NORDHAVEN PERSPECTIVES / 2 NOVEMBER 2026
Look between the functions
An organisation chart tells you who reports to whom. It says less about how a request becomes a decision, how a promise becomes delivery or how a concern reaches the person who can resolve it. These transitions are where customers and colleagues experience the operating model most directly.
Make one handover visible
Choose a recurring piece of work and follow it across teams. What information is passed? What makes it ready for the next step? Who accepts responsibility? Where do people go when it does not fit the normal route? A short conversation with the people doing the work can reveal more than a polished process diagram.
Agree what ready means
A common source of friction is that one team considers a task complete before the next team can use it. Agree a small set of acceptance conditions. Keep them specific enough to check, but not so detailed that they create another administrative layer. The aim is a dependable exchange, not a perfect document.
Give exceptions a route
Real work does not always fit the standard case. A useful operating model defines how exceptions are surfaced, who can make a decision and how the team learns from recurring problems. Escalation should be a clear route to a decision, not a way to move responsibility elsewhere.
Test the change in practice
Try an improved handover on a manageable volume of work. Ask both sides what became clearer and what still creates delay or rework. Adjust before expanding it. Operational improvement becomes credible when the people using a process can recognise the difference.