Framework to the North Star — POV by Dr. Dodi Mossafer

Summary

A North Star provides a clear articulation of where the enterprise is heading and how it intends to create advantage. It defines ambition in a way that is both directional and practical, guiding leadership choices while remaining grounded in evidence. A credible North Star does not exist in isolation. It must be translated into a portfolio of strategic initiatives, supported by an operating model that connects decisions to execution, and reinforced by a system of measurable value realization.

This point of view frames the North Star as more than a vision statement. It is a disciplined approach to alignment that ensures strategy is actionable, transparent, and adaptive. By linking aspiration to priorities, governance, and outcomes, leaders can move beyond rhetoric and theater to establish a living system that drives enterprise performance and long-term growth.

1) The Framework

North Star

Compact thesis on where and how to win.
Tenets: market posture, capability edge, time horizon.
Non-goals: what we will not pursue (prevents drift).

Portfolio of Choices

Programs scored on value, confidence, and time-to-impact.
Funding tied to milestones, not slideware.
Exit criteria defined up front.

Operating Model

Decision rights, cadence, and accountabilities.
Data lineage and controls (ERP/EPM as the spine).
Feedback loops: benefits tracking and variance discipline.

2) Working Principles

Evidence first: assertions come with signals, baselines, and counterfactuals.
Time-boxed bets: staged funding with explicit kill/continue criteria.
Design for audit: processes and models that survive scrutiny, not just demos.
Adoption over announcement: new ways of working embedded in roles and incentives.

3) Use Cases & Applications

Financial Transformation

Modernize FP&A and controllership linked to value realization.

Close acceleration and variance discipline.
OpEx/CapEx/workforce planning in one model.
Benefits register attested to P&L and cash.

ERP / EPM Programs

Treat ERP as the control and data spine, not a feature chase.

Decision rights, chart of accounts, and data lineage.
Scope control via “fit-to-standard + extensions”.
Benefits tracking through stabilization → run state.

Applied AI in the Flow of Work

Copilots, workflow automation, and decision checkpoints.

Use-case scoring mapped to lead/lag metrics.
Explainability, model risk, and HITL guardrails.
Adoption metrics: usage, outcome deltas, time-to-value.

4) Project Snapshots (anonymized)

Consumer Products — Global Enterprise

North Star → portfolio → ERP/EPM spine.

Defined strategic tenets and non-goals.
Re-scored portfolio; exited 4 low-yield tracks.
Close time reduced by 3 days; inventory signal loop live.

National Health System — Payer/Provider

Finance modernization + AI checkpoints.

Unified planning model across service lines.
Prior authorization and claims QA copilots (HITL).
Variance improvement 18% YoY; audit-ready lineage.

Asset Management — Multi-Billion AUM

Operating model for investment & ops signals.

Decision cadence across risk, finance, and distribution.
AI-assisted research synthesis with guardrails.
Time-to-insight down 30%; pipeline win-rate +6 pts.

Metrics shown are directional and anonymized for confidentiality.

5) Metrics & Signal Loops

Lead Indicators

Decision latency by tier (mins/days).
Use-case adoption & completion times.
Plan quality: forecast error, bias, signal freshness.

Lag Indicators

Close time, controllable variance, working capital.
Unit economics (by segment), ROI vs. plan.
Customer outcomes & retention deltas.

6) Common Failure Modes

Strategy as theater: slogans with no operating changes.
Feature drift: ERP/AI driven by demos, not decision rights or controls.
Unfunded mandates: targets with no portfolio or exit paths.
Weak lineage: metrics no one trusts, benefits unverifiable.

7) Practical Artifacts

North Star one-pager (tenets, non-goals, posture).
Portfolio scoring sheet (value × confidence × time).
Operating model map (decision rights, cadences, roles).
Benefits register with owner, baseline, and audit trail.
AI safeguard checklist (explainability, model risk, HITL).

8) About the Author

Dr. Dodi Mossafer is a corporate strategy and transformation advisor. Experience spans large global enterprises, national health systems, financial services, mid-market transformations, and public organizations. Academic work covers decision sciences, finance digitalization, and AI readiness.

9) Use & Citation

Cite as: “Dr. Dodi Mossafer, DBA — Framework to the North Star (Advisory POV), 2022.” Independent perspective; suitable for academic and industry reference with attribution.