SPARA Levers Introduction

Introduction

The SPARA levers represent the core architecture of operational performance within any service-based organisation. They are not tools to be implemented or frameworks to be layered on top of existing practices. Instead, they are foundational forces that already exist within every operating environment. Whether acknowledged or not, each lever exerts influence on performance, outcomes, and alignment.

This chapter introduces the levers as performance structures to be recognised, matured, and harmonised — not built from scratch. SPARA views performance uplift not as transformation, but as activation: recognising latent potential and evolving it in line with strategic intent.

Purpose of This Chapter

Provide an accessible overview of each SPARA lever
Define the scope, purpose, and boundaries of each lever
Explain how the levers relate to one another
Establish the concept of lever maturity and mix
Provide a shared language and starting point for deeper exploration

This chapter acts as a single control point for managing lever definitions across all SPARA material. If future refinements to scope or emphasis are required, they can be made here without changing the underlying structure.

The Five SPARA Levers at a Glance

Lever	Purpose	Scope Considerations
Governance & Alignment	Ensures that services are shaped and governed in line with strategic priorities	Includes policy frameworks, decision-making, stakeholder alignment, supplier management, and cross-functional coordination
Design & Flow	Enables value to move seamlessly across services, processes, and teams	Includes workflow design, process interaction, friction reduction, handoff clarity, and system thinking
People & Empowerment	Creates the conditions for people to perform at their best	Includes skills, engagement, autonomy, leadership behaviours, role clarity, and culture enablement
Delivery & Assurance	Ensures consistent, controlled, and visible delivery performance	Includes assurance mechanisms, risk and control, service reporting, automation, monitoring, and tooling effectiveness
Experience & Outcomes	Ensures that value is experienced and realised by customers and stakeholders	Includes feedback loops, outcome mapping, customer satisfaction, co-creation, and performance perception

Each lever reflects a dimension of organisational capability that, when aligned and matured, creates a high-performing service ecosystem.

Maturity Over Implementation

The SPARA philosophy is built on the idea that levers do not need to be “implemented.” Instead, they are activated and matured.

Every organisation already has governance, people, delivery mechanisms, experiences, and workflows. SPARA helps structure these forces into a coherent model that can be measured, evolved, and optimised.

This maturity-first approach allows SPARA to:

Work across any operating model (Agile, Waterfall, SIAM, etc.)
Be applied without disrupting existing frameworks (ITIL, COBIT, etc.)
Focus energy on evolution rather than reinvention

Lever Mix and Strategic Emphasis

Each organisation will require a different lever mix depending on its strategy, challenges, and maturity.

For example:

A start-up might prioritise Design & Flow and People & Empowerment
A regulated enterprise may emphasise Governance & Alignment and Delivery & Assurance
A customer-centric service may lead with Experience & Outcomes

This dynamic application allows SPARA to function as a performance control system, not a prescriptive model.

Interdependency and Systemic Nature

Levers do not operate in silos. They are interdependent and often recursive:

Weak governance can impair people empowerment
Poor design creates delivery challenges
Misaligned experiences expose flaws in assurance or alignment

This systemic nature reinforces SPARA’s value as a meta-model that enhances coherence and coordination across the service system.

Summary

The SPARA levers are not optional tools or transformation projects. They are the unseen architecture of service performance. This chapter introduces the five levers as the foundation of the BoK and as enduring structures that guide performance alignment, measurement, and maturity.

Each of the following chapters will explore a single lever in detail, providing guidance on:

What “good” looks like
How to assess maturity
How to embed and activate the lever in practice
Key pitfalls, practices, and performance signals