The GHOST Framework: The Strategic Backbone of Professional Public Affairs

Internal Side of Public Affairs 65

By Alan Hardacre, Founder Advocacy Strategy

One of the most persistent challenges in Public Affairs is not a lack of activity, effort, or external engagement. It is a lack of internal clarity. Too often, Public Affairs teams are busy but struggle to answer some deceptively simple internal questions:

• What are we actually trying to achieve?

• How does this activity support the organisation’s priorities?

• How do we explain progress and value in a way leadership understands?

• What should stay stable when the external environment changes

This is where structure becomes a strategic asset – as my previous posts have discussed.

The GHOST framework exists to provide that structure. It is not a communications model or a campaign checklist. It is an internal Public Affairs management framework that creates a clear line of sight between organisational expectations and Public Affairs delivery. I know other frameworks exist – such as OKRs – but in my experience the GHOST is much more adapted to Public Affairs. I will explain why. Used properly, GHOST becomes the strategic backbone for:

• planning and prioritisation

• internal alignment and expectation management

• disciplined execution

• credible internal reporting

In short: it is how Public Affairs moves from “activity PA” to managed, professional Public Affairs.

Why GHOST Matters Internally

Before explaining how GHOST works, it is worth being explicit about what problem it solves. Without a shared framework, Public Affairs teams often default to:

• reacting to urgency rather than strategy

• selecting tactics before agreeing strategy

• reporting activity instead of progress

• struggling to say no internally

• Reporting on tactics when the organisation is interested in progress against objectives

This weakens credibility. Not because the work is poor, but because it is hard for the organisation to understand what it is for. This structure gives context.

GHOST addresses this by:

• creating a shared internal language between Public Affairs and leadership

• separating what the organisation needs to know from what Public Affairs needs to manage

• providing a consistent structure for planning, execution, and reporting

It allows Public Affairs to operate as a discipline, not a collection of disconnected actions.

GHOST Explained – And Why the Distinction Matters

GHOST stands for: Goal – Objectives – Strategy – Tactics – How

Each element plays a distinct role. Critically, they do not all serve the same internal audience. This distinction is where many other frameworks fail to work for Public Affairs – and where GHOST adds real value. Let’s go one by one.

G and O: What the Organisation Needs to Be Updated On

Goal – The Long-Term Outcome the Organisation Cares About

The Goal defines the ideal long-term policy or advocacy outcome for the organisation. It is:

• stable over time

• framed in organisational, not PA, language

• meaningful to senior leadership and linked clearly to organisational priorities and objectives

A good Goal answers the question “If Public Affairs is successful over time, what will be different for the organisation?”

Example: Prevent regulatory outcomes in [country/region] that would increase operating costs or restrict [core activity], thereby avoiding an estimated €X–€Y annual financial impact on the business.

This is not a list of activities. It is not a campaign. It is a north star. It is also very clear to leadership what you doing and how this support the business. Importantly, this is something your organisation expects to be kept updated on. Leadership should always know:

• what the Goal is

• whether it is under threat or progressing

• what has changed externally and/or what is needed internally to boost the chances of success

Objectives – The 12-Month Outcomes That Show Progress

Objectives translate the long-term Goal into specific outcomes for a defined period, typically 12 months. They are:

• time-bound

• outcome-focused

• realistic within the political context

A good Objective answers“What needs to change in the next 12 months to move us towards the Goal?”

Example: By Q4, secure amendments to the draft legislation that preserve [specific provision] critical to [business impact].

Again, this is not about meetings or outputs. It is about outcomes. Now we know things change and evolve and Q4 could slip into next year – but the key is get the real key milestone outcomes you need to deliver on for success. It will, once again help your organisation understand what you are working towards.

Like Goals, Objectives are organisational-facing. They are what leadership should be updated on regularly:

• Are we on track?

• Has the objective changed due to external developments?

• Do we need to adjust expectations?

  
  

S and T: The Public Affairs Engine Room

This is where an important shift happens. Strategy and Tactics are primarily for you and your Public Affairs team. They are how you deliver against what the organisation expects. And I can’t say this enough - confusing this boundary is one of the most common internal PA mistakes.

Strategy – The Chosen Approaches to Achieve the Objectives

Strategy defines the approach, not the activity. It answers “How are we going to pursue these objectives in this political environment?”

A single Objective may require multiple strategies. In fact they often do.

Example strategies might include:

• building a coalition of aligned industry players

• positioning the organisation as a technical resource for policymakers

• influencing implementation rather than primary legislation

• working through your Trade Association

Strategies provide:

• focus

• prioritization

• guidance when trade-offs are required

They are critical internally, but they are not always what leadership needs in detail. Leadership needs confidence that there is a strategy – not necessarily every strategic choice.

Tactics – The Concrete Actions That Deliver the Strategy

Tactics are the visible actions that we do every day in our Public Affairs work:

• meetings

• position papers

• events

• coalition letters

• briefings

• trade association engagement

They answer the question -“What are we actually doing to achieve our objectives?”

Tactics are:

• flexible

• adjustable

• responsive to context

• evolving all the time

They should change when circumstances change – without forcing a rewrite of Goals or Objectives. This distinction matters. When tactics change and Objectives stay stable, Public Affairs looks professional and intentional – not reactive.

H: How – The Often-Ignored Enabler

The final element, How, is what ensures GHOST works in practice. “How” covers:

• internal ways of working

• coordination across markets and functions

• decision-making processes

• escalation and alignment

In other words: the internal operating model that allows Strategy and Tactics to be delivered consistently. Without this, even the best GHOST framework stays theoretical.

Without strong internal governance of this nature it will always be an uphill struggle to achieve your objectives and organisational goals.

How GHOST Improves Internal Credibility

Used consistently, GHOST enables Public Affairs teams to:

• explain priorities clearly and confidently in ways that mean something to the organisation

• report progress in outcome terms, not activity lists

• manage expectations when political realities change

• say no to work that does not serve agreed goals and objectives

• demonstrate professionalism and discipline

Perhaps most importantly, it helps organisations understand what they should expect from Public Affairs – and what they shouldn’t.

GHOST is not about producing more documents. It is about creating clarity, discipline, and trust inside the organisation. It is designed to help Public Affairs with one of the biggest challenges it faces – being understood by the organisation.

When Goals and Objectives are clearly owned by the organisation, and Strategy and Tactics are clearly owned by Public Affairs, something powerful happens - Public Affairs stops being seen as reactive support and starts being recognized as a strategic management function. And that is the real value of GHOST.