Published: 08/07/2024
This summary is based on a lecture presented at the University of Oxford by Sandra Naranjo Bautista, Executive Director of Better Govs (Better Governments NGO), former Minister of Ecuador, and current Vice President.
Albert Einstein once said, “To make things understandable to everyone, policies must be communicated as simply as possible—but not too simply.” Drawing from her experience at Harvard Kennedy School, public service, and collaboration with policy experts, Sandra shares five key secrets to successful policy implementation.
Secret 1: Define Clear and Concrete Goals
This may sound obvious, but in practice, setting clear goals is difficult. Effective policies require precise objectives—like a North Star—that guide every step of implementation. Vague statements like “we will do this or that” often become distorted, manipulated, or misunderstood, resulting in ineffective outcomes.
Clear goals specify measurable results, such as:
“By [specific date], [specific institution] will have [specific capabilities], resulting in [specific community benefits] like X number of families gaining access to Y service or Z number of trees planted and thriving.”
All stakeholders must share a unified understanding of these goals, without room for personal interpretation. Knowing when and how to select positive and negative indicators is also crucial to measure progress accurately.
Secret 2: Plan How to Achieve Your Goals
Using the Harvard Strategic Triangle framework, evaluate your policy choices and focus on the intended results. During implementation, prioritize activities that are:
- Politically Supportable: Does the policy have backing from key actors like the President or Finance Ministry?
- Technically Feasible: Do you clearly understand why and how the change should happen? This is where a “Theory of Change” is essential to link inputs, outputs, and outcomes.
- Operationally Doable: Are there enough resources—funding, staff, logistics—to carry out the work?
Meeting all three criteria helps ensure your plans are realistic and effective.
Secret 3: Monitor Progress Continuously
Good ideas and plans alone won’t produce results without ongoing monitoring. Regularly measure whether activities are heading in the right direction and laying the foundation for desired outcomes.
Even if your monitoring system isn’t perfect at first, keep tracking progress. Early baseline assessments are vital for timely adjustments and informed decision-making. Waiting too long to evaluate risks losing valuable opportunities or the entire project failing.
Secret 4: Adapt When Needed
Base your decisions on current information, and be ready to adjust policies and programs as circumstances change. Time constraints and resistance to change are common challenges in public policy, but maintaining focus on your core objectives is critical.
Filter suggestions and criticisms carefully—prioritize those that align with your goals, are feasible, and ethically sound. Discard distractions that could derail your efforts. In the end, effective implementation shows through results, not words.
Secret 5: Persevere Relentlessly Toward Your Target
Public service is both rewarding and tough. Good days and bad days will come. On difficult days, remember: the only way to reach your goal is to keep moving forward without pause.
Break long-term plans into daily actionable tasks and focus your team on completing these consistently. As Otto von Bismarck said, “Policy is the art of the possible—the pursuit of the next best thing.” Don’t wait for perfection—keep improving steadily.
While these five secrets may sound familiar, turning them into practice requires reflection, critique, and continuous learning. The hardest part of policymaking is implementation. Success depends on teamwork, influence, perseverance, informed decisions, and focus.
Instead of scattering your efforts, concentrate on 2-3 key priorities and see them through to completion for real impact.
B. Oyuntugs
08 July 2024
