Implementation at Scale:A Guide for Scaling Social Business

Rizwan TayabaliSupported by Ashoka Globalizer

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Adapted from

The PATRI Framework for Scaling Social Impact

© Rizwan Tayabali, 2014

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The PATRI framework takes you step by step through all the aspects of diligence needed to understand whether or not scaling is feasible

for you and if so, to produce an effective scaling plan that you can follow during implementation.

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PATRI Framework

IPurpose

IIApplicability

(Viability)

IIITransferability

IVReadiness

VImplementation

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An overview of the complete PATRI Framework, is provided in a

linked presentation called ...

“PATRI Framework for Scaling Social Business”

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PATRI Framework

Caveats1. The following guide is specifically targeted at social

businesses and therefore places an emphasis on financial viability along with impact i.e. It is designed for organisations that create their impact through the use of business models.

2. The PATRI Framework is focused on scaling rather than incremental growth. If you are simply aiming to set up operations in another location or enter another market, then the framework will still offer you value, but some aspects of it may only be applicable a bit further down the line.

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The 1st step of the Framework is to define purpose and targets, without which you have no

useful basis for planning or design.

If you haven’t already got clarity around these, more support is provided in a

linked presentation called ...“Defining Purpose: A Guide To

Scaling Social Business”

Purpose

The 2nd step of the Framework, is to understand whether or not your model will be applicable at

scale, and if not, how you could adjust it to make it more relevant and viable.

If you haven’t already considered applicability, support is provided in a

linked presentation called ...“Applicability at Scale: A Guide To

Scaling Social Business”Applicability

(Viability)

The 3rd step of the Framework is to improve your solution and model’s ability to be replicated or delivered by others i.e. to

ensure that it is systematic and transferable for use in scaling, either by your own teams

or by external partners.

If you haven’t already addressed transferability, support is provided in a

linked presentation called ...“Transferability for Scale: A Guide To

Scaling Social Business” Transferability

The 4th step of the Framework helps you establish whether or not your organisation and people are ready for scaling, and if not,

what you can do about it.

If you haven’t already addressedreadiness, more support is provided in a

linked presentation called ...“Readiness to Scale: A Guide To

Scaling Social Business”IV

Readiness

Once you have understood what is required to get your organisation and people ready for

scaling, you can move on to the final piece of the planning process, which is to prepare for

implementation.

This guide thus focuses specifically on the 5th and final step of the Framework, which

helps you plan the journey and manage implementation when scaling.

Implementation

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The actual process of scaling needs to be managed like a complex project with

wide-reaching organisational implications.

Implementation

A robust scaling plan will therefore be essential if you are to be successful in

raising the support needed to scale.

It will also be critical in helping you scale without all the usual growing pains that

organisations typically suffer from.

Implementation

A good place to start is with a roadmap for implementation.

Implementation

A roadmap is an outline of all the different activities that comprise implementation, laid

out in dependency order, over whatever timeframe you believe is sensible for execution.

It is a useful visual aid for planning, and if converted into a Gantt chart, should become

your primary implementation management tool.

Implementation

Implementation can typically bebroken into five phases ...

Implementation

Key Phases

1 Planning

2 Resourcing

3Setup

4Execution

5 Impact

Monitoring & Quality Control

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VImplementation

While these phases have a chronological order of dependency, in practice various aspects can

and do happen in parallel.

For clarity however, it is worth starting with a plan that clearly shows dependencies and

delineates between the phases.

Implementation

If you've worked your way through the previous sections of this framework, you should already have most of the thought process, design and organisational aspects of planning covered.

Implementation

1 Planning

All that should be left at this stage is to

1. Aggregate your requirements for scaling from the previous sections

(skills, capacity, technology, infrastructure etc).

2. Aggregate the costs of those requirements.

Implementation

1 Planning

Once you’ve got your overall costs and requirements together, the next step is to

find the necessary resources.

Implementation

2 Resourcing

If these resources are not already available to your organisation, you may need to raise the

funds to finance the set-up and execution stages.

Implementation

2 Resourcing

For this you will need to create formal business plans and develop financing proposals

or fund-raising campaigns, depending on whether or not your social business has a

commercial or non-profit status.

Implementation

2 Resourcing

If you have a fully commercial structure, there are a number of financing options

you could consider ...

Implementation

2 Resourcing

Financing Options for Social BusinessesSeed investors

Angel investor groupsPatient capital groups (Acumen, etc.)

RSF Social FinanceNet Impact, Echoing Green

Peer to peer lending (Prosper, etc.)Business plan competitions

Microfinance institutionsBanks/credit unions (USDA, Shorebank, Vancity etc.)

Pension fundsBusiness co-op networks

Investors CircleCommunity alliances

RISE InvestingMondragon / Evergreen Cooperatives

Social Capital PartnersInvesteco

Renewal Partners

Source – Open Source Green: Overview of Brainstorming Sessions, 2010.

Implementation

2 Resourcing

But first it is worth establishing the type of funding that you will need ...

Implementation

2 Resourcing

Identifying Your Ideal Funding Structure

Source – Chelwood Capital

PE/VC = Private equity / venture capital SRI = Socially responsible investments WC =Working capital

Implementation

2 Resourcing

If you are structured as a non-profit on the other hand, you might find it a little harder to

raise commercial finance.

However, there are still philanthropic options available to you ...

Implementation

2 Resourcing

Philanthropic Funding for Social Business

Source – From Blueprint to Scale - Case for Philanthropy in Impact Investing. Koh, Karamchandani & Katz 2012

Implementation

2 Resourcing

While it is obvious that you may need finance to increase production or service delivery, a key

aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked is the funds needed to boost your skills and capacity

towards your optimal operating size.

Implementation

2 Resourcing

Depending on your approach, you may then need to restructure teams, recruit as

necessary, improve technological scalability and run any change management programs

that are needed to help get your people ready to start scaling.

Implementation

2 Resourcing

Set-up is where you get your operations ready and make them scalable.

Implementation

3Setup

At this stage you will need to start increasing the capacity of your output, production,

platforms, technologies and physical infrastructures to make them capable of

supporting the full roll-out of your scaling ambitions.

Implementation

3Setup

You will also need to consider messaging and materials to recruit and enable any commercial and non-commercial partners you plan to work

with when scaling.

Implementation

3Setup

If using delivery partners or franchisees, you will need to expand and formalise the operating manuals you developed

during the transferability stage.

Implementation

3Setup

Franchise Operating Manual

Source – Social Franchising © Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, Berlin 2008

Implementation

3Setup

Finally, for social businesses that choose to scale through the use of external partners or

franchisees, contracts and other formal agreements need to be drawn up at this stage.

Implementation

3Setup

Typical Contract Categories

Source – Social Franchising © Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, Berlin 2008

Implementation

3Setup

Execution involves the actual process of delivering or rolling out your model and impact

to reach the scale you have planned for.

Implementation

4Execution

This stage primarily involves boosting the distribution or delivery of your

products or services.

Implementation

4Execution

To support this, you may need to

1. Enable your wider delivery network with support and technology.

2. Launch any marketing campaigns to drive and support take-up.

3. Manage any partners or third-parties you are working with.

Implementation

4Execution

You will also need to boost your impact monitoring and quality control team so that it is ready to cope with the increase in workload as

your reach expands.

Implementation

4Execution

Once you’ve scaled up, and your new operations are reaching need and servicing demand as

planned, you will reach the final stage, which essentially involves maintaining quality and supporting your ongoing rate of expansion.

Implementation

5 Impact

Monitoring & Quality Control

Here you will need to manage finances, logistics, technology and third parties

(partners, manufacturers, distributors, agents, franchisees etc.) as applicable to your model.

Implementation

5 Impact

Monitoring & Quality Control

In parallel you will need to monitor and collect impact data, manage quality, collate and share

learning across your organisation and/or network, and finally use that learning to drive

continuous improvement and greater efficiencies as you scale.

Implementation

5 Impact

Monitoring & Quality Control

When visualising your roadmap you may need to break your activities into a series

of work-streams that reflect differentoperational aspects ...

Implementation

CoreImplementation

Streams

Strategy & Planning

Finance and fund-raising

Human Resources

Infrastructure

TechnologyCommunications

(Internal & External)

Management of delivery agents

Handover materials

(as necessary)

Training / Advisory

(as necessary)

Impact monitoring &

Quality Control

Implementation

You can then lay them out in a swim-lane diagram that allows you to see exactly what is

going to happen and when.

Implementation

Sample Implementation Roadmap

Implementation

Source – PATRI Framework for Scaling Social Impact © Rizwan Tayabali, 2014

Once you have the roadmap visualised, you can combine it with your business plans or funding

proposals for added robustness.

Implementation

When it comes to actually project managing the process of scaling, simply convert the roadmap into a Gantt Chart. Fill in timeframes, and major

and minor milestones, and you should have a practical way to manage, track and monitor the

implementation of your scaling journey.

Implementation

To summarise, many of the pitfalls in scaling can be overcome simply by considering the

factors involved. However, it isn’t necessary to address them all to prohibitive levels of detail.

If done reasonably well, in combination with a good roadmap, you should be able to inspire confidence both within your organisation and also amongst the supporters that you need to

back your scaling endeavours.

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PATRI Framework

©Rizwan Tayabali, 2014

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