The SPARA Manifesto sets out the ten core principles that shape how the framework works in practice. These are not abstract values or optional ideals — they are the foundations that guide every decision, method, and artefact within the SPARA Body of Knowledge.

Each principle reinforces the philosophy of performance-led improvement and underpins SPARA’s application across services, roles, and systems.

1. Performance Always Exists

Even in immaturity, performance patterns are present. SPARA doesn’t introduce levers — it helps you recognise, structure, and improve what already exists.

2. Maturity Is Evolution, Not Installation

Capability cannot be installed — it must be grown. SPARA supports the development of maturity over time, starting from where you are, not from where a framework assumes you should be.

3. Form Follows Flow

Structure should support the movement of value. SPARA places flow before hierarchy, ensuring that performance does not become trapped in silos or static models.

4. Governance Is a Lever, Not an Overhead

Governance should enable — not obstruct. When applied as a lever, governance aligns intent with action, providing clarity, protection, and progress.

5. People Are the System

Performance is a human endeavour. SPARA places empowered people at the heart of service capability — not just as users of the system, but as its architects.

6. Outcomes Define Success

Effort without impact is noise. SPARA insists on aligning activity with meaningful outcomes — for customers, users, and stakeholders.

7. Every Organisation Has a Unique Lever Mix

No two environments are the same. SPARA provides flexibility to activate different levers depending on strategic priorities, culture, and maturity.

8. Clarity Precedes Control

You cannot fix what you do not understand. SPARA shines a light on hidden friction, lost value, and misaligned behaviours — making the invisible visible.

9. Simplicity Scales

SPARA is designed to be lightweight, accessible, and adaptable — suitable for small teams, large portfolios, and everything in between.

10. SPARA Enables, It Does Not Prescribe

SPARA is not a checklist — it is a performance system. It enables autonomy, alignment, and assurance by providing structure, not restriction.

These ten principles underpin the entire SPARA framework. They guide how Themes are interpreted, how Levers are applied, and how performance is understood. Every practitioner using SPARA — whether in leadership, operations, or design — should anchor their work in these foundations.

SPARA doesn’t ask you to adopt a model. It asks you to grow a capability.