Entry condition
A named problem, an accountable public counterpart, a review cadence and enough senior attention to make learning matter.
State Entry Point
GI begins where a state already has governance talent, mandate and operating attention.
The model works best when a state has embedded fellows, district teams, department staff or another credible talent layer already close to public problems. GI provides the missing action-learning architecture.
Not a parallel programme.
GI supports an existing state structure so it can produce stronger outcomes and permanent institutional learning. The district is often the primary unit of action, with municipal corporation, ULB, department or secretariat tracks where the problem sits elsewhere.
Unit of action
Districts, departments, municipalities or state offices depending on where the public problem actually sits.
Problem portfolio
State-priority themes plus context-specific tracks create focus without ignoring local realities.
Success route
Measurable improvements in a majority of Action Labs and a usable knowledge system the state can keep using.
Action Lab design
A state entry point becomes useful only when the work is specific enough to manage.
The docket frames Action Labs as named problem-solving cycles. The public website now keeps that logic visible without making unconfirmed claims about any one state.
Named public problem
Each lab starts with a problem statement, not a generic sector label. The problem must have an accountable owner, observable symptoms and a route to action.
Embedded anchor
The anchor is already close to the system: a fellow, district team member, department counterpart or other credible governance actor with access to the work.
Reviewable intervention
The first intervention is deliberately small enough to test, review and adapt, while still connected to a larger institutional priority.
90-day Action Lab cycle
A lab should move from diagnosis to reviewed learning inside one disciplined cycle.
The cycle is not a rigid template. It is a minimum operating spine that helps public teams test something real, learn from the work and decide whether to adapt, stop or scale.
Days 1-15
Frame
Define the public problem, owner, affected workflow, available data and review forum.
Days 16-30
Diagnose
Map causes, constraints, frontline signals and existing schemes before selecting an intervention.
Days 31-60
Test
Run a minimum viable intervention with clear indicators, routines and counterpart ownership.
Days 61-75
Review
Compare evidence, failures, adoption conditions and operational bottlenecks with the review forum.
Days 76-90
Codify
Turn learning into a playbook note, failure note, solution pathway or GovCap learning unit.
Operating cadence
Action Labs need routines, not only intent.
The cadence makes problem-solving visible enough to support decisions and disciplined enough to capture learning.
DailyField capture and learning logs
WeeklyMonitoring and problem-solving check-ins
MonthlyDistrict or department review
QuarterlyState-level learning review
Decision rights stay with the public system.
GI can help structure diagnosis, connect expertise, prepare reviews and capture learning. The public counterpart must own priorities, permissions, implementation choices and the final decision on whether a tested change should continue.
Public counterpart owns
Mandate, access, problem priority, review forum, implementation authority and permission to use field learning publicly.
GI supports
Problem framing, Solution Anchors, expert matching, evidence use, review preparation, learning capture and reuse through the Collective and GovCap.
GI support
The support architecture around existing governance talent.
Solution Anchors
People who help translate problem statements into field diagnosis, intervention design, review preparation and learning products.
Mentors and experts
A curated network of practitioners and specialists who can respond to specific governance problems.
Knowledge capture
Dashboards, playbooks, failure notes and Collective entries that make the learning reusable.
Data and review prep
Lightweight templates, indicators and review notes help public counterparts see progress without creating a separate reporting burden.
Solution matching
Relevant schemes, workflows, partners and external models are brought in only after the local problem has been diagnosed.
Exit discipline
The operating goal is durable capability: routines, knowledge objects and counterpart ownership that remain useful after GI steps back.