Translating Strategy into Policies that Work

Strategy is crucial to building an organisation that is focused on the future, while developing policies that work today.  This is essential if we are to provide services to citizens that improve their lives and build their trust in Government.  Short-term thinking, lack of engagement with stakeholders as part of the process and weak understanding of how to identify and manage risks have all contributed to numerous policy failures.

This workshop will provide a framework, together with a suite of tools and techniques for developing strategy, policy and scenario planning, through a series of practical exercises based on a case study.  You will hear from a UK strategy unit and other practitioners and consider examples of best practice.

The workshop will enable you to establish a series of long-term visions and from that, some medium and short-term objectives and policies, as well as how to implement them, with methods of monitoring and evaluating their success.

During this workshop we will explore what is meant by strategic thinking, scenario planning and policy formulation; use of evidence in policy: stakeholder engagement; establishing the costs of your strategy; planning for implementation; monitoring and evaluation of policy.  You will have the opportunity to consider what success in policy might look like, as well as to learn and practise a range of tools and techniques that will help you in your work.

Learning Objectives

The workshop will enable you to:

• Understand how to set long-term goals and develop policies that will help meet them
• Establish a framework for strategic thinking and policy development
• Recognise the need to plan early for policy implementation and what is involved in that
• Think creatively about policy solutions
• Draw up action plans for delivery, monitoring and evaluation of policy
• Develop your skills in communicating your strategy to others
• Agree and understand a common language about policy and strategy and share good practice with your colleagues.

Key Topics

This workshop will include:

• Demystifying the terms “strategy” and “policy, and the relationship between them
• A framework/structure for developing effective policy, with a detailed look at each step of the process
• Exploring the drivers of policy and establishing meaningful long and short-term objectives
• Identifying, analysing and working with stakeholders
• Finding and using the right evidence
• Identifying and analysing policy options
• Presenting recommendations to decision-makers
• Possible futures: building scenarios and future-proofing your policy
• Assessing risk and strategic communications in policy
• Implementation planning
• Monitoring and evaluation of policy