Future-Proofing the Project Delivery Bench
When you manage a $100M+ project portfolio inside one of Canada’s top financial institutions, delivery risks aren’t something you wait to surface — you get ahead of them.
That’s exactly what one AVP of Delivery Practice at a major Canadian bank did.
Early warning signs were subtle, but unmistakable:
“We started noticing we were paying premium rates for talent, but the actual value being delivered wasn’t consistently aligned, and leadership was seeing the same issue surface in other parts of the organization."
It became clear this was a systemic challenge, not just isolated cases. So rather than wait for escalations or missed milestones, they launched a pilot: a delivery talent audit across their program teams to proactively evaluate capability gaps before they could impact outcomes.
WHY THIS PROJECT MATTERS
While business and technical acumen were strong across the board, two patterns stood out:
- Financial Acumen: Too many resources lacked confidence in core financial principles and decision-making frameworks.
- Foundational Project Management Skills: Even experienced resources couldn’t confidently walk through a critical path.
These weren’t niche competencies, they were essential to operational control, risk mitigation, and ultimately, project success. And without them, even well-staffed programs risked stalling. The audit wasn’t surface-level. They looked at full-time staff, SOW contractors, independents, and agency-sourced consultants, anyone actively delivering.
Their goal was clear; build a complete, capability-based picture of who was in the chair, not just based on title, but actual performance drivers.
They assessed not only technical knowledge, but:
- Decision-making under pressure
- Stakeholder influence and leadership instincts
- Financial and business acumen
- Resilience in compliance-heavy environments
- Familiarity with both foundational and advanced delivery frameworks
The result? A shared understanding across delivery leadership of what “good” actually looks like for the work ahead, not just for today’s programs, but tomorrow’s priorities. Even before formal calibration sessions began, the clarity had ripple effects. That kind of internal clarity drives external performance, too.
“The process brought better alignment, leaders started having more informed conversations about capability gaps and delivery risks. It’s already reshaping how we think about resource planning and assignment fit.”
What Happened Next
Even before formal calibration sessions began, the process itself started creating ripple effects. Leaders began having more informed conversations about capability gaps and delivery risks, which led to better alignment across the board. It started reshaping how teams approached resource planning and assignment fit, laying the foundation for stronger, more strategic decisions. That kind of internal clarity drives external performance, too.
Why It Matters to Spark
At Spark, we’ve had the privilege of supporting this delivery group through a pivotal phase of transformation. We've seen firsthand how initiatives like this reshape not just process, but mindset—changing how teams plan, how leaders make decisions, and how organizations move. When your talent partner truly understands the direction you’re headed and can shape recruiting to support that journey, it creates a competitive edge that’s hard to match. As the AVP put it,
“It’s not just about filling seats. It’s about the right people for where we’re going.”
THE RESULTS
Today, this delivery organization isn’t reacting to gaps — they’re proactively solving them. Their strategy-first approach means:
- Programs move faster and smarter
- Fewer escalations reach executive level
- Delivery teams are built for adaptability
- Recruiting is aligned with delivery’s future, not its past
And it all started with a willingness to look early, think critically, and take action before things went off course. “If someone isn’t a fit,” the AVP said,
“that’s when you open up conversations with your vendors or independent contractors to address it early. Or instead of having to let someone go, finding where they’d be a better fit.”
That’s delivery leadership and it’s the kind of thinking we’re proud to support.
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