CASE STUDY
Investment Logic Map (ILM) development, supported by workshop facilitation
Multiple – including government departments, local authorities, DHBs and other Crown entities
The opportunity
The Strategic Case is the critical first element in the development of any business case for investment. It defines the case for change, and is designed to ensure that effort is not put into developing business cases where there is not a compelling reason for investment (a solution looking for a problem) or where the benefits are unlikely to outweigh the costs.
An Investment Logic Map (ILM) is a tool to support development of the Strategic Case. It is designed to be the entry point, bringing together the people who best understand the current problems and potential opportunities for a series of facilitated conversations resulting in a one page, plain English, summary of the most important reasons for investment, the benefits to be gained, and the potential responses and solutions. Linda Meade is an accredited ILM facilitator. Agencies are required to use accredited facilitators for high risk investments.
What we did
Recent ILMs have included:
For the Auckland Light Rail project, a refresh of the ILM developed for the Indicative Business Case (IBC), to be fit for purpose for the Detailed Business Case (DBC). It is a requirement for DBCs that the Strategic Case be revisited and updated for any material changes since it was signed off for the IBC. For Auckland Light Rail, a shift in strategic thinking had resulted in a mis-alignment between the original ILM and the investment objectives underpinning the preferred option decision. Linda spent prior to the workshop understanding the basis for this shift in thinking, talking to a range of key stakeholders. She was able to bring this to the table in facilitating a conversation, resulting in a revised ILM acceptable to all parties.
For Whangarei District Council, a project team had been put in place charged with developing a business case to revitalise the town centre by encouraging more people to live in the centre of the city. Linda facilitated two back-to-back ILMs on the same day (the Problems workshop, then the Benefits workshop) allowing informed participants to contribute to a fully developed ILM in a very efficient manner. This was then used as the basis for developing a plan. In this case the ILM was an effective vehicle to support important conversations, not an end of itself.
For the Ministry for Primary Industries, a joint industry / government working group was charged with standing up a pricing system for agricultural emissions. This ILM was conducted entirely on-line. It was unusual in that the ILM discussions were used as a forum for a range of parties with differing positions on agricultural emissions pricing to air their views in a safe way. This meant that participants from government agencies were largely quiet during the workshops, sitting back and listening to the perspectives of producers. However ultimately the ILM needed to meet the needs of the government as a basis for a business case and this meant the ILM took longer than usual to finalise.
The outcome
Linda’s preferred approach to supporting ILMs is to be involved not just as a so-called “content free” facilitator, but rather to support the development of the Strategic Case, with the ILM acting as the entry point. This requires more effort up front to talk to stakeholders and read background material but she believes the end result is a much more contextually enriched ILM, and a better, more compelling Strategic Case.
Our team
