the danger of delay:
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” 🧵👇
Edmund Burke, a political thinker during the age of revolutions, captured the danger of delay:
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” 🧵👇
Leading change isn’t just about new strategies or structures.
It’s about perception.
Plato’s Cave, a 2,000-year-old story, perfectly describes the hardest part of leadership: people clinging to “shadows on the wall” – outdated beliefs & habits – even when they no longer serve the organization.
🧵👇
It’s about perception.
Plato’s Cave, a 2,000-year-old story, perfectly describes the hardest part of leadership: people clinging to “shadows on the wall” – outdated beliefs & habits – even when they no longer serve the organization.
🧵👇
What Plato’s Cave Teaches Us About Changing the Status Quo
Happy Tuesday, Transformation Friends.
aaronpercival.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Leading change isn’t just about new strategies or structures.
It’s about perception.
Plato’s Cave, a 2,000-year-old story, perfectly describes the hardest part of leadership: people clinging to “shadows on the wall” – outdated beliefs & habits – even when they no longer serve the organization.
🧵👇
It’s about perception.
Plato’s Cave, a 2,000-year-old story, perfectly describes the hardest part of leadership: people clinging to “shadows on the wall” – outdated beliefs & habits – even when they no longer serve the organization.
🧵👇
Most government “digital projects” don’t transform anything.
Here’s what 164 studies reveal about why and how leaders can change it.
🧵👇
#DigitalGovernment #GovInnovation #PublicAdministration
Here’s what 164 studies reveal about why and how leaders can change it.
🧵👇
#DigitalGovernment #GovInnovation #PublicAdministration
July 31, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Most government “digital projects” don’t transform anything.
Here’s what 164 studies reveal about why and how leaders can change it.
🧵👇
#DigitalGovernment #GovInnovation #PublicAdministration
Here’s what 164 studies reveal about why and how leaders can change it.
🧵👇
#DigitalGovernment #GovInnovation #PublicAdministration
🏀 "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty‑six times I've been trusted to take the game‑winning shot—and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." – Michael Jordan
🧵 👇
🧵 👇
July 30, 2025 at 4:02 PM
🏀 "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty‑six times I've been trusted to take the game‑winning shot—and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." – Michael Jordan
🧵 👇
🧵 👇
Have you ever asked your team: “What do you do?”
How they answer says everything about your culture.
🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership #Culture #EmployeeEngagement #BeyondtheStatusQuo
How they answer says everything about your culture.
🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership #Culture #EmployeeEngagement #BeyondtheStatusQuo
Every Role Matters: Building a Value-Centric Culture in the Public Sector
Connecting roles to purpose for stronger public impact
aaronpercival.substack.com
July 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Have you ever asked your team: “What do you do?”
How they answer says everything about your culture.
🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership #Culture #EmployeeEngagement #BeyondtheStatusQuo
How they answer says everything about your culture.
🧵👇
#PublicSector #Leadership #Culture #EmployeeEngagement #BeyondtheStatusQuo
Are We Creating Planning Debt Without Realizing It?
Planning Debt = future rework caused by:
🔹 Over-planning
🔹 Under-planning
🔹 Misaligned planning
It's real. And it’s costly.
Read more: aaronpercival.substack.com/p/the-concep...
#PublicService #Leadership #Planning #BeyondtheStatusQuo
Planning Debt = future rework caused by:
🔹 Over-planning
🔹 Under-planning
🔹 Misaligned planning
It's real. And it’s costly.
Read more: aaronpercival.substack.com/p/the-concep...
#PublicService #Leadership #Planning #BeyondtheStatusQuo
July 1, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Are We Creating Planning Debt Without Realizing It?
Planning Debt = future rework caused by:
🔹 Over-planning
🔹 Under-planning
🔹 Misaligned planning
It's real. And it’s costly.
Read more: aaronpercival.substack.com/p/the-concep...
#PublicService #Leadership #Planning #BeyondtheStatusQuo
Planning Debt = future rework caused by:
🔹 Over-planning
🔹 Under-planning
🔹 Misaligned planning
It's real. And it’s costly.
Read more: aaronpercival.substack.com/p/the-concep...
#PublicService #Leadership #Planning #BeyondtheStatusQuo
This week on Beyond the Status Quo, I’m doing something a little different—and honestly, I feel like it’s one of the most important pieces I’ve written.
It’s about purpose. Why are we here? And what public service is really for?
👇🧵
#PublicService #Leadership #BeyondTheStatusQuo
It’s about purpose. Why are we here? And what public service is really for?
👇🧵
#PublicService #Leadership #BeyondTheStatusQuo
Rediscovering the Purpose in Public Service
What I Learned When I Asked: Why Are We Here?
aaronpercival.substack.com
June 24, 2025 at 2:07 PM
This week on Beyond the Status Quo, I’m doing something a little different—and honestly, I feel like it’s one of the most important pieces I’ve written.
It’s about purpose. Why are we here? And what public service is really for?
👇🧵
#PublicService #Leadership #BeyondTheStatusQuo
It’s about purpose. Why are we here? And what public service is really for?
👇🧵
#PublicService #Leadership #BeyondTheStatusQuo