Every project seeking to achieve an ambition will be propelled by enablers and stymied by barriers. It is important to clearly identify the forces working in their favor and those that limit or stall their progress. Step three is about intentionally reviewing the list of attributes common in the nuclear industry, which was developed as part of this research, and intentionally leveraging enablers to drive progress while mitigating the negative impact of the barriers to ambition.
Turning ambition into action require a lot of activity. The specific actions that result in ambition being realized will vary depending on the project—some will be complex and in need of constant reevaluation while others will be more straightforward. Step two of the framework is all about clearly establishing the actions and milestones that need to be completed to make progress towards the ambition. This involves selecting the appropriate change, work, or innovation model to achieve the ambition and conducting the strategic planning that defines and assigns the tasks that must be completed at each stage of the project. A plan for measuring, tracking, and communicating progress throughout the project must also be created and implemented.
Lacking a clear and commonly understood ambition can derail innovation from the start. Step one of the framework involves gathering all stakeholders to collectively define the ambition being sought. This will inevitably be an iterative process, but at the end a clear ambition will outline what problem is being solved, why it’s important now, who it impacts, and how long it will take. Another component of this initial step is defining what success looks like, including how outcomes are measured, who will feel the benefits, and what fundamental improvements will come after achieving the ambition. Finally, the first step includes crafting a narrative around the ambition that communicates what ultimate success looks like, why the ambition matters, and what role individuals play in achieving the ambition.
Outcome
Outcome
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action
Ambition
STEP THREE
STEP TWO
STEP ONE
Step One: Define the ambition and outcome
Step Two: Identifying the actions
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action-ring
action-ring
action-ring
action-ring
action-ring
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action-ring
Step Three: Balance the attributes that can be barriers or enablers
Enablers
Barriers
Barriers
Enablers
Framework Steps
action