Assurance, foresight, and support for transformations that cannot be left to chance.

Some transformations are too significant to review once and hope for the best. They touch strategy, people, technology, and reputation; they attract constant Board attention and demand a level of assurance that goes beyond status reports.

In those cases, leaders do not just need a diagnostic at the start or a course correction mid-flight. They need a trusted partner who stays close; someone who can see emerging risks early, keep governance honest, and maintain momentum over the life of the programme.

That is the role of Sunstone.

Second Sight: Sunstone

A continuous assurance and foresight service powered by human and AI intelligence. Sunstone includes fractional Board coaching, SteerCo participation, and leadership accountability; helping you see what others miss and stay focused on value.

What Sunstone is

Sunstone is p3mg’s assurance and journey partnership service for major transformations and portfolios. It brings together:

  • fractional participation in Programme or Portfolio Boards,

  • ongoing mentoring and support for change leaders,

  • independent assurance across initiatives,

  • and, increasingly, AI-enabled insight that elevates reporting into real foresight.

Where Horizon focuses on starting well and Compass focuses on getting back on course, Sunstone is about staying on course with confidence.

This is not a permanent consultancy presence or an outsourced PMO in disguise. It is a deliberate, lightweight relationship that keeps your transformation honest, human, and high-performing over time.

How it works

Every Sunstone engagement is tailored to context, but typically combines several of the following elements:

1. Board and sponsor assurance

We sit alongside your senior team in a fractional role; as a standing member or advisor to Programme or Portfolio Boards. The value is not in taking decisions away, but in improving the quality of the decisions you make:

  • testing proposals against the original intent and value case,

  • surfacing risks and dependencies early,

  • keeping governance focused on outcomes rather than activity.

You retain ownership; we provide clarity, challenge, and calm.

2. Mentoring for transformation leaders

Even the most capable change leaders benefit from a confidential sounding board. Sunstone provides:

  • structured one to one sessions for Programme Directors, Heads of Transformation, or Portfolio Leads,

  • support in preparing for critical meetings and Board updates,

  • help in working through stakeholder dynamics and practical trade-offs.

The emphasis is developmental, not remedial; we are there to extend capability, not to stand in for it.

3. Portfolio and multi initiative assurance

Where there are multiple projects or programmes, it becomes harder to see whether they add up to anything coherent. Sunstone can play a portfolio assurance role:

  • reviewing individual initiatives for alignment and achievability,

  • highlighting overlaps, gaps, and systemic issues,

  • providing a clear line of sight from strategic drivers to delivery activity.

The aim is to keep your change portfolio purposeful and manageable, not simply busy.

4. Insight and early warning, not just reporting

Sunstone is increasingly powered by an AI enabled insight layer; a way of turning periodic updates and programme data into patterns, signals, and early warnings that a human alone might miss.

The point is not to replace judgement, but to enhance it. AI can help surface trends; it still takes an experienced advisor to interpret them, to understand what is noise and what is signal, and to turn information into the right conversation at the right time.

Preventative & proactive, not just corrective

What you gain from Sunstone

With Sunstone in place:

  • issues are surfaced while they are still manageable,

  • phase and tranche boundaries become real moments of reflection and decision,

  • momentum is maintained because obstacles are addressed early rather than allowed to accumulate,

  • sponsors, Boards, and teams all share a consistent picture of performance.

It is the difference between occasional health checks and having a trusted physician who knows your history, context, and pressure points.

Clients who invest in Sunstone typically experience:

  • Sustained confidence at the top

    Boards and sponsors know they are seeing the whole picture, not just the most convenient one.

  • Better decisions, taken earlier

    Risks, trade offs, and opportunities are identified in time to act, not simply recorded after the event.

  • Stronger leadership and capability

    Change leaders are supported and stretched; they grow in confidence and competence over the life of the programme.

  • Coherent portfolios

    Multiple initiatives feel connected and purposeful rather than fragmented and competing for attention.

  • Assurance you can stand behind

    When questioned by investors, regulators, or auditors, there is a clear trail of reasoning, evidence, and governance.

Why Sunstone cannot be automated

Many tools can collect data; some can produce dashboards; AI can even summarise sentiment and flag anomalies. What Sunstone offers is different.

It combines:

  • long term context,

  • senior level experience,

  • the ability to read politics and culture,

  • and the courage to tell the truth in rooms where it matters.

AI can, and does, support Sunstone, but it cannot replace the judgement required to ask the right questions, to frame difficult trade offs, or to protect leadership credibility while still being honest about performance.

The Outcome

With Sunstone in place, your transformation is never left to drift. You have a partner who understands where you started, where you are headed, and what it will take to get there; someone whose only interest is that the transformation performs and that the leaders responsible for it are equipped to succeed.

Sunstone is your second sight over the life of transformation; a calm, consistent presence that turns visibility into foresight and ambition into outcomes.

Contact us

We welcome enquiries from new, existing or prospective clients, associates and partners. Get in touch to start the conversation of how we can work together.

info@p3mg.com
+44 (0)1962 676 321