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Delphic Solutions

SCI / Strategic Communications Intelligence

Strategic priorities depend on independent stakeholders.

Connect your priorities to the actions you need from independent stakeholders—and to the communication, engagement and operational work that affects them.

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The coordination problem

One team's solution can put another team's commitment at risk.

Requirements change. Teams respond. But changes recorded in separate documents, applications and conversations can leave colleagues working from different information. The consequences reach beyond communication: approvals, funding and delivery can all be at stake. The discipline of strategic communication addresses this problem by aligning an organization’s words and actions in support of its strategic priorities.

Project development · Illustrative scenario

A power fix changes the promise

$5 billiondata center project

01 / The objective

What the organization needs to achieve

Deliver a 100-megawatt building to the anchor tenant by Q3 2028.

A data center developer–owner–operator is building a $5b data center for a hyperscale anchor tenant. The developer will provide and operate the facility’s power and cooling infrastructure; the tenant will operate its computing equipment.

Achieving this objective depends on actions by independent stakeholders outside the developer’s control:

Independent stakeholders

  • Anchor tenant
  • Electric utility
  • County board
  • Water provider
  • State air regulator
  • Community groups

02 / What changes

Grid power is delayed

External stakeholders

  • Electric utility
Power delivery delayed 18 months

Internal teams

  • Utilities development
The electric utility tells the utilities development team that a transmission upgrade will delay power delivery by 18 months.

03 / The operational response

Engineering proposes gas turbines

Internal team

  • Engineering
Temporary turbines require an air permit application

Internal team

  • Environmental permitting

Environmental permitting’s response

Prepares the application for turbine operations
Operational outcome

The proposed power solution introduces an air-permitting dependency.

04 / The existing commitment

The county was promised grid power

Internal team

  • Government relations
Earlier assurance

External stakeholder

  • County board

The earlier assurance

Grid power for normal operations. Generators for emergencies only.
Existing commitment

The county expects generators to be used for emergencies only.

05 / The conflict

The permit filing exposes the contradiction

Air permit application

Turbines proposed for normal operations
Conflict revealed

Earlier county assurance

Generators for emergencies only

External stakeholders

  • Community groups
Raise pollution and credibility concerns; seek project cancellation

External stakeholder

  • County board
What is at stake

Project approval and delivery are at risk.

06 / How SCI helps

Before the permit is filed

Proposed power solution

Temporary turbines and the air permit application

Existing assurance

Grid power, with generators for emergencies only

SCI weekly report

Strategic Communications Brief (SCB)

Brings relevant changes and existing commitments together for leadership review.

Internal leadership

Leadership review

A common basis for deciding how to respond.

Opportunity to act

Review the turbine proposal against the county assurance before filing.

SCI connects the objective to stakeholder actions and brings operational and strategic communication activities into a common basis for review.

Local government · Illustrative scenario

New rules change the housing plan

$5 millionstate infrastructure grant

01 / The objective

What the organization needs to achieve

Permit 1,200 new homes along transit corridors by the end of 2028.

A city has been awarded a $5 million state infrastructure grant to support a housing plan promising 1,200 new home permit approvals. Grant funds will be disbursed as the city meets specified milestones. Transit and school partners plan around the expected households, and developers proceed with permit applications.

Achieving this objective depends on actions by independent stakeholders outside the city’s control:

Independent stakeholders

  • State housing agency
  • Private developers
  • Transit agency
  • School district
  • Neighborhood associations

02 / What changes

Neighborhood concerns prompt new rules

External stakeholders

  • Neighborhood associations
Concerns about scale and parking

Internal teams

  • City council
Following announcement of the award, neighborhood associations raise concerns about building scale and parking. The council lowers height limits and increases parking requirements.

03 / The operational response

Planning applies the revised requirements

Internal team

  • City council
Lower height limits and increased parking requirements

Internal team

  • Planning and development

Internal team

  • Planning and development
Applies revised requirements to permit applications

External stakeholders

  • Private developers

The developers’ response

Two developers pause their projects

Revised designs no longer meet financing requirements.

Operational outcome

Fewer homes in the permit pipeline.

04 / The existing commitment

Public messaging still says 1,200 homes

Internal team

  • Mayor’s communications team
Continues reporting the target as on track

Public messaging / Press release

1,200 new home permit approvals
Existing commitment

Public messaging continues to present the 1,200-home permit target as on track.

05 / The conflict

The grant review reveals the shortfall

Grant-review findings

Reduced permit pipeline misses a required milestone
Conflict revealed

Recent public messaging

1,200-home permit target remains on track

External stakeholder

  • State housing agency
Cites the contradiction and threatens to rescind the award

Organization

  • City government
What is at stake

The infrastructure grant and housing objective are at risk.

06 / How SCI helps

Before the grant review

Permitting changes

Revised requirements and the reduced permit pipeline

Existing commitment

The grant milestone and public reporting of the 1,200-home target

SCI weekly report

Strategic Communications Brief (SCB)

Brings relevant changes and existing commitments together for leadership review.

Internal leadership

Leadership review

A common basis for deciding how to respond.

Opportunity to act

Review permitting progress and public messaging against the grant commitment before the grant review.

SCI connects the objective to stakeholder actions and brings operational and strategic communication activities into a common basis for review.

Electric utilities · Illustrative scenario

New route, old messaging

$100 milliontransmission project

01 / The objective

What the organization needs to achieve

Secure siting approval by the end of 2027 and energize a 40-mile transmission line by summer 2029.

An electric utility plans a $100m project for a 40-mile 345kV transmission line. The project depends on stakeholders issuing permits, granting easements and entering into crossing agreements.

Achieving this objective depends on actions by independent stakeholders outside the utility’s control:

Independent stakeholders

  • Siting and wetlands authorities
  • Landowners
  • Corridor owners
  • Community groups

02 / What changes

Wetlands approval requires a route shift

External stakeholders

  • Wetlands authority
Route shift required for approval

Internal teams

  • Environmental services
The wetlands authority tells environmental services that a section of the route must move a quarter mile.

03 / The operational response

Siting revises the route

Internal team

  • Siting
Revised route changes the agreed rail crossing

Internal teams

  • Engineering and right-of-way

Internal teams

  • Engineering and right-of-way
Begin renegotiating the crossing agreement

External stakeholder

  • Railroad

Additional dependency / Landowners

Additional easements required

The revised route crosses additional properties requiring new landowner easements.

Operational outcome

The revised route requires additional easements and a renegotiated rail crossing.

04 / The existing commitment

Outreach follows the original route

Internal team

  • Outreach team
Continues engagement around the original route

External stakeholders

  • Original-route landowners

Internal leadership

  • CEO
Remarks still reflect the original route

External stakeholders

  • Town-hall audience

Shared basis

Both activities still use the earlier route.
Existing commitment

Stakeholder engagement still reflects the original route.

05 / The conflict

Landowners learn through public notice

Filed route

Affects additional landowners
Conflict revealed

Earlier outreach

Follows the original route

At filing

Public notice
Reveals the route change

External stakeholders

  • Affected landowners

Stakeholder response

Community groups campaign against the project.
What is at stake

Siting approval and the energization schedule are at risk.

06 / How SCI helps

Before filing

Revised route

Additional affected landowners, easements and the changed rail crossing

Existing engagement

Original-route outreach and town-hall messaging

SCI weekly report

Strategic Communications Brief (SCB)

Brings relevant changes and existing commitments together for leadership review.

Internal leadership

Leadership review

A common basis for deciding how to respond.

Opportunity to act

Review the revised route, outstanding agreements and stakeholder engagement before filing.

SCI connects the objective to stakeholder actions and brings operational and strategic communication activities into a common basis for review.

Policy advocacy · Illustrative scenario

One change risks coalition support

$20 millionproposed job-training program

01 / The objective

What the organization needs to achieve

Win passage by June 2027 of legislation establishing a two-year program aiming to serve 3,000 adults without college degrees.

A policy organization is building support for draft state legislation to establish and fund a $20 million, two-year job-training program aiming to serve 3,000 adults without college degrees, including unemployed and underemployed workers.

Achieving this objective depends on actions by independent stakeholders outside the policy organization’s control:

Independent stakeholders

  • Legislature
  • Governor
  • Workforce agency
  • Training providers
  • Employers
  • Community groups

02 / What changes

The sponsor requires a fixed funding ceiling

External stakeholders

  • Legislative sponsor
$20 million funding ceiling

Internal teams

  • Government affairs
Government affairs is told that the draft must keep the program within a $20 million, two-year funding ceiling.

03 / The operational response

Policy staff narrow eligibility

Internal team

  • Government affairs
Draft must stay within the $20 million, two-year ceiling

Internal team

  • Policy and research

Policy and research’s revision

Earlier draft

Broader eligibility

Includes unemployed and underemployed adults without college degrees.

Revised to meet the funding ceiling

Revised draft

At least 20 paid work hours a week

Introduces a work-hours requirement for participation.

Operational outcome

The revised draft excludes unemployed adults and some workers with variable hours.

04 / The existing commitment

Coalition support rests on broader eligibility

Internal team

  • Coalition team
Seeks support for the earlier draft

External stakeholders

  • Coalition partners

Source material

Earlier-draft endorsements
Used to prepare the brief

Prepared by Communications

Hearing brief
Existing commitment

Coalition support rests on the earlier draft’s broader eligibility.

05 / The conflict

Partners withdraw their endorsements

Revised legislation

Requires at least 20 paid work hours a week
Conflict revealed

Earlier endorsements

Support broader eligibility

External stakeholders

  • Coalition partners
Withdraw endorsements

Organization

  • Policy organization

External stakeholder

  • Legislative sponsor
Requires the eligibility dispute to be resolved before advancing the bill

Organization

  • Policy organization
What is at stake

Coalition support and the June 2027 passage target are at risk.

06 / How SCI helps

Before the hearing

Revised legislation

The narrower eligibility provisions

Existing support

Earlier-draft endorsements and hearing preparation

SCI weekly report

Strategic Communications Brief (SCB)

Brings relevant changes and existing commitments together for leadership review.

Internal leadership

Leadership review

A common basis for deciding how to respond.

Opportunity to act

Review changed eligibility alongside the endorsements supporting the hearing brief before the hearing.

SCI connects the objective to stakeholder actions and brings operational and strategic communication activities into a common basis for review.

All four scenarios are fictitious. They illustrate the problems SCI is designed to help address, not customer results or guaranteed outcomes.

How SCI helps

A shared record of what matters.
A common basis for what happens next.

01 /

Connect

Link strategic priorities and objectives to the actions needed from independent stakeholders. Keep the dependencies visible.

02 /

Track

Record the communication, engagement and operational activities that affect those stakeholders, with named owners and evidence-linked assessments.

03 /

Surface

Use the weekly Strategic Communications Brief (SCB) to bring relevant changes and existing commitments into leadership review, helping teams identify critical dependencies, reconsider assumptions and coordinate appropriate responses.

Your organization conducts activities. Independent stakeholders decide what actions to take. SCI keeps that distinction clear while connecting the work.

Pilot SCI with your team

Put SCI to work on a priority that matters.

Bring operational changes, stakeholder commitments and strategic communication activities into a shared leadership review. During the 90-day paid pilot, founder-led onboarding and guided reviews help your team apply SCI to an agreed priority and assess its value in practice.

SCI is in the pilot stage. Participation includes a signed pilot agreement and an agreed scope.

Discuss a pilot
01Agree on the scope and sign the pilot agreement
02Get started with founder-led onboarding
03Use the weekly SCB to support leadership review
04Access preferred subscription pricing

Built from experience

Delphic Solutions

Founded by Johnny Michael, a former Pentagon spokesperson for U.S. national security policy and former head of strategic communication at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. He brings more than two decades of military and federal experience and returned to hands-on software development to build SCI.

AICPA SOC for Service Organizations

SOC 2® Type 1 report on controls relevant to security, availability and confidentiality. Available to prospective customers on request.