The benefits affair confirms what we have all known for a long time. It is not easy to deal efficiently with large quantities of legislation and regulations in a way that provides insight into how they have been interpreted and implemented at any given moment. This requires a different approach.
Every implementing agency experiences that the process of getting from legislation and policy texts to implementation is quite laborious. Policy fills the gaps between a legal text and practice. Officials translate policy into processes and systems. But all of this runs across many stages, is laborious and prone to error.
Can we ensure that at each step, we record the decisions made in such a way that it becomes possible, in one fell swoop, to validate the choices made, to trace them retrospectively and even to use them to determine the impact of changes in legislation and policy?
The answer is: yes, by creating formal models. These models are the central points of reference for work that flows from one department to another. They are a perfect steppingstone on which to hang all the nuances of practice. And they ensure that law and execution correspond. A well-developed model makes the structure and coherence of large amounts of information clear. It makes it possible to communicate very specifically in a large and complex reality.
It is sometimes thought that the use of models is a technical affair. We challenge anyone who has this view to take a broader look at the use of models! It is precisely the use of central models, to which everyone can contribute from their own expertise, that creates a clear shared picture. The use of models prevents misunderstandings between cooperating parties.
Jointly drafted and supported models make it possible for the process of implementing the law to run smoothly. They also create an overview of who has made which choices and where. They show how and where choices influence each other. For instance, we can see whether all implementation choices are also related to legal policy texts. And since the various layers are also connected, the impact of changes to laws or systems is much clearer than when a traditional approach is followed.
How can you work with different knowledge holders of different expertise on one model, in a way that is consistent and repeatable in many projects? We at PNA know a thing or two about that. We have been successfully working on the answer to this question since 1989. And we are more than happy to share our knowledge!
The CogNIAM core workshop takes half a day and gives a clear picture of the core of our method: the structured and understandable translation of information from documents and the knowledge and experience of colleagues into a model, determining the right type of model for the right type of knowledge and making connections between different types of models.
After this workshop you will be able to apply the principles of our method to the way your organisation works. If necessary, you can then follow a more in-depth workshop, or make a flying start via coaching-on-the-job under the supervision of our trainers and consultants.