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People Management
In the latter stages of the policy design process, the
team size is likely to reduce to a core team who will produce the final
report and manage the transition to implementation. Activities such as
final appraisals, wrap-up sessions and knowledge capture should be carried
out before the team disbands. It may also be appropriate to celebrate the
success of the project, bringing back any team members who have already
left.
Stakeholder Management
Stakeholders, especially those with responsibility for
delivery and implementation, should be closely involved in the
identification and appraisal of policy options. The initial mapping of
stakeholder interests and expectations should be revisited to assess their
likely reaction to key proposals. Consulting and updating stakeholders
throughout the project should reduce the risk of any surprises that could
serve to de-rail the project during this final stage.
Policy recommendations should be presented to the
Minister and Steering Group for approval. As in previous phases, storyboarding
is a useful technique to make sure that messages are presented clearly and
logically.
Once the project is complete, it is good practice to
write and thank stakeholders and advisers for their time and input. It may
also be appropriate to invite them to an event to celebrate the end of the
project.
Communications Management
A plan should be developed for distributing the final
report and communicating the key messages, both externally, where it may
be beneficial to hold a press briefing, and internally where it might be
necessary to present the project findings to Ministers and senior
officials in other relevant departments. These presentations should be
organised to coincide with the distribution of the final report, both to
ensure the momentum behind the project isn't lost and that the relevant
team members are also available to attend the meeting. Diary constraints
will mean that dates have to be organised in good time.
If a public report is to be produced that will be of
interest internationally, the team should liase with the Foreign Office to
develop an international communications strategy. The FCO can advise as to
how best to use the network of Overseas Posts and, if required, how to
prepare a telegram to be sent to posts.
Two-way communication is also extremely important in
the longer-term as the project is implemented. Ensuring continued dialogue
between policy makers and those responsible for implementation will mean
that future strategy and policy development projects are informed by
operational learning.
Knowledge Management
The data, information and books etc collected during
the project should be collated and catalogued. It should not be a big job
if it has been done efficiently during the project. This will enable
others to make use of the information after the project team disbands.
Another useful exercise is to conduct a "lessons
learned" session. This is a good way to identify what went
well during the project, what went less well and lessons for future
projects or pieces of work. The output of this session can be presented
back to an all-staff meeting so that others in the Department can learn
from the experiences of the project team.
Useful links:
> managing people and the
project
> managing stakeholders
& communications
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