How we choose our projects
The challenges to our welfare systems are so big that only their radical transformation can allow us to do more with less, taking our capabilities to a higher level. Real innovation, however, is about creating something that did not exist before.
The first step in our methodology is to consider the long term impacts on society of the transformation process we intend to achieve with our projects and find the right KPI’s to measure it. This allows a faster and clearer approach to transformation.
Then we work in order to identify the medium term risks and opportunities (consequences on our stakeholders ) of our projects and the KPI’s to measure them and only after these two steps we identify the short term results and connected KPI’s.
Long term impacts are linked to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Once the long term goal is clear, we want to discover which steps can lead from there to here.
How we develop new solutions
Since welfare systems, and the socio-economic systems in which they are embedded, are extremely complex, we want to make sure that the new solutions we develop do work in the real world, and do not have unintended consequences. This is why our Open Lab collaborates with researchers and organizations from relevant sectors: public, private, non profit.
We have developed a rigorous problem solving method that neatly maps onto the scientific methodology, the best way we know to produce more reliable knowledge about how reality works.
We divide our work into four phases, each of which corresponds to one of the main phases of scientific research:
We conduct a thorough context analysis to tap explicit and tacit knowledge about the problem, and collect useful insights.
Through meticulous desk analysis, we dig into the intricacies of the context, identifying potential challenges, opportunities and areas for improvement, carrying out a comparative and benchmarking analysis, thus systematizing existing research.
We also conduct surveys and interviews to obtain qualitative feedback directly from individuals and organizations involved in the target countries. This gives us the opportunity to build partnerships with, and to secure support from, potential partners.
We then organize one or more co-design workshops with a range of potential stakeholder partners, until a light clicks on.
The outcome of this phase is to outline the first sketch of a possible solution: strategic approach, main mechanism, and main partners.
We organize a series of co-design workshops with the stakeholder partners, including researchers and people with experience in the relevant areas.
This collaborative setting fosters meaningful discussions and delve into the problem. The Co-design workshops are a platform of open dialogue, enabling participants to share their diverse perspectives and insights. Through interactive sessions and brainstorming activities, we aim to harness the collective expertise and creativity of the attendees to generate innovative ideas and solutions, and design a small scale experiment that can deliver a clear answer.
The outcome of this phase is a solution (a hypothesis in scientific terms) that:
• Improves access, quality of assistance, and social inclusion
• Is economically sustainable
• Integrates different welfare sectors
The experiment must be feasible because:
• There are the right partners
• Responds to smart criteria and long-term, short-term, and project KPIs
• Has a clear timeline and clear milestones
• Has a budget and the necessary funding
The solution is put into practice on a small scale in one or more locations in the same country or in different countries.
Throughout its duration, the experiment is monitored, , constantly measured and adjusted if necessary, in order to assess all the facets of the hypothesis that is being tested. The results are collected and discussed, and the impact of the solution is carefully evaluated on all the criteria defined in the previous phase.
The outcome of this phase is either a solution that has proved to be good enough to be scaled up or, if the experiment has yielded a negative result, a set of lessons learned that will help to find another, better approach to the problem.
The project is expanded from the “test” level to become a more complex system, involving new actors on larger scale. The solution is continuously refined and adapted to different situations.
In this phase the Foundation engages in advocacy activities to share the results of the work with institutions and private companies. We advocate change by fostering partnerships and collaborations, working closely with stakeholders to build consensus and influence decision-making processes.
We also raise awareness about the topics addressed in our research and experiment and reach out to the targeted groups. Through initiatives such as public campaigns, educational programs, and community outreach, we want to inform and engage people, empowering them with knowledge and resources to create positive change and enhance their quality of life.