In the last post, I discussed about how policy making is not efficient and how to make it better.
I also talked about how it could be compared to a typical enterprise transformation program that consultants do.
Let me take it one step further. Let me start mapping the steps to the solution for a more efficient policy making process to the software development process.
Sound’s crazy right. lets follow through and try to see if it makes sense.
Just because you have an hammer, not everything is a nail
A caveat to start with. Just because I know IT consulting does not mean that I try to see policy making as a similar process. Nor does it mean that some of the same practices could fix them. This is just a cranial activity attempting to see if some of those practices could help policy making in India
A few experiments
Some of the policy making practices are starting to get a little too archaic. While they are all well intentions, Some of them have out-lived their usage and some times achieve the exact opposite response.
For example, for me to get an electric connection, I need to get a certified electrician to approve my electric connections at home. It was designed in those days when the concept of circuit breakers was not widespread and short circuits in one house could affect the whole area. Not anymore, electric circuit breakers are more robust and dependable and the infrastructure is well protected and can quickly isolate single incidents very quickly.
However, this policy continues till today and no one knows anymore why we do this.
Simplifying a lot of policy details helps a lot. Having structure to policy making with a clear vision on what it wants to achieve, how would you measure it and how often you want to visit are very important.
Policy making organizations are currently struggling because they cannot measure a change they make. They also struggle because they don’t know what to measure. They have always gone with the doctrine of their political leaders and thinkers. However, the stage has changed. The politicians are playing to the masses since the middle class is more politically active. This has led to a confusion on what should a policy achieve.
Running simple experiments seems to be the only way out. Running simple and small experiments seems to be the only way out of some of these policy logjams.
Mapping to how a software development process works
When we IT consultants start any enterprise transformation, we analyze the problem hard before we start running any pilots.
Once we have these, we try to understand the What and the How.
Once we have that, we put a plan in place assuming the pilot goes well and we have more results to work with.
Overhauling the policy also needs a similar structure. We have to view it as a transformation effort that needs the same level of understanding, if not more.
No policy would ever have been structured without careful thinking. We need to go back to the board and slowly start deconstructing the whole process to understand the reason for that policy and its evolution.
Once we have it, we have to understand why we need to transform the policy and even if this is the correct time to transform the policy making process for that specific organization.
Some of these are very critical steps - steps that are often overlooked when well intentioned efforts for policy overhaul are made.
The transformation - Strangulation, Maturity Models and learning, Communication
Once the transformation process starts - which is only after the results from the pilot are satisfactory, there are various decision points that the journey has to go through.
Every transformation program has to decide if it is going to do a big bang approach of overhauling the entire policy making process or replace one small bit at a time. Both the types are painful and equally long - though popular opinion might be that big bang is easier. It is not, in fact big bang approaches are more top down driven and less efficient as a process.
Strangulation approach helps organizations better since there could be a lot of feedback on the way that could help have better policy making processes.
The other key component of the transformation effort in policy making process is the concept of maturity models and learning.
We need the people at the right levels of maturity and learning for the policy making process to be efficient and the transformation process to be successful. Maturity models help us in 2 ways - To segment and measure where people are right now and where they have to be and also to benchmark with other organizations.
This helps in giving every one the right set of tools to learn and succeed.
One key goal should also be to communicate the intent of the whole transformation very clearly. Transformation - at least enterprise transformations - are always compared to re-organization efforts that lead to a loss of jobs. Transformation on the other hand, tends to focus on making the organization better and cares about the individuals equally.
Sponsors of the transformation programs are hence very important. When we talk about policy making organizations - which are essentially political leaders - they have to be very clear that they need more efficient policy making organizations to be able to better connect to the people. Being populist or having populist agenda does not mean that you need weak institutions. In fact, you need stronger institutions that are more flexible and can figure a way to come up with more populist policies.
This is a challenge that is not so common in corporate enterprises.
Conclusion
IT consulting can be a very good precursor for policy making institutions to transform themselves into more efficient organizations - thereby ensuring proper and efficient policy making.
There are still more aspects to policy making - specifically budgeting - that is not simple at all. The other key aspect of policy making organizations is enforcement. These key aspects have to be discussed as a separate topic for another time.
I also talked about how it could be compared to a typical enterprise transformation program that consultants do.
Let me take it one step further. Let me start mapping the steps to the solution for a more efficient policy making process to the software development process.
Sound’s crazy right. lets follow through and try to see if it makes sense.
Just because you have an hammer, not everything is a nail
A caveat to start with. Just because I know IT consulting does not mean that I try to see policy making as a similar process. Nor does it mean that some of the same practices could fix them. This is just a cranial activity attempting to see if some of those practices could help policy making in India
A few experiments
Some of the policy making practices are starting to get a little too archaic. While they are all well intentions, Some of them have out-lived their usage and some times achieve the exact opposite response.
For example, for me to get an electric connection, I need to get a certified electrician to approve my electric connections at home. It was designed in those days when the concept of circuit breakers was not widespread and short circuits in one house could affect the whole area. Not anymore, electric circuit breakers are more robust and dependable and the infrastructure is well protected and can quickly isolate single incidents very quickly.
However, this policy continues till today and no one knows anymore why we do this.
Simplifying a lot of policy details helps a lot. Having structure to policy making with a clear vision on what it wants to achieve, how would you measure it and how often you want to visit are very important.
Policy making organizations are currently struggling because they cannot measure a change they make. They also struggle because they don’t know what to measure. They have always gone with the doctrine of their political leaders and thinkers. However, the stage has changed. The politicians are playing to the masses since the middle class is more politically active. This has led to a confusion on what should a policy achieve.
Running simple experiments seems to be the only way out. Running simple and small experiments seems to be the only way out of some of these policy logjams.
Mapping to how a software development process works
When we IT consultants start any enterprise transformation, we analyze the problem hard before we start running any pilots.
- Any enterprise transformation always need to understand the following - Typically the Why questions
- Does it have a business goal ?
- Does it have a sponsor to back it?
- Do we know how the enterprise has evolved to what it is today? Why a transformation
- Do we understand the current landscape and the context? Why a transformation now?
- Who are the key stake holders?
Once we have these, we try to understand the What and the How.
- What do we have to achieve for the transformation to be successful
- What do we have today - Who are more engaged in the process - either positively or negatively.
- How do we pick up a pilot ?
- What to we measure for that pilot?
Once we have that, we put a plan in place assuming the pilot goes well and we have more results to work with.
Overhauling the policy also needs a similar structure. We have to view it as a transformation effort that needs the same level of understanding, if not more.
No policy would ever have been structured without careful thinking. We need to go back to the board and slowly start deconstructing the whole process to understand the reason for that policy and its evolution.
Once we have it, we have to understand why we need to transform the policy and even if this is the correct time to transform the policy making process for that specific organization.
Some of these are very critical steps - steps that are often overlooked when well intentioned efforts for policy overhaul are made.
The transformation - Strangulation, Maturity Models and learning, Communication
Once the transformation process starts - which is only after the results from the pilot are satisfactory, there are various decision points that the journey has to go through.
Every transformation program has to decide if it is going to do a big bang approach of overhauling the entire policy making process or replace one small bit at a time. Both the types are painful and equally long - though popular opinion might be that big bang is easier. It is not, in fact big bang approaches are more top down driven and less efficient as a process.
Strangulation approach helps organizations better since there could be a lot of feedback on the way that could help have better policy making processes.
The other key component of the transformation effort in policy making process is the concept of maturity models and learning.
We need the people at the right levels of maturity and learning for the policy making process to be efficient and the transformation process to be successful. Maturity models help us in 2 ways - To segment and measure where people are right now and where they have to be and also to benchmark with other organizations.
This helps in giving every one the right set of tools to learn and succeed.
One key goal should also be to communicate the intent of the whole transformation very clearly. Transformation - at least enterprise transformations - are always compared to re-organization efforts that lead to a loss of jobs. Transformation on the other hand, tends to focus on making the organization better and cares about the individuals equally.
Sponsors of the transformation programs are hence very important. When we talk about policy making organizations - which are essentially political leaders - they have to be very clear that they need more efficient policy making organizations to be able to better connect to the people. Being populist or having populist agenda does not mean that you need weak institutions. In fact, you need stronger institutions that are more flexible and can figure a way to come up with more populist policies.
This is a challenge that is not so common in corporate enterprises.
Conclusion
IT consulting can be a very good precursor for policy making institutions to transform themselves into more efficient organizations - thereby ensuring proper and efficient policy making.
There are still more aspects to policy making - specifically budgeting - that is not simple at all. The other key aspect of policy making organizations is enforcement. These key aspects have to be discussed as a separate topic for another time.
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