Strategic Design for Education Systems, Cities, and Organisations
My work covers the entire path from intention to shared action: understanding the situation, shaping the strategy, bringing people together, and keeping up momentum over time. I work directly with governments, UN agencies and cities, or through partner organisations such as foundations and non-profits. The four areas below describe how, and why it matters.
Understanding the situation before deciding what to do: the context, the people involved and the constraints they work within.
What this involves:
– Research and analysis of context, constraints and opportunities
– Stakeholder mapping and conversations that bring in different perspectives
– Systems analysis to find where change is most possible
– Visual mapping and synthesis, so a group can see the situation together
Why it matters: A shared picture of the situation is where shared action starts. When people see the same thing, it becomes much easier to agree on what to do next.
Turning what has been learned into a strategy, framework or roadmap that people can work from, and that can adapt as conditions change.
What this involves:
– Strategy and framework development
– Toolkits, canvases and methods that teams can use on their own
– Design journeys built around the people who will use them
– Portfolio design that balances ambition with what the evidence shows
Why it matters: A clear, well-designed strategy, shaped with the people who will carry it out, becomes something teams return to and use in their daily work.
Bringing together the people who need to act, so they can shape the direction together and leave with a shared commitment.
What this involves:
– Workshop design and facilitation for ideas and alignment
– Multi-stakeholder convenings and co-design sessions
– Training and capacity-building programmes
– Facilitation of strategic planning and visioning
Why it matters: People act on what they have helped to shape. A well-designed process builds the shared understanding and commitment that implementation needs.
Designing programmes and portfolios that keep a shared direction over time, across teams, countries or cities.
What this involves:
– Programme design and structure
– Portfolio strategy and coordination
– Monitoring and learning systems
– Embedding design methods in how organisations work
Why it matters: Change takes longer than any single workshop or project. Good programme design keeps the momentum going, while leaving room for each part to adapt and learn.