Evaluation, reflection and sense making

Evaluation

Before proceeding to the next phase, take some time to evaluate the quality of the process you have conducted so far, along with the quality of the data, information and content generated through this process. Use the list of conditions below to guide your evaluation. If you feel that you have not covered all points, we encourage that you revisit phase four and see how to improve on the process or content before moving on to phase 5.

  • You have clearly articulated a high-level goal along the continuum of adaptation, adaptation while preparing for transformation, transformation
  • You have identified important leverage points in the system and developed innovative actions that specifically target those points
  • You have an understanding of the agency required to influence those leverage points and implement your actions
  • You have considered the opportunity context for creating the desired change, and what can be done to influence it
  • You have checked that your actions are feasible and effective
  • You have reflected on what unintended consequences your actions may have, how they could be made more robust to an uncertain future, and made sure they would not further diminish option space
  • You have bundled your actions into a set of innovative strategies for change that considers how actions need to be sequenced in time and coordinated across sectors and scales
  • You have packaged the strategies into an Action Plan, which you have communicated widely to concerned stakeholders in the system

Reflection

Having evaluated your work, it is useful to reflect a bit more deeply on what you have learnt from the Wayfinder process so far. Use the questions below to guide this exploration. Make sure to capture your learnings, they will be important to guide you later on in the Wayfinder process.

  • How confident are you that your strategies are innovative and formulated to create desired change? What are the critical assumptions you are making?
  • What are the weak points and uncertainties associated with your strategies? How can you address these weaknesses?

Sense-making

Finally, try to make sense of what all this means for your ambition to navigate the system you are interested in towards a more sustainable, safe and just future. This is crucial to make sure you keep moving in the right direction.

  • From now on the Wayfinder process will change character substantially. Are you sufficiently prepared and committed for moving from assessment and planning to action with your Action Plan?