Efficiency in Public Affairs. The Internal Side of Public Affairs (48)

Alan Hardacre, PhD

Co-Founder Advocacy Academy, Advocacy Strategy

In today’s resource-conscious environment, efficiency in Public Affairs is rising rapidly up the agenda or many organisations (Corporates / Trade Associations and NGOs) — sometimes implicitly, but unmistakably. Senior leaders are asking sharper questions:

• How does Public Affairs align with business strategy?

• Are our engagement decisions evidence-based?

• Is the effort invested truly commensurate with the outcomes achieved?

• What is the exact (financial) contribution of our Public Affairs work?

  
  

While I’ve previously explored ways to quantify Public Affairs work, this post goes beyond metrics. It’s about defining what efficiency truly means in a Public Affairs context — and how we can continuously improve and clearly demonstrate it. Strategic clarity, smart resource allocation, and a strong return on effort (not just investment) are at the heart of this discussion.

In a function shaped by complexity, ambiguity, and long time horizons, the idea of efficiency may seem elusive. But in reality, it is essential to building internal credibility, organisational resilience, and long-term influence. As Public Affairs teams are expected to deliver more with fewer resources, Public Affairs must be able to show not only what it does — but how well it does it.

Key Questions That Signal an Efficiency Discussion

• Are we too reactive in our approach?

• Are we focusing engagement on the stakeholders and issues that matter most?

• Are internal processes helping or hindering our agility?

• Are we clearly articulating our role in risk mitigation, opportunity creation, and strategic outcomes?

Reframing Efficiency in Public Affairs

Efficiency isn’t simply about doing more with less. It’s about professionalizing how we work and aligning more closely with how our organisations make decisions and allocate resources. Below are key areas where Public Affairs functions around the world are unlocking — and increasingly needing to find and deliver — efficiency gains:

Issue Prioritization

Focus on what matters most. High-performing teams use structured mapping and tiering systems to categorize policy issues by business impact and likelihood. For instance, a company might focus on sustainability legislation in priority export markets, rather than spreading efforts thinly across all regulatory discussions.

Internal Processes

Streamline to speed up. Reducing friction in processes like issue triage, policy position validation, and sign-off can dramatically reduce internal resource allocation. One multinational streamlined its policy approval workflow by introducing pre-aligned thresholds for routine positions, cutting times by over 40%.

Internal Alignment

Clarify roles, break silos. Efficiency is often lost at the intersection of functions. Cross-functional alignment — particularly with Legal, Regulatory, and Corporate Communications — ensures faster, more coherent responses to emerging issues.

Intelligence Management

Turn information into action. Many Public Affairs teams now consolidate news and policy sources into a single dashboard, using AI tools to filter noise and highlight actionable developments. This not only improves speed but enhances strategic decision-making.

Engagement Planning

Time it right. Aligning outreach to policy windows — rather than internal reporting cycles — maximizes influence. Making sure this is all coordinated between colleagues / business units and between countries can not only save time and money but deliver more impact.

Reporting & Internal Visibility

Speak the language of business. Standardizing reporting formats and linking them to strategic KPIs (like market access secured, risk mitigated, or stakeholder sentiment shifts) improves both efficiency and internal credibility.

Use of External Resources

Optimize your ecosystem. Strategic use of consultants, industry associations, and digital platforms can extend capacity — but only if their roles are clearly defined and integrated into your internal planning.

AI Integration

Enable, don’t replace. AI tools can support nearly every aspect of Public Affairs work — from monitoring to drafting, from data analysis to engagement planning. But their value depends on strong underlying processes. Where workflows are mature, AI delivers real efficiency dividends.

Final Thought: Efficiency is all about Strategy

Efficiency in Public Affairs is not about cutting corners — it’s about unlocking value by being deliberate in how we focus our limited time and attention. It’s also about building systems that support this mindset.

When was the last time you audited your Public Affairs operations through the lens of efficiency? What did you focus on? What did you discover?