What Happens After the Idea

Insight

The system gets the result it was designed to get—but only if it has the capacity to deliver.

System capacity includes the time, local practices and policies, skills, tools, and authority needed to bring ideas to life at every level—across organizations, from frontline staff to leadership.

Capacity tends to be invisible in early planning stages. When designing solutions, it’s easier to focus on high-level strategy than on what it will take to execute.

Then, ideas often stall because implementation depends on multiple decentralized organizations. Responsibilities become fragmented, frontline teams face the wrong drivers, incentives, and KPIs, and outcomes fall short — not always because the idea was wrong, but because the system wasn’t aligned or equipped to carry it through.

Insight in Practice

To design solutions that work in practice, not just in principle, capacity has to be part of the design brief.

• Assess & plan for implementation capacity.‍
  Capacity-building starts with alignment. Align the local policies, the day-to-day practices, and the institutions driving change. When these actors move in sync, motivation grows—not just to assess capacity, but to invest deeply in strengthening it. Alignment creates momentum, and momentum makes change possible.

• Create clear internal roles and feedback loops.
  ‍There’s a belief that good ideas will 'cascade' naturally through existing hierarchies, but execution requires ownership and coherence across diverse, decentralized organizations. Cross-functional roles and open lines of communication prevent organizational silos from derailing progress and help innovation stick.

• Invest in operational infrastructure.
  ‍Budgets prioritize optics over plumbing. It’s easier to fund new announcements than backend systems—but programs don’t run on ideas alone. They run on staff time, data tools, coordination and the capacity to monitor progress for continuous improvement. Skipping infrastructure means designing for fragility.

• ‍Treat staff capability like a strategic asset.
  ‍Training is seen as a “nice to have”, not essential to success. The people delivering a program are as critical as the program itself. When teams are aligned, supported and skilled, delivery improves and morale follows.

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Case Study

In 2016, the City of Guelph launched Canada’s first municipal open government plan: not just as a policy, but as a system built to deliver.

They embedded execution into the design: appointing an Open Government Manager, forming cross-department teams, and breaking down silos.

They closed capacity gaps through mandatory staff training and citizen workshops, building skills on both sides of the system. Sustained funding and built-in public feedback loops ensured their work lasted.

As a result, 87% of citizen ideas were implemented in just three years, including:

• Citizens proposed making municipal data publicly accessible, leading to the creation of open data portals where residents could access information on budgets, infrastructure, and city services.
• Many neighbourhood groups provided affordable summer camps and activities for children and families, ensuring access to enriching experiences while fostering community engagement.

You can read the full case study here.

Question to Consider

What parts of your system are underbuilt for the outcomes you’re aiming to achieve?

Quote of The Week

“It’s not enough to have a great idea. You have to build the machinery to make it real.”

– Seth Godin

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