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How to Set Up a Centre of Excellence (CoE)

How to avoid siloed transformation and scale success through structure.

 

 

 

 

Topic
Operational Excellence
Solution
Operating Model Design
Industry
Cross-industry
Spire members
Brightfox

Digital transformation is no longer a question of if, but how well.

CIOs across industries are under pressure to deliver rapid, meaningful innovation. But too often, digital initiatives run in isolation, leading to duplicated effort, inconsistent standards, and underwhelming impact. The missing link? Coordination.

A Centre of Excellence (CoE) can shift the game – transforming scattered efforts into scalable progress. But only when it’s done right: pragmatic, people-first, and outcome-focused.

Diagram showing a CoE Core Team structure with Executive Sponsor, Project Management, Business Core Team, Support Services, and Steerco.

Transformation thrives when people, process and platforms evolve together, not apart.”

Fragmented Knowledge Slows Transformation

The more complex the organisation, the more likely it is that different business units initiate digital projects independently, each with their own tooling, vendors, priorities, and governance.

Without a shared foundation:

  • Teams often “reinvent the wheel” instead of learning from others
  • Key decisions are made in silos, leading to technical drift
  • Lessons learned from past rollouts are lost or ignored
  • Strategic alignment between IT and business becomes harder to maintain

This doesn’t just cost time and money, it undermines momentum. Initiatives lose credibility when outcomes can’t be scaled or replicated.

68% of CIOs cite knowledge fragmentation as a barrier to digital maturity (Gartner, 2025).

A Strategic, People-Centred CoE Model

At Spire, we help organisations build Centres of Excellence that are built for real-world delivery – not theoretical alignment. A CoE should act as a multiplier: amplifying knowledge, embedding governance, and accelerating transformation.

Our approach avoids rigid, centralised command-and-control models. Instead, we co-create CoEs that empower teams with tools, frameworks, and confidence – enabling change that sticks.

We typically see six key dimensions in a high-performing CoE:

  1. Vision & Strategy
    Align the CoE with the organisation’s mission, growth goals, and transformation roadmap – ensuring it’s grounded in business relevance, not just technology.
  2. Hybrid Teaming
    Build cross-functional squads that include business leads, technical experts, sponsors, and support services. This creates shared ownership and accelerates decision-making.
  3. Business Value Focus
    Drive prioritisation based on tangible value – not volume of features. CoEs become curators of the backlog, focusing on ROI, adoption, and impact.
  4. Knowledge & Governance
    Create reusable frameworks, clear role definitions (e.g. RACI), and scalable ways of working. It’s not about control — it’s about consistency.
  5. Agile Growth
    Use iterative cycles to test, adapt, and improve — not just in delivery, but in how the CoE itself operates.
  6. Maturity & Security
    Set clear baselines and readiness assessments to guide where and how new initiatives should be supported — reducing risk and improving enterprise-wide coordination.
CoE Core Team diagram showing Executive Sponsor, Project Management, Business Core Team, Support Services, and Steerco.

CoE Lifecycle

Discover
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Define
arrow_forward
Develop
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Deliver
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Operate
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Optimise

Scalable Innovation, Reusable Knowledge

When implemented with intention, a Centre of Excellence can unlock value far beyond operational alignment. It becomes the connective tissue of transformation – a platform for reuse, acceleration, and governance.

Organizations that embed a well-structured Center of Excellence often benefit from:

  • stronger alignment between business and IT
  • more consistent governance and decision-making across initiatives
  • better knowledge continuity across teams
  • improved visibility into value realization and priorities
  • a more scalable foundation for continuous improvement

Key Takeaways

Structure beats silos
Centralise knowledge to maximise value

Build a CoE that empowers teams
It should not control them

Continuous alignment
This is key to sustainable transformation

Ready to break out of fragmented change?

Let’s build your Centre Of Excellence together – Let’s talk

     

     

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