A large government agency engaged APPI to support a complex service planning process in a contested policy environment. The engagement involved stakeholders with diverse perspectives shaped by lived experience, professional expertise and advocacy.
APPI worked with the agency and the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to design and facilitate an approach aimed at building shared understanding across stakeholder groups. Drawing on academic evidence, behavioural insights and practical facilitation techniques, APPI developed a structured workshop process that helped participants surface assumptions, recognise system constraints and better understand differing perspectives.
Central to the approach was the co‑design of a Ways of Working approach. The Ways of Working translated existing engagement principles into practical behaviours that aim to guide stakeholders in how to participate, navigate disagreement, and contribute to the planning process. It aimed to establish a shared foundation for engagement and support more focused, forward‑looking discussions.
The approach incorporated evidence‑based engagement techniques, including an innovative role‑reversal exercise that invited participants to consider the policy challenge from alternative stakeholder perspectives. This enabled participants to engage with competing priorities and trade‑offs in a way that supported perspective‑taking and more constructive dialogue.
The engagement aimed to establish conditions for more informed and constructive dialogue. Participants had greater visibility of the policy context, operational constraints and the range of perspectives shaping service planning discussions.
Beyond the immediate project, APPI supported a broader capability uplift within the agency. Teams were equipped with repeatable frameworks, tools and facilitation approaches to support engagement in similarly complex and contested settings. This strengthened the agency’s capability to design evidence‑informed consultation processes that can build trust, align diverse perspectives, and support the translation of stakeholder input into service planning decisions.