The value in vanilla: Insight by Jaclyn Gordon Head of Delivery

Innovation doesn’t always look like something brand new. Sometimes, it looks like vanilla.

In Q1, innovation in our tooling and ways of working was a major focus for our delivery team. But before diving into specifics, it’s worth stepping back and reflecting on what innovation really means.

During the space race of the 1960s, NASA faced a practical challenge: how to provide astronauts with food suitable for space travel. The solution was an innovative process that removed moisture from food so it could be safely packaged and stored and freeze‑dried ice cream was born. While astronauts didn’t actually eat much of it in space (it turns out crumbs and spacecraft aren’t the best combination), the innovation itself mattered. A new, repeatable process was created that solved a problem once and then scaled beyond it, eventually becoming available to the general public.

Let’s take the ice cream analogy one step further.

If you’ve ever walked into a Baskin Robbins, you’ve likely been faced with their famed 31 flavours. It sounds great in theory, until you’ve spent far too long sampling, debating, and overthinking, only to walk away with vanilla. The classic. Reliable. Never disappointing.

So what does this have to do with delivery?

As a value driver for large product initiatives and client onboarding, our success depends on efficient, predictable execution in support of wider strategic company goals. To do that well, we needed to improve how we work, not by adding more complexity, but by simplifying and standardising the fundamentals.

And that’s where our Q1 innovation came in.

In Q1 of 2026, we standardised our delivery approach through a new project portfolio platform. By aligning around a single, consistent way to plan, track, and report on delivery, we reduced friction for project managers, removed duplication, and accelerated decision‑making. Less time spent navigating tools and processes meant more time spent being truly strategic, focusing on outcomes, risks, and value rather than administration.

Just as importantly, this standardisation created a more consistent experience for our clients. Clearer milestones, predictable reporting, and a joined‑up delivery approach mean our clients experience our work as intentional, professional, and reliable, every time.

Innovation and standardisation aren’t opposites; they’re partners. The real power of innovation is making it repeatable. Vanilla may be considered “basic,” but it’s the standard everything else is built on. The real value of vanilla is that…

…The more we perfect the ordinary, the faster we can achieve the extraordinary.