Most transformation programmes split the work in two: one team redesigns the operating model, another delivers the technology. The seam between them is where value leaks out.

The gap in the middle

When the model is designed in isolation, it makes assumptions the systems cannot support. When the technology is delivered in isolation, it encodes the old way of working in new tools. Both teams do good work; the result still disappoints.

One piece of work

Designing them together keeps the trade-offs explicit and the sequencing realistic. The operating model stays buildable; the technology stays purposeful. Accountability does not fall into the gap between two teams, because there is no gap.

Integration is not a coordination problem to manage after the fact. It is a design choice to make at the start.