The PATH Framework: A Smarter Way to Launch High-Value Projects
- Iwona Wilson
- Sep 23
- 4 min read
That insight, shared by a senior project director during a framing session I facilitated, highlights a sad truth: "most project failures are made in early, long before the big capital is spent."
We’ve all been there: brilliant people, strong intentions, endless meetings and still the project drifts: over budget, behind schedule, or off strategy. Why? Because the team never stopped to frame the project properly in the first place.
Most Teams Are Working the Wrong Way
Despite the complexity of modern projects, I still see teams relying on outdated methods: long email chains, endless slide decks, and one-on-one conversations to “engage stakeholders.
That might work if you have 3 stakeholders. But what if you have 30? Or 50? (It’s not that uncommon!).
Trying to gather perspectives one-by-one is exhausting and ineffective. By the time you've collected all the input, priorities have shifted, and you're already behind.
This is why I designed a PATH Framework - to accelerate clarity, reduce risk, and eliminate chaos from the start.
Framing: The Step Most Teams Skip
In the race to deliver, teams often jump into planning or execution without alignment on the basics:
What’s the real problem?
What does success look like?
What options are even on the table?
That’s where Opportunity Framing comes in. It's a structured process that gets the right people in the (virtual or real) room to clarify value, explore perspectives, and make decisions.
And it’s not just another meeting.
“A meeting updates. A framing workshop decides.”
Unlike meetings, framing workshops are purpose-built to accelerate decision-making. In just 1–2 days, your team can achieve more clarity and progress than in weeks of meetings.
Why Projects Struggle
The Project Management Institute reports that 47% of projects run over schedule and 41% over budget.
From my experience, the root causes are alarmingly consistent:
Endless meetings with no clear outcomes
Decisions made without context or alignment
Stakeholders left out of early conversations
Solutions chosen before the problem is clear
Teams unclear on success criteria
Governance applied too late or not at all
One project lead once told me:
“We didn’t know who the decision maker was, so we made the decision anyway.” It cost them $4 million.
Narrow vs. Wide Framing
Another common trap? Narrow framing when teams start with an assumed solution.
“We need new equipment for Site A.”
That’s not framing. That’s deciding too early.
A wider frame would ask:
“What’s the best way to increase Site A’s capacity?”
Now you open the door to a range of smarter options, process changes, outsourcing, even market shifts.
Wide framing allows teams to challenge assumptions, reduce blind spots, and design better solutions.
The PATH Framework: A Breakthrough for Complex Projects
After leaving a corporate, I have developed the PATH Framework as a simple, scalable method to frame complex projects from energy to mining to innovation and infrastructure.
Instead of dragging teams through months of meetings, PATH delivers clarity and alignment fast with minimal bureaucracy.
Whether your workshop is virtual or in-person, PATH works.
The 4 Stages of PATH:
1. Prepare Align with sponsors, select the right voices, and provide shared context. We also offer short training or pre-recorded videos to set everyone up for success.
2. Assess Uncover key issues, define the value, and clarify unknowns. We ask: What do we know? What’s missing? What must be considered?
3. Target Set success criteria, identify must-make decisions, and explore options. This is where scattered opinions become structured insights.
4. Handle We end with momentum building a forward plan, stakeholder engagement strategy, and a clear, shared roadmap.
When to Use PATH
Opportunity framing using the PATH Framework is ideal:
At concept or feasibility stage
Before major investment or phase transitions
When the team feels “stuck”
When stakeholder alignment is unclear
When you're overwhelmed with input, but lack clarity
And especially when the project is complex and time is tight.
Why You Need a Facilitator
A skilled facilitator doesn’t bring the answers. They bring the process that unlocks them.
As governance consultant Samantha Hill puts it:
“Facilitators bring structure to chaos and clarity to confusion.”
They guide the conversation, make space for every voice, and drive the group toward clarity and commitment. Without that structure, teams spiral.
What We Offer
At Wilson Biz Consulting, we provide:
Custom workshop agendas and prep
Pre-workshop video training for participants
Skilled facilitation (2-day in-person or virtual)
Clear post-workshop report with roadmap, decisions, and aligned actions
In just two days, teams walk away not just with ideas but with real momentum.
PATH Isn’t a Luxury, It’s the Smart Way to Start
You don’t need more meetings. You need better conversations with structure, speed, and purpose.
That’s what PATH Framework delivers:
✔ Alignment ✔ Shared understanding ✔ Smarter decisions ✔ A real plan
If you’re tired of being late, tired, and constantly catching up, change the way you start.
Start with PATH.
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