Strategize
This step supports development of a scaling strategy to overcome the main bottlenecks to scaling.
Concepts
Scaling Readiness provides 7 strategic options to overcome bottlenecks for scaling
Scaling Readiness facilitates making strategic choices about (i) how to overcome the bottleneck(s), (ii) the partners to involve, (iii)the most effective way to work with these partners, and (iv) the kinds of activities and budgets that are required to overcome the bottlenecks to scaling. Together, these elements constitute the draft scaling strategy.
Strategic options to overcome bottlenecks
Scaling Readiness provides 7 strategic options for improving the readiness and use of innovations that form the bottleneck to scaling. The project may decide to improve the bottleneck, but sometimes it is cheaper or faster to outsource the work to another organization, or to substitute the bottleneck innovation by another innovation that has higher innovation readiness or use. If overcoming the bottleneck in a specific location or timepath is unfeasible, then the relocation, reorientation, postponement, or stopping of the project can be considered.
Partners and partner engagement
Depending on the preferred strategic option, Scaling Readiness supports the identification of key partners to work with using social network analysis. Overcoming some bottlenecks may require the engagement of a broad range of stakeholders (e.g. access to market information in the absence of a centralized information system), whereas overcoming other types of bottlenecks may require more bilateral collaborations with one or two partners in the network (e.g. access to credit, which most likely necessitates working directly with a bank or microfinance institute).
Scaling strategy
Decisions on strategic options, partners and partner engagement model, and plan of work and budget provide the basis for drafting a scaling strategy. Scaling strategies are likely to be different for different project sites, as the innovation packages, the scaling bottlenecks, but also the partners, are context specific.
Practices
Strategic options to overcome scaling bottlenecks guide partner selection and scaling strategy
Step 3 Objectives
Step 3 achieves the following 3 objectives:
- Objective 3.1: To identify the strategic options (substitute, outsource, develop, relocate, reorient, postpone, or stop) to address the scaling bottleneck(s) and update the innovation package.
- Objective 3.2: To identify and propose partners and partnership modalities and to develop a plan of work and a budget to overcome the scaling bottleneck(s).
- Objective 3.3: To develop a draft scaling strategy to overcome scaling bottleneck(s) for the different intervention locations.
Once draft scaling strategies have been developed for the different intervention locations, the user proceeds to Step 4.
Implementation
The implementation of Step 3 is facilitated through a coherent set of 3 activities and 5 sub-activities
- Objective 3.1: To identify the strategic options (substitute, outsource, develop, relocate, reorient, postpone, or stop) to address the scaling bottleneck(s) and update the innovation package.
- Activity 3.1: Identify the best strategic options to address the scaling bottleneck(s) and update the innovation package(s) for the different intervention locations.
- Sub-activity 3.1.1: Organize an intervention team meeting to decide on the best strategic options for overcoming the bottleneck innovations.
- Sub-activity 3.1.2: Diagnose the reconfigured innovation package.
- Activity 3.1: Identify the best strategic options to address the scaling bottleneck(s) and update the innovation package(s) for the different intervention locations.
- Objective 3.2: To identify and propose partners and partnership modalities and to develop a plan of work and a budget to overcome the scaling bottleneck(s).
- Activity 3.2: Identify partners and partnership modalities and develop a plan of work and a budget to overcome scaling bottleneck(s) for the different intervention locations.
- Sub-activity 3.2.1: Identify partner(s) and partnership modalities to overcome the bottleneck(s) to scaling the innovation packages in the different intervention locations.
- Sub-activity 3.2.2:Develop a draft plan of work and a budget for overcoming the bottleneck(s) to scaling the innovation packages in the different intervention locations.
- Activity 3.2: Identify partners and partnership modalities and develop a plan of work and a budget to overcome scaling bottleneck(s) for the different intervention locations.
- Objective 3.3: To develop a draft scaling strategy to overcome scaling bottleneck(s) for the different intervention locations.
- Activity 3.3: Develop, review, and finalize a draft scaling strategy.
- Sub-activity 3.3.1: Develop, review, and finalize the draft scaling strategy.
- Activity 3.3: Develop, review, and finalize a draft scaling strategy.
