By Kristi Meredith
A government branch of about 80 people, spread across six areas, was struggling with something familiar to many large organizations: embedded silos and the inability to prioritize across a portfolio.
Each team had very different kinds of work. But dependencies still existed, and without visibility, those dependencies became problematic for timelines and team capacity.
It wasn’t only a challenge between teams. The executive director didn’t have a clear view of what was being worked on across the branch, which made it difficult to prioritize and balance people’s time and capacity across teams. She often mentioned that she suspected teams were putting in effort into things that weren’t the right focus, but without visibility, there was no way to catch it early or help shift the workload.
One team in particular, responsible for communications and training, was almost always pulled in at the last minute. By then, deadlines were already tight, it was hard for them to do their best work, and their own priority work got delayed. It wasn’t that other teams didn’t want them involved, they just couldn’t see far enough ahead to know when to bring them in.
Staff described the environment as chaotic and reactive. One person shared the anxiety of trying to plan in that environment: “There is no roadmap of what kind of work is being done… I cannot see further than the next few weeks.” Leaders recognized that priorities weren’t clear, teams were stretched thin, and planning was mostly reactive rather than proactive. The challenge wasn’t that people weren’t working hard or cared about the work they were doing – they did! The challenge was not having the visibility to bring alignment across the branch.
The Approach
I worked with the branch in stages over a six month period, each step intentionally designed to chip away at silos and build toward greater transparency and collaboration:
- Mapping the Work: We started with a leadership session to put everything up on the wall (literally!). For the first time, directors could see the full scope of work across all six areas, side by side. The sheer volume of work became visible and with it, competing priorities across teams.
- Big Room Planning: Next, we widened the circle by bringing directors and a few team members from each team together. In the same room, they mapped their work, talked about dependencies, and reviewed priority and in-flight work. Staff now had a voice in the conversation, and leaders saw how much more powerful the planning became when everyone could see the broader picture.
- A Shared Portfolio Board: From that session, we built a single portfolio board to capture every major deliverable across the branch. Initially we build this on MIRO, but moved to Microsoft Lists for more sustainability and less manual overhead. Leadership used the portfolio board to prioritize and course-correct, but its real power was in visibility: every staff member now had access to a 30,000-foot view of the priorities, what was next, and collaboration needs across teams.
- A Leadership Cadence: Finally, we established a biweekly cadence for the directors and the executive director to revisit priorities, address dependencies, and keep work in progress at a realistic level. This shifted decision-making from reactive firefighting to more intentional, data-informed choices that supported both staff capacity and branch goals.
The Transformation
The shift was noticeable right away. For the first time, there was one place everyone could look to see what was going on across the branch. It wasn’t just a tool for leadership, the staff could also see the bigger picture and how their work fit alongside other teams. That visibility helped bring out connections and dependencies that had always been there but were never really talked about.
It also made a big difference for the communications and training team. Instead of being pulled in at the last minute, they could finally see what was coming and get involved earlier. One staff member said: ‘now we can actually see what’s coming and prepare for it instead of scrambling at the last minute.’
Focusing on less at once also helped. By cutting down the amount of work in progress, people had more breathing room and projects were actually being delivered. And leaders noticed the positive shift in transparency as well and directors, executives, even the ADM all gave feedback on how much stronger the collaboration and visibility had become.
About six months after these changes were put in place, the ADM reflected on the impact: “Change isn’t always easy — and for some, this shift toward transparency and shared visibility took time to adjust to. But the value it created for us as an organization has been undeniable. For the first time, we could truly see the full picture — how our work connected, where we were stretched, and where collaboration could make us stronger. That visibility built trust, improved decision-making, and helped us move from reacting to planning. It’s made us a more resilient, connected, and intentional organization.”
Hearing that feedback six months after implementation was encouraging. It showed that the changes weren’t just a quick fix, they had real staying power, and the branch was continuing to feel the benefits in how they worked together with visibility and collaboration.
Lessons Learned
Looking back, a few things really stood out for me. Even though each team was doing very different kinds of work, it was clear how much value there was in making that work visible. Just being able to see each other’s priorities side by side changed the conversations and made it easier to spot overlaps, talk about dependencies, and even question whether the work lined up with the branch’s goals.
I also saw how important it was to bring the right people into the room at the right time. The communications and training team had often been left scrambling at the end, not because people wanted to exclude them but because nobody had a way of seeing far enough ahead. Once they were included earlier, the whole branch benefited.
Another big takeaway was how powerful a regular cadence can be. The biweekly portfolio conversations stopped planning from being a one-off (and potentially stressful) event and turned it into an ongoing practice. This cadence made it easier to course correct, shift priorities, and make sure teams weren’t being stretched in too many directions.
Looking Ahead
With a transparent portfolio board and a leadership cadence in place, the branch is now positioned to move from firefighting toward proactive portfolio management. Staff have a clearer view of priorities, leaders have better insight to make decisions, and collaboration across the six areas is stronger than ever. Each team still has its own focus. What changed was that everyone could finally see the bigger picture which made it easier to understand how the pieces connected, spot dependencies, and move things forward in a more coordinated way.