Frameworks do not embed themselves — people do. For SPARA to take hold within an organisation and deliver the systemic alignment it promises, it must be supported by governance structures that bring it to life. These are not bureaucratic mechanisms, but dynamic communities that drive maturity, harmonisation, and cultural adoption.

SPARA governance is built on three interlocking constructs:

The Centre of Excellence (CoE)
Cross-Lever Working Groups
Communities of Practice (CoP)

Each plays a distinct but connected role in sustaining the rhythm and intent of SPARA.

2.0 Centre of Excellence (CoE)

Purpose: The SPARA CoE is the custodial core of the framework. It ensures integrity, direction, and consistency in how SPARA is applied and evolved.

Responsibilities:

Own and maintain the SPARA implementation roadmap
Define and update SPARA standards, tools, and templates
Curate training paths, assessment protocols, and certification guidance
Act as a value enabler to programmes, functions, and delivery teams
Maintain alignment to strategy through regular maturity and harmonisation reviews

Composition:

Chaired by a SPARA Sponsor or Head of Performance
Includes Lever Owners, PMO/portfolio representation, enterprise architects, service leaders
Can include external partners, tool vendors, or coaches as needed

Cadence:

Monthly strategic steering meeting
Quarterly roadmap reviews and harmonisation planning

Outputs:

SPARA maturity reports
Harmonisation priorities and systemic interventions
Toolkit updates and deployment support materials

“The CoE keeps SPARA coherent, credible, and connected to value.”

3.0 Cross-Lever Working Groups

Purpose: These are tactical governance bodies focused on resolving tensions, delivering improvements, and supporting harmonisation across levers.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate lever-based interventions (e.g. People + Delivery, Governance + Experience)
Test and iterate new practices or tooling
Support change waves and pilot programmes
Build playbooks and shareable patterns across domains

Composition:

Drawn from operational and functional leaders
Temporary or long-standing based on complexity and scale
Often facilitated by a SPARA Coach or CoE delegate

Cadence:

Biweekly during high-activity phases
Monthly review cycles for continuous harmonisation

Outputs:

Diagnostic insight summaries
Experiment outcomes
Updated process flows and improved artefacts

“Working groups move SPARA from theory to traction.”

4.0 Communities of Practice (CoP)

Purpose: These are grassroots learning ecosystems that create culture, competence, and knowledge exchange within each lever and across functional domains.

Responsibilities:

Share patterns, stories, and real-world practices
Review and adapt maturity behaviours to fit the organisational context
Act as early warning signals of systemic drift or lever fatigue
Drive informal training and onboarding support

Composition:

Open to anyone aligned to a lever or adjacent discipline
Peer-led, with light facilitation support
Often include delivery teams, business analysts, coaches, experience owners, etc.

Cadence:

Monthly gatherings or brown-bag sessions
Ad-hoc working groups during high-change periods

Outputs:

Practice guidance
Lever-specific maturity learning content
Emerging themes for CoE and working groups to address

“Communities of Practice are where SPARA becomes lived, not learned.”

5.0 Integrated Governance Model

Integrated Governance Model

Each of these structures feeds into the others:

The CoE sets direction and maintains integrity
Working Groups enable delivery and convergence
Communities sustain learning and awareness

Together they:

Enable both top-down and bottom-up maturity
Provide a coherent rhythm of engagement
Surface systemic risks and opportunities before they escalate