White space ­ the freedom to change The gap between what your resources are committed to and the total resource you have available is what I term `white space'. It is the resources that you have not yet committed to a given activity or project. If you fulfil conditions 2 and 3, you will know your white space: White space = resources available ­ resources already committed In the very short term this should be small. It will grow as you look fur- ther into the future. White space is fundamental to a organisation's on-going health. If you haven't any in the short to medium term, you are paralysed. You have no one available to change the business to meet new threats or exploit new opportunities unless you withdraw them from previously committed work. White space gives you the resources to effect change in the future. `We are in a fast moving environment' is the common cry nowadays. If this is truly the case, then you need to ensure that you have `white space' resources ready to meet future needs. You know the people will be required but you are not yet sure exactly what for. If you have no people to change things, things won't change. White space must cater for two distinct needs: G G First, it must cover the need to undertake initial investigations result- ing from new proposals. These people must be available at very short notice and must be highly knowledgeable if the investigations are to have any value. Second, you need the resources to undertake the projects themselves, following approval at the Detailed Investigation Gate. Compare the former to a company putting a bid together ­ if this is done by inappropriate people, the bid may be lost or the company may have committed itself to a financial dis- aster. Just because business projects are `internal' it does not mean you need not apply the same rigour as you would with external matters. It's your organisation's future at stake in both cases. White space gives you the resources to effect change in the future. `We are in a fast moving environment' is the common cry nowadays. If this is truly the case, then you need to ensure that you have `white space' resources ready to meet the future needs. 226 PA R T T H R E E · D E A L I N G W I T H M A N Y P R O J E C T S