Alle vragen

• What are the criteria for an action plan?
• What learning objectives and activities should I include?
• What major challenges does management face?
• What criteria does the executive organisation have to meet?
• What criteria should a project portfolio meet?
• What support is needed?
• How do I deal with uncertainties?
• What aspects of communication need to be considered?

What are the criteria for an action plan?

A good action plan for a programme describes:

• the urgency of changes
• the social challenge
• the guiding principles for the system innovation (the conditions the desired innovation will meet)
• the connection between the programme and long-term trends that can help to legitimise the programme or accelerate system innovation
• targets for solutions
• separate visions for any competing routes/strategies for achieving the long-term goals - the transition paths - with specific final objectives and milestones (if it is an implementing agenda and not a more abstract social agenda)
• also for an implementing agenda: general descriptions of innovative projects that will contribute to achieving the milestones and final objectives. These may be new transition projects, but also experimental projects that are already underway and can now be incorporated in the programme
• A description of the changes that have to be made in the regime, which are already underway or will have to be achieved by the programme
• Activities and projects relating to monitoring and evaluation, learning, communication and/or lobbying aimed at changing the regime
• Basic requirements in terms of time, money, resources, organisation, information.

An action plan must be flexible, because it may be necessary to revise it with a view to the ambitions for system innovation because of developments that occur and new insights that are generated in the course of the programme. On this point, see also the clusters 'Societal Anchoring' and 'Monitoring and Evaluation'. 

What learning objectives and activities should I include?

There are two learning objectives you should consider when producing an action plan. You have to translate them into activities such as workshops, intervision and research.

 Learning from other relevant experiments

The first objective is to learn from other relevant projects in the programme and elsewhere, because it is often possible to learn a lot from the approach, problems and solutions of these projects. Think ahead fo what you would like to learn about, for example technological possibilities and structural aspects, such as the characteristics of the market, consumer acceptance, cultural changes, dealing with regulations and gaps in knowledge.

System learning and second-order learning

Attention should also be devoted to system learning and individual and group second-order learning. With system learning, the participants together learn about the regime changes needed for new practices. Second-order learning is about changes in deeper convictions and values. These forms of learning are important because they enable people to make the change in their perceptions of problems or solutions that is needed for the system innovation. See also: 'About Transitions'. System learning and second-order learning are therefore also important elements of 'Reflexive monitoring'. On this point, see the cluster ‘Monitoring and evaluation'.

A detailed plan

Three tips for drafting a detailed action plan are:

• Reserve time and capacity for learning activities and ensure that whatever is learned is systematically recorded. On this point, see also the cluster ‘Monitoring and evaluation'.
• Immediately identify the key parties that need to learn from practical experience for a system innovation. Can you involve them at an early stage so that they can learn?
• You could also already consider which routes you will use to disseminate learning experiences, such as conferences, articles in professional journals, internet, working visits, presentation and newspaper articles.

What major challenges does management face?

The management of a transition programme is in many respects similar to the management of an ordinary programme, but there are a number of unique aspects:

• A transition programme has a goal. There is no prior blueprint for a sustainable future given the uncertainty about what is going to happen and complex environment; the search is part of the programme.
  On this point, see also the question "How do I deal with uncertainties?" and the cluster 'Monitoring and evaluation'
• The management must respond flexibly to external developments that could have consequences for the transition goal and path
• In a transition programme, one learns by doing and does by learning.
• One has to work ‘from the outside in', or more precisely, the programme has to be developed with the active involvement of stakeholders in society, with their feedback being translated to the programme and in policy
• The criteria for evaluation and the method of evaluation are different to other programmes. On this point, see also the relevant questions in the cluster ‘Monitoring and evaluation'.

What criteria does the executive organisation have to meet?

Experience shows that the organisation that hosts a transition programme has an influence on it. That can be a handicap. You therefore have to realise when choosing the host organisation for the transition programme that it is very important for the executive organisation for a transition project:

• to be independent
• to be entrepreneurial
• to be able to work on an equal footing with other parties and with niche players
• to have room to experiment and scope to adjust goals and activities
• to be able to work with variety and diversity
• to conduct evaluations in a manner appropriate to the searching and learning character of transition programmes and the uncertainty of the returns
• to have continuity and personal commitment among the programme managers
• to have close links with relevant policymaking and research institutes and innovative practices.

Make sure the right conditions are in place.

What criteria should a project portfolio meet?

Important points to consider in compiling or assessing a project portfolio are:

• There is a logical match between the projects and the long-term vision and more specific targets
• The projects reflect at least some general trends, although the system innovation is a radical change
• The projects can in principle be completed within the term of the programme: there are contexts within which they can be carried out and money, protagonists, executives, etc. can be found for them
• A number of projects could become an icon for your envisaged transition or system innovation
• A number of projects can already generate results within a short space of time
• The portfolio does not only include projects to be carried out in the short term; the medium-term issues are also addressed
• Various projects in different transition paths can reinforce one another. This is particularly important if actual innovation is important
• There is sufficient variety in the programme; you explore different transition paths with the projects. Diversity usually also yields more in terms of learning about the transition
• The portfolio contains not only technical projects, but also projects that respond to necessary regime change. On this point, see also the cluster 'Embedding'.

Besides substantive projects and projects that are typically aimed at embedding innovations, the programme must also contain learning, network and communication activities.

What support is needed?

There should be a transition team. On this point, see the question 'What support is needed for a transition?' in the cluster 'Creating a vision'. But a good secretariat is also necessary. It may also be useful to hire a communication professional if the results are promising and you want to generate publicity in order to increase public support for the project.

See also the cluster 'Use of competences'.

How do I deal with uncertainties?

There are always uncertainties associated with a transition, for example relating to:

• Gaps in knowledge
• Unknown future technological developments
• Unpredictable behaviour of actors
• Variability in the behaviour of ecosystems.

Some ways of dealing with these uncertainties are:

• Identify the uncertainties as clearly as possible so that they can be discussed. One method of doing this is to use scenarios
• Make explicit choices about uncertainties with the stakeholders
• Work on more than one transition path: explore different possible development paths
• Monitor developments that you know to be uncertain and adjust your programme to them if necessary.

What aspects of communication need to be considered?

The following practical aspects are important:

1. First and foremost, be aware that communication about transition programmes is strategic communication. Follow ongoing debates and assess what implications they could have for how you formulate the ambitions for the transition. By using the same terminology, you will increase the appeal of the programme
2. Make strategic use of meetings and crises
3. Be careful not to raise expectations too high in the communication during the initial phase of the programme when the vision is being formulated. Vision creation is a process of searching and does not always produce the hoped-for results. Wait until there are conclusions that are worth communicating
4. Try to find the right balance between promoting new ideas (‘advocacy') and acting as an independent broker. Playing the lobbyist too much will undermine your authority. However, without ‘advocacy' you will probably not get far with your ideas
5. Give the programme a catchy title and use images. They say ‘a picture speaks a thousand words'
6. Be sure to allow other stakeholders to share in success.