By Sandra Naranjo Bautista
Paraphrasing Einstein, policy implementation should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler (This is the Better Govs motto!). In this blog I summarize 5 actionable tips for effective policy implementation you can start using today. You can download the full guide with examples and practical exercises here.
These 5 tips have been my travel companion as a Cabinet Minister and as a consultant with several international organizations. Now they are engrained in me. The 5 secrets are simple, powerful and backed up by technical knowledge and practical expertise. These are the result of what I learned during my years at the Harvard Kennedy School and my experience using them in the ´real world´, beyond the classroom.
Secret # 1: Define where you are going
The most important step in policy implementation is to be specific in your goals. It might sound obvious, but believe me, it is not. A clear objective is your reference, your north. A well-defined objective is crystal clear for you and for everyone else involved in the project or policy. Furthermore, it is understood in the same way by everyone involved.
Secret # 2: Decide how you are going to get there
The most useful framework I have found to evaluate your policy alternatives is Harvard’s Strategic Triangle. I have adapted it into the Public Policy Pyramid (Figure 1).
- The goal – the objective you want to achieve – is at the centre. To achieve that objective, there are three conditions your program has to meet simultaneously (the triangle). It has to be:
- Technically correct: You need to have a clear understanding of how and why the desired change will happen. This is known as the Theory of Change. It explains how your inputs will translate into outputs and outcomes.
- Doable: In other words, having the financial, human and logistic resources and systems required to design, execute, monitor and evaluate a program successfully, and
- Supportable: This is where politics come in. Is there the required backing from the authorizers, for example the President, Minister of Finance, frontline service providers and other relevant stakeholders to implement your policy or program?
Secret # 3: Monitor your progress
You need to know if your actions are taking you where you want to go. Monitoring your program allows you to assess if you are on track or if you need to change course. You don’t need a fancy system to start, but you do need a way to measure your progress.
Without basic monitoring important program alerts could be delayed, or even missed entirely. You want to proactively analyse what needs to be done and take action. Don’t do a post-mortem on a failed program to suddenly realise all the things you could have done differently or better (The full guide expands on ways to measure progress). Your link text
Secret # 4: Adjust as needed
Make the best decisions you can, with the information you have available. Policies and programs need to adjust as circumstances evolve. In public policy, one of the challenges is the lack of time and space to think about adaptation. There is also resistance to change and risk aversion (Read the full guide that includes an exercise to avoid inertia).
Secret # 5: Keep moving towards your destination
The public sector is rewarding and frustrating at the same time. You have good days and bad days. I learned three important lessons from those bad days:
- The only way to arrive to your destination is to keep moving.
- It is easier when you take it one day at a time. To achieve your goal you need to break down the plan into manageable pieces.
- Action over perfection. As Otto von Bismarck said, Public policy is the art of the possible, the attainable… The art of the next best. I would rather have something and improve on it over time, instead of having nothing at all.
What next?
Government was my home for over a decade. I recognise the struggles of working in the public sector and the frustration of not getting things done. But I also know the excitement of changing lives. To see that your actions have a real impact. I know you share that feeling (which is hopefully why you are reading this blog). Join Better Govs’ new Facebook Group and be part of a community that believes in the power of an effective public sector, and more important, is willing to do something to make it better.
You can download the full guide with examples, practical exercises and a bonus tip here.
Photo credit: James Owen on Unsplash
