The Execution Structure

The Execution Structure

30 July 2026

The next essential condition for lasting change is designing and staffing the Supporting Structures and Processes. Good plans rarely fail because of a lack of vision. They fail because the execution structure is missing or inadequately designed. This involves not only creating a project organization, but also ensuring clear responsibilities, sufficient capacity, sound decision-making, effective progress monitoring, and accountability.

Time and again, I observe the same pattern. Impressive project organizations are created, often so complex that I can barely follow the organizational chart. They are too large, have too many layers, too many committees, and far too broad a composition. Everything is justified in the name of participation and stakeholder support. Cynics even argue that these structures mainly serve to accommodate consultants and Family & Friends. It is also striking how often the same advisors reappear in different project organizations, while the projects themselves continue to underperform.

In practice, however, it usually comes down to one or two people trying to move the project from A to B. At first, there is plenty of optimism, but before long implementation begins to stall. Deadlines are missed, results fail to materialize, and the project gradually fades into the background. Before long, hardly anyone pays attention to it anymore.

If someone eventually asks the responsible minister or a member of the project organization about the project's progress, the answer is almost always the same: "Nos ta bezig" ("We're working on it.").

Think of any major project: the Country Package, the future of the refinery, or the effort to restore the airport to Category A status. The picture is always the same. Plans are drafted, project organizations are established, governance structures are put in place, but execution falls behind.

Successful countries tend to do exactly the opposite. They rely on small, highly competent teams, clear responsibilities, short reporting lines, and rigorous progress monitoring. Everyone knows who is responsible for what, which milestones must be achieved, and who will be held accountable if they are not.

Perhaps before launching any new project, we should ask ourselves a few simple questions. Who is responsible? Who will actually carry out the work? When must it be completed? And how will we measure progress?

Because, in the end, an island is not transformed by organizational charts. It is transformed by people who deliver results every single day.

Miguel Goede