The big idea: An idea is only as real as the plan behind it, so show the client exactly what happens first, who owns it, what it needs and who will help.
In 60 seconds
- An idea becomes real only when someone can run it. Show the client what happens first, who owns it, what it needs and who helps.
- Lay out the plan as Now, Next and Later. Keep Now small and start with a pilot.
- Sort every resource into have, partner or need, give each item an owner at the client, and tag growth steps as improve, extend or create.
Do this: build a Now, Next, Later roadmap with owners, resources and partners for your Final Prototype Presentation and technical report.
How implementation planning works
A good idea becomes an innovation only when someone can run it. Implementation planning answers the client’s first questions: what happens first, who does it, with what resources, with which partners, and how could it grow? This is the feasibility side of your recommendation.
Now
The next 90 days. A pilot in one place, the people who run it and the few things that must be ready.
Keep it: 1 to 4 moves.
Next
3 to 12 months. Expand what worked in the pilot, fix what did not and set up routines.
Shows: how proof turns into a habit.
Later
1 year and beyond. New users, new places or new offerings once the core works.
Shows: the growth story, mapped with Ways to Grow.
Resource assessment: what does it take?
Look at five kinds of resources
- People. Who runs it every day, and how many hours does it take?
- Money. One-time costs to start and ongoing costs to keep it running.
- Stuff. Space, equipment, materials and technology.
- Data and permission. Approvals, policies, data access and sign-offs.
- Know-how. Skills or training the client does not have yet.
For each one, sort it
- We have it. The client already owns or controls it.
- A partner provides it. Someone else has it and has a reason to help.
- We still need it. A gap. Name how you will find out or who could fill it.
Ways to Grow: where could this go?
The Field Guide offers a simple framework for growth: compare who you serve (current or new users) with what you offer (current or new offerings). Use it to place each growth step.
Improve
Same users, a better version of what already exists. Lowest risk.
Example: add pickup shelves to more dining halls for the same students.
Extend
Reach new users, or offer something close to what you already do.
Example: run the same pickup model at late-night campus events.
Create
A new offering for new users. Highest risk and highest learning.
Example: pre-ordered meal kits for commuter students.
Framework adapted from IDEO.org, The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design. Most capstone recommendations start in Improve and show one Extend or Create step for Later.
Build partnershipsWho has what you lack, and why would they help?
A partner is anyone outside the core team who supplies a resource, an audience or credibility. Find them by looking at your resource gaps.
- Start from the gap. “We need text alerts” points to the app vendor or campus IT.
- Name what they get. Partners help when it serves their goals: visibility, data, cost savings, mission, or students who become future hires.
- Make a small first ask. A meeting, a letter of support or a trial is easier to say yes to than a contract.
- Think across sectors. Nonprofits, city departments, campus offices, suppliers and alumni can all be partners.
Staffing your projectThe roles every implementation needs
Owner
One person at the client who is accountable for the whole thing.
Watch out: “the team” or “TBD” means nobody owns it.
Decision maker
The person who approves money, policy or space.
Watch out: if they first hear about it in your final presentation, expect a no.
Doers
The frontline staff who run it every day.
Watch out: they need time and training, not just instructions.
Champion
Someone respected who talks it up and keeps it alive when things get busy.
Watch out: when a champion leaves, plan who picks it up.
Students do not staff the client’s project after the course ends. Your plan must work with people the client already has or can realistically add.
Try it: Implementation Roadmap Planner
Tool · BUAD 497
Implementation Roadmap Planner
Lay out Now, Next and Later, who owns each piece and where the resources come from.
- 1Plan
- 2Check
- 3Share
First move
All readiness checks
A client reads a roadmap looking for who does what with which resources. Gaps here become the first questions in your presentation.
Your roadmap
Put it to work: the feasibility plan in your presentation and report
This planning starts in the Implementation phase in December and runs through spring. It shows up as the next steps in your Final Prototype Presentation and as the feasibility evidence (resources, skills, partnerships) in the Desirability, Viability, Feasibility, Sustainability and Ethics section of your HCD Technical Report and EUReCA poster.
List what the idea needs
Walk through one day of the solution running and list every person, cost, item, permission and skill it touches.
Your deliverable: a resource list sorted into have, partner and need.
Find partners for the gaps
For each “need,” name who could provide it and what they get out of it.
Your deliverable: a short partner list with the first ask for each.
Assign owners
Give every item an owner role at the client, plus a decision maker and a champion.
Your deliverable: a staffing line for each roadmap item.
Build the roadmap
Place items in Now, Next and Later. Keep Now small and start with a pilot.
Your deliverable: the roadmap slide or figure for your presentation and report.
Map growth
Tag Next and Later steps as Improve, Extend or Create.
Your deliverable: one sentence on how the idea could grow, for your Conclusions and Recommendations.
Before you submitCheck your roadmap
- [ ] Now starts with a pilot or test and has no more than 4 moves.
- [ ] Every item has a named owner role at the client.
- [ ] Every missing resource has a partner or a step to find one.
- [ ] No single person carries most of the work.
- [ ] At least one growth step is tagged with Ways to Grow.
- [ ] Your client contact has seen the roadmap before the presentation.
Go deeper
Back to all BUAD 497 topics · Next: Pilot, Define Success and Sustain It
In-class team activity · 30 min
Roadmap Stress Test
By the end: A Now, Next, Later roadmap for your client project with owners, resource sources and one growth step, stress-tested by another team. Your instructor will give you the password in class.
Part of the Smith GLS human-centered leadership sequence: IB 407, BUAD 317 and BUAD 497, toward the Human Centered Consulting Certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What is an implementation roadmap?
An implementation roadmap shows a client what happens first, who owns it, what it needs and who will help. It sorts work into Now (the next 90 days, starting with a pilot and 1 to 4 moves), Next (3 to 12 months) and Later (a year and beyond). It is the feasibility side of a recommendation.
How do you do a resource assessment for a project?
List five kinds of resources: people, money, stuff, data and permission, and know-how. A simple way is to walk through one day of the solution running and note every person, cost, item, permission and skill it touches. Then sort each one into we have it, a partner provides it, or we still need it.
What is the Ways to Grow framework?
Ways to Grow is a framework from IDEO.org's Field Guide to Human-Centered Design that compares who you serve with what you offer. Improve means the same users get a better version, with the lowest risk. Extend reaches new users or offers something close. Create is a new offering for new users, with the highest risk and learning.
What are common mistakes in an implementation roadmap?
Common mistakes include putting 12 things in month one, listing owners as "the team," "the client" or "TBD," and assuming money or staff will appear. A Later column of vague wishes like "go national" also hurts credibility. The biggest trap is a plan that only works if the student team keeps running it after the course ends.
What roles does every implementation plan need?
Every implementation needs an owner, a decision maker, doers and a champion. The owner is one person at the client accountable for the whole thing. The decision maker approves money, policy or space. Doers are frontline staff who need time and training. A champion keeps the idea alive, so plan who picks it up if they leave.