Policy Development: Building an Implementation Strategy
The policy proposal (the "why") has been built. Now it's time to turn to the implementation strategy and figure out the "how."
An implementation strategy describes the tactics, timelines, and responsibilities of a department and its partners to support the implementation of a new policy, program or service. The strategy provides an overview of the proposed solution and its intended effects on departments and agencies. It outlines the policy instruments that the department has in place to help guide and support all interested parties through the implementation.
The strategy also highlights the roles of the department and its partners, and explains the planned implementation approach, which usually covers a four-year transition period. Based on this strategy, departments and agencies that are subject to the new policies should have sufficient information to gauge the overall time frame and effort required to successfully transition to the new policies.
Answer the following questions to build your implementation strategy
- What are the scope and administrative requirements (resources, human resources capacity, staff allocation, training) of implementation? Is there a procurement plan?
- Who will manage the implementation? How will it be governed (lead and accountability)?
- What is the implementation schedule? Is there a breakdown of activities/critical paths/timelines/indicators?
- What is your risk management component (e.g. political issues)?
- What is your stakeholder management plan (e.g. partnership engagement)? Your communication and education plans?
- How will we know we've succeeded (e.g. quality assurance, performance measurement and evaluation plan, score cards, monitoring, reporting)?
