The SHIRPA Operating Model

The SHIRPA Operating Model is a strategic framework developed by the CTL Think Tank Group to guide organizations through the complexities of today’s cyber landscape

What Is SHIRPA™?

SHIRPA™ is a human-centered enterprise governance and risk-alignment framework that helps organizations build trust, operate predictably, make better decisions, and take action when risk exceeds tolerance.

Rather than prescribing tools, controls, or compliance checklists, SHIRPA focuses on the conditions required for sustained organizational performance—how people understand risk, how work actually gets done, how decisions are made, and how the organization responds when alignment breaks down.

SHIRPA is designed for organizations that want clarity, consistency, and resilience, not just activity.

The SHIRPA Framework is designed as an interconnected system, not a checklist. To help explain how its five domains work together in practice, this short discussion walks through SHIRPA 2.2 using real-world security and resilience examples.

The conversation explores how organizational commitments shape controls, how capabilities are built and validated, and how the Conversion domain ensures insights lead to meaningful change. Together, the domains form a lattice that supports continuous improvement, adaptability, and business-aligned cyber resilience.

Understanding SHIRPA 2.2

Human-Centered Governance

At its core, SHIRPA recognizes a simple truth:

Organizations do not fail because they lack tools. They fail because people lose trust, clarity, or alignment.

SHIRPA places human understanding, behavior, and decision-making at the center of governance—ensuring that systems, processes, and oversight support people, rather than working against them.

In the Himalayas, a Sherpa isn’t the one seeking glory at the summit. They are the guide who helps others get there. They know the terrain, understand the risks, and carry the tools to make the climb possible. That’s the spirit behind SHIRPA.

We see every idea, business, and creative vision as a mountain worth climbing. The path may be uncertain, but with the right guidance, strategy, and support, reaching the top becomes possible. SHIRPA exists to help you navigate that journey by providing direction, removing obstacles, and ensuring your vision not only reaches new heights but does so with confidence and purpose.

The Sherpa Metaphor

SHIRPA™ helps organizations align how people feel, how work gets done, how decisions are made, and how risk is addressed—creating trust, resilience, and sustained performance.

  • Most organizations already have:

    • Policies

    • Controls

    • Metrics

    • Tools

    Yet many still struggle with:

    • Misalignment between intent and execution

    • Conflicting priorities

    • Inconsistent decisions

    • Silent risk accumulation

    SHIRPA exists to close that gap—by aligning human understanding, operational reality, decision inputs, and risk response into a coherent governance model.

  • SHIRPA embodies these core principles:

    • Security | How people feel about risk

    • Hygiene | How well the organization operates

    • Information | What decisions are based on

    • Risk Posture Alignment | How the organization responds to residual risk

    Explore the Principles →