Prioritising Public Affairs using a Hierarchy of Purpose

How can you ensure your organisation’s projects are aligned to your purpose, delivering value, and bringing benefits to you and your stakeholders? Establishing a hierarchy of purpose can provide a framework to aid your decision making. It is a tool that can select the right projects that:

• are aligned to your organisation’s purpose; address your strategic priorities;

• choose the right projects based on the resources available to you;

• consider the people involved in delivery, and those who will ultimately benefit from the project;

• define the benefits and performance indicators which allow you to track progress.

Benefits of Prioritising your Public Affairs Projects

Teams and organisations that apply a hierarchy of purpose to their public affairs activities can potentially reduce costs. Stopping low-priority projects that are not fully aligned to your purpose or are not delivering the change you hoped to see can help you focus your efforts and resources elsewhere.

By prioritising projects that are aligned to your organisations purpose, address your stakeholder needs and align to your strategy, the success rate and impact of your public affairs projects should increase.

Using the hierarchy of purpose can also help facilitate strategic discussions within your organisation and with your stakeholders. Are your public affairs priorities aligned to your organisations wider strategy? Do they reflect the reality of the stakeholder environment you operate in?

There are 5 core elements of the hierarchy of purpose: purpose, priorities, projects, people, and performance. You will need to define each of these elements before establishing which of your public affairs projects to continue, which offer the most opportunity and which are fastest and easiest to deliver.

1. Purpose: the true north of your public affairs projects

Any public affairs project you undertake should be aligned to your organisations purpose. What is the change or innovation you want to see? What are you ultimately working towards? The purpose should be clear and concise, and all those involved should understand it.

2. Priorities: strategic focus for increased alignment

Given the purpose of your organisation, what are the priorities your strategy addresses? These could be to support business objectives, shape the upcoming EU Commission’s mandate, profile an issue or shape proposed legislation. Focusing on a limited number of priorities is beneficial, as is co-creating these with you most important internal and external stakeholders.

3. Projects: navigating competing commitments

We all face the challenge of too many things competing for our time. Deciding which projects to prioritise is increasingly essential. Given the purpose ad priorities you have defined, it’s important to consider your current and future projects to see if they are aligned. Are they realising the benefits you planned for? If not, it is worth considering which projects to continue and which to drop.

This can be a tough decision in public affairs as there is always a reputational risk that must be managed when discontinuing projects. But ultimately focusing your efforts of projects that bring the most benefits to you and your stakeholders will bring the most meaningful change.

4. People: the driving force of delivering change

Consider who will be needed to deliver a project. This should include those in the project team, but also consider who the sponsor of the project is. What are their priorities and concerns? Do they have enough time to dedicate to the project?

Beyond the core project team, will a steering committee be needed to help shape and guide the project? What input will be needed from colleagues across your organisation? Are you set-up to effectively work cross- functionally? Do you colleagues have the time to dedicate to this project? What support might be needed externally?

It is also important to consider your external stakeholders. How do they make decisions? What are the most effective channels for reaching them? Are they aligned to your purpose and strategy?

5. Performance: measuring the benefits of your project

Given the purpose you are working towards, what are the benefits you and your stakeholders (both internal and external) would like to see? Projects should focus on output indicators to map progress rather than input indicators. Having too many performance indicators can be hard to manage. Capturing and communicating the benefits is also essential. Showing that progress is being made and what benefits are being realised allow you to show the value of your work. It also helps demonstrate momentum and keep your stakeholders engaged in the project.

By using the hierarchy of purpose as a guiding framework, you can enhance your strategic planning, project prioritisation, and overall effectiveness of your public affairs projects. This can ultimately bring the great value to you and your stakeholders.