The University of Southampton has just released a paper Clienting in Major Projects: Beyond Outputs, Towards Outcomes. The paper presents a Clienting Framework for Major Projects that adopts a systems-based approach designed to help clients shift from buying assets to stewarding measurable outcomes. It has been great to be part of this valuable research alongside the University of Southampton and Emma-Jane Houghton.
The framework identifies six dimensions that move clients beyond transactional control towards outcome-focused orchestration:
- Purpose and outcomes – clarity of intent anchored in measurable value
- Governance and decision rights – authority that follows information, not hierarchy
- Client organisation and capability – lean but credible cores that blend technical and behavioural strength
- Procurement and contracting – incentives aligned to value, not volume
- Relationships and ecosystem – clients as trusted brokers within systems of delivery
- Methods, data and digital – shared evidence that builds confidence and enables adaptation
“Effective clients orchestrate collaboration”
The paper’s core finding is that clients must orchestrate ecosystems, providing the leadership that convenes suppliers, users, regulators, and sponsors, rather than attempting to control every detail from the centre. It outlines how weaknesses in any one area can systematically erode outcomes and offers recommendations, diagnostic questions, and vignettes illustrating how orchestration practices work.
ResoLex’s perspective
Major projects change places and lives, but too often they deliver assets, not the promised benefits. The University’s research echoes what we see in practice: outcomes fade when clienting focuses on outputs, not value creation. This is particularly evident when governance expands into bureaucracy and ineffective ways of working create decision-making latency, slowing delivery into paralysis.
For 25 years, ResoLex have supported major programmes to build the relational and behavioural foundations that enable technical and commercial excellence to flourish. The research validates what we experience daily: that the key to performance is not more governance, but better collaboration, shaped through trust, clarity, and shared purpose.
“Approaches grounded mainly in technical and procedural competence are increasingly ill-suited to the complexity of today’s projects”
At ResoLex, our work is about designing the relational and behavioural systems that prevent that fade, so technical and commercial excellence can actually produce the benefits intended. These principles echo our belief that collaboration must be designed, not assumed, through deliberate structures, behaviours, and feedback loops that align intent across diverse actors throughout the project lifecycle.
Our reflections
From our experience supporting some of the UK’s largest programmes, we see three priorities for clients seeking to act on the University of Southampton’s insight:
- Build relational capability early – create the operating environment that enables teams to work at pace and with candour
- Design governance for timely and effective decision making – empower the right people, with the right data to make the decision, and not descending into a pseudo collaborative culture of rule by committee
- Invest in being a ‘Client of Choice’ – predictability, trust, and a clear sense of purpose will attract better partners and unlock the potential of collective problem-solving to drive outcomes
Looking ahead
We are proud to have supported the development of this important research and look forward to developing a practical guide for clients. This seeks to translate the framework into actionable tools, techniques, and behavioural enablers for those delivering complex programmes.
Our shared ambition is simple: to help clients move beyond control to orchestration, creating delivery ecosystems that are aligned, adaptive, and capable of achieving the transformational outcomes society needs.
Read the full paper here: Clienting in Major Projects: Beyond Outputs, Towards Outcomes