DESIGNING IMPACTFUL PROJECTS
Whilst at Forum for the Future. I was responsible for founding and leading the Protein Challenge 2040 initiative, the first international collaboration to consider how to meet the nutrition needs of a growing population within environmental limits.
I led a multidisciplinary team to ensure the development of a robust diagnosis, articulated a clear vision, and designed subsequent projects to address identified areas of action. Some of the tools which we used collaboratively that were critical to the success included:
System mapping
We developed a system map of the protein system involving several expert-led workshops and through understanding the different protein value chains like wild-caught fish, aquaculture, beef, poultry, dairy, plants, and more that were integral to the whole system. In each session, the map got richer and more complex, and we ended up with a colourful map that looked not unlike a London tube map. The mapping improved our sense of the inter-dependencies across the system, for example, the dependence on the natural world for all the sources of protein, and the interactions between plants, animals and alternative proteins. The mapping also gave us a clearer picture of the powerful actors in the system through the bottlenecks, for example with major retailers having the key relationships with consumers.
Using future scenarios
We are often bogged down in the present and find it difficult to envision the future and fully understand the risks and opportunities. We developed different future scenarios which helped model the inherent uncertainties. These scenarios were also based on tracking ‘signals of change’ which provided windows of what the future might look like. For example, when we started there was much-emerging innovation in the sector, particularly around alternative proteins for human and animal production already taking place.
We used our collective scenarios to identify areas of action that need to be addressed from across the system from changing diets to addressing animal feed and looking at opportunities for using waste streams.
Designing innovation pilots
Once we had identified the areas for action, we needed to identify ways of addressing these. We used design thinking bringing in experts and stimulus to provoke innovative ideas. On changing diets, we found the importance of engaging leading chefs who were the culinary designers and important in shaping food culture. On digging further, we found the need to change culinary education to inspire the next generation of chefs. In doing so at each stage, we needed to bring in a wider group of stakeholders in a collaborative platform, particularly those with the power to drive the changes.
There were a couple of key learnings for me from the scale of the initiative:
-The need to build a broad ecosystem of experts and stakeholders in the system, bringing in unusual suspects with different perspectives. Bridging conventional silos whether across different industries or between academia, business or NGOs was hugely valuable for everyone involved.
-Collaborative projects of this nature can often develop further ahead than the organisation’s strategies. It is important to build in time and tools for individual organisation’s strategies to align with the process. Strong visual outputs along the way can support this conversation.
