Drifting
A programme that's lost its way
It's late, over budget, or nobody can say plainly where it stands. I'll give you an honest picture quickly, then reset the plan, the team and the reporting so it moves again.
Independent · Interim · Fractional · Management
Technology programmes, done differently.
I help organisations start technology programmes well, get struggling ones back on track, and see important ones through to the benefits they promised. Hands-on in the detail, or at the board table, whichever the programme needs.
- Technology Transformation
- Cloud & AI Adoption
- Cyber & Resilience
- Regulatory Compliance
What I do
Technology, tamed.
Technology programmes have a habit of running wild. Scope creeps, suppliers multiply, dates drift and nobody can say plainly where things stand. Taming them means bringing that back under control, without killing the ambition that started them.
- Make it clearOne honest picture of where things stand, that the team and the board both recognise.
- Make it manageableA realistic plan, clear owners and governance that helps people move.
- Make it deliverMomentum through to go-live, and on to the benefits that justified it.
Untamed
Tamed
Where I can help
What untamed technology usually looks like
Sector matters less than you'd think. The same problems turn up in telecoms, energy, housing, finance and the public sector, and so do the fixes.
Starting
A big change about to begin
You've got the ambition and the budget. I'll help shape the business case, scope, plan and governance so it starts on solid ground.
Gap
A gap at the top
A programme director or head of function has moved on, or you're restructuring. I step in as interim lead, keep things running and hand over cleanly.
Deadline
A date you can't move
A launch, a contract milestone or a compliance deadline. I build the plan backwards from the date and keep everyone honest about what it takes.
Partners
Suppliers not pulling together
Several partners, consultancies and internal teams, each doing their part but not the whole. I get them working to one plan with clear ownership.
Assurance
A board that needs confidence
Leaders who want an independent view before they commit more money, or need reporting they can trust. Clear, plain and evidence-based.
Working together
Detail when it matters. Direction when it counts.
Every engagement is shaped to the situation. These are the usual starting points.
Interim
Lead the programme
Full-time for a defined period, as programme manager or programme director, accountable for delivery.
Fractional
Senior help, part of the week
An experienced programme lead for a set number of days a week, alongside your own team.
Review
Health check and reset
A short, fixed-scope review of where a programme really stands, with a clear plan to put it right.
Advisory
Board-level oversight
Independent challenge and assurance for boards and sponsors, including non-executive roles.
How it usually starts
- Listen. Talk to the people doing the work, not just the people reporting on it.
- Tell it straight. An honest picture of where things stand and what's really in the way.
- Agree the plan. A realistic route, clear owners, and reporting people can trust.
- Deliver it. Hands-on where needed, stepping back once the team has momentum.
Selected work
Irregular thinking. Regular delivery.
Twenty years across very different organisations. A few examples:
-
Mobile network
Launched a national 5G network programme
Set up the governance and delivery approach for a UK operator's first 5G network, from a standing start.
-
Energy
Shaped a multi-billion-pound investment plan
Built and ran the programme behind an electricity network's long-term investment case, bringing many teams to one submission.
-
Housing
Made a large organisation more resilient
Led a £4m technology and cyber programme for a national housing association: ransomware resilience, disaster recovery and a clearer technology roadmap.
-
Telecoms
Delivered security change at scale
Directed multi-year security and compliance programmes for two of the UK's largest network operators, working with government and the regulator.
-
Consumer finance
Moved payment and debt systems
Delivered payment system migration and a new debt management platform for a major consumer brand.
-
IoT
Brought a development operation home
Moved smart metering IoT development from Spain to the UK and met every build goal on schedule and cost.
Method
Not by the book. Not without it either.
I know the methods well and use them to help teams deliver, not to hide behind. The framework serves the programme, never the other way round.
- SC ClearedNPPV Level 3
- MSP PractitionerManaging Successful Programmes
- PRINCE2 PractitionerProject management
- MAPMAssociation for Project Management
- Agile & WaterfallWhichever the work needs
- BSc Communications EngineeringUniversity of Kent
About
Paul Mackenzie
I'm an independent Programme and Project Director with more than 20 years leading technology delivery in telecoms, energy, housing, finance and the public sector. I set up The Guerrilla Manager in 2023 to take on interim, contract and fractional work.
Clients tell me the same thing: I don't direct from a distance. I get hands-on when a programme needs it, and I know which kind of help a situation calls for.
InterimContractFractionalProgramme DirectorNED
Outside work I chair the trustees of Home-Start Blackmore Vale, a family support charity, and mentor small businesses through the Dorset Business Mentors scheme.
Only dead fish go with the flow.
Perspectives · On Substack
"Guerrilla" here means irregular and innovative: going against the norm when the norm isn't working. I write fresh and alternative perspectives on the definition, delivery and benefit realisation of technology projects and programmes.
Read on Substack
@theguerrillamanager
Featured · 22 February 2025
The Rumsfeld Framework
Known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns, applied to programme risk: confidence in what you understand, humility about your blind spots, and honest conversations with stakeholders about both.
Read the post
Featured
Jam or Cream First?
Traditional British dilemma meets unexpected project insight: it's not about process, it's about timing, stakeholder expectations, and understanding which constraints matter most to your specific context.
Read the postGet in touch
Got some technology that needs taming?
Tell me where things stand and what you need. I'll tell you plainly whether I can help, and in what shape.
Email
paul.mackenzie@theguerrillamanager.com LinkedIn
Substack