The India Backbone Implementation Network

8/11/2019 The India Backbone Implementation Network

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The India Backbone Implementation Network

Why

The India Backbone Implementation Network (IbIn) is an idea whose time has come.

The progress of India, in the growth of its economy, in creating more jobs and

livelihoods for its young and growing population, in the creation of infrastructure, in the

provision of public services, and in the improvement of its institutions, has been

hampered by contentions amongst stakeholders and by confusion in implementation.

A root cause for the stalling of policies and projects, and often their reversal too, are

contentions amongst stakeholderswithin government, within industry, within civil

society, and contentions between civil society, industry and government stakeholders.

We must address this root cause to accelerate our progress. IbIn focuses attention on

the root cause; and it provides techniques and tools with which the contentions can be

converted into collaboration, and the manifest confusion into coordination. Thus IbIn will

enable collaborative implementationthe need of the hour for Indias progressto be

faster and more certain.
http://www.ibinmovement.in/wp-content/uploads/Power-of-Alignment.png


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GenesisIndia has huge potential but there are many constraints to growth. A study of the root

causes for why projects in India get stuck highlighted issues like conflict ing interests

amongst stakeholders, and poor coordination between agencies. As a result,

implementation failures exist at many levelsat the centre, in the states, in districts and

cities too. Therefore, to address these challenges to implementation, the 12th Five Year

Plan recognized the need for a backbone organization, which led to the

conceptualization of IbIn.

The concept of the IBIN was then developed through extensive discussions within the

country of the root causes for coordination and implementation failures and through

exploration of methods of coordination and effective implementation adopted by other

countries. The concept was then offered for criticism to an international panel of expertsin national evolution strategies, consisting of Dani Rodrik and Ricardo Hausmann

(Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy), Charles Sabel (Columbia Law School),

Francis Fukuyama (Stanford University) and Mushtaq Khan (London Univ.) The concept

was well endorsed, which led to the launch of IbIn in April 2013 as a Planning

Commission initiative under the leadership of Mr. Arun Maira and anchored by

India@75.

Structure


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The movement has been modeled on the Total Quality Movement (TQM) of Japan,

which revolutionized Japan and made the manufacturing sector in Japan recognizable

as an international benchmark for excellence.

Several agencies and organizations have developed techniques and tools in the areas

of stakeholder alignment, policy analysis and project management. We call these

process expertsIbIn Enablers. Their services are made available to IbIn Channelsfor

sharing, co-creating, coaching and consulting in these areas. IbIn Sponsorsare

supporters of the IbIn movement, providing financial assistance to nodes and specific


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IbIn projects and initiatives, as well as contributing human resources and other forms of

support.

IbIn Nodesare lean cells, typically located within larger institutions, which are

committed to promoting and catalyzing the IbIn movement. The IbIn Nodes diagnose

the issue at hand, and then match the specific needs of a project to the capabilities of

the IbIn Enablers in the backbone network, thus playing the role of market-makers.

They also act as knowledge repositories and aggregators of toolkits and best practices.

In this way, the IbIn movement promotes widespread capabilities in the country to

systematically convert confusion to coordination, contention to collaboration, and

intentions to implementation.

HowIbIn Projects are initiated when one or more stakeholders of an issue approach an IbIn

node for an intervention (we call these primary stakeholders IbIn Channels). The

underlying causes of the issues facing Channels are essentially the same

coordination and implementation failures due to lack of stakeholder alignment,

contention among stakeholders, or intentions not getting translated into actions. Since

these issues are encountered by projects across the scale-geography spectrum, IbIn

projects can range from improvement in labour relations to self-governance in villages,

improvement in business regulatory regimes of States to health care strategy for the

country, PPPP in urban infrastructure to creation of an integrated energy policy, toname just a few.

No two IbIn projects are the same, but most projects will benefit from the application of

methodical approaches to build consensus, evaluate information, and plan and


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coordinate implementation -i.e. the IbIn Way. A typical IbIn intervention will follow one or

more of the steps outlined below.

Diagnosis

The IbIn node works with the Channel to help diagnose and understand the issue at

hand. The policy issues are analyzed, important stakeholders are shortlisted, and an

initial assessment is made of the stuckedness of the situation and the type of

intervention needed. Based on the intervention proposed, the IbIn node can then

propose a process expert (Enabler) and a content / subject matter expert, as is

appropriate.

Stakeholder Alignment

The Channel performs a stakeholder analysis with the IbIn Enablers assistance, to map

stakeholders and their interests in the issue. Strategic relationships are formed with key

stakeholders. The Enabler plays a key role in designing and facilitating the multi-

stakeholder dialogue process, where the stakeholders can meet to productively discuss

the issue.

Situation/Policy Analysis

During this stage, the Enabler leads the stakeholders through a shared exploration of

the facts and options that are available to be pursued. This could include joint fact-

finding, scenario planning, expert opinions, mapping of strategic options etc. Once a

general consensus on goals is reached, the stakeholders are then coached towards


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preparing a roadmap for implementation. A steering model is developed, the

architecture of the intervention is designed, roles and responsibilities are agreed upon,

and measurement systems are instituted.

Project Management

The plans developed at an earlier stage are now put into motion. A steering committee

and project management office maintain coordination with the various stakeholders. The

IbIn Enablers ensure that implementers are equipped with the project management

skills they need to manage project scope, quality, risks, timelines, and human

resources. Reporting and measurement systems keep both the stakeholders and

steering committee abreast of developments.

Learning and Innovation

At all stages of the project, the Channel, the Enabler, and the IbIn node stay in close

contact to monitor the progress of the project. Through debriefing and proper knowledge

management, lessons are codified and documented, to be shared where they will be

useful in other parts of the IbIn network. The Channel, in turn, will have access to

lessons and best practices from other IbIn projects that can speed up implementation.

The India Backbone Implementation Network

Documents

Transcript of The India Backbone Implementation Network