Getting agile about wicked problems: An outcomes framework for local council community development initiatives

Getting agile about wicked problems: An outcomes framework for local council community development initiatives

This paper provides an outcomes framework for local councils attempting to resolve wicked problems. Learning from the adoption of agile approaches in the project management discipline, the framework’s pillars take into account community development considerations, the strengths and weaknesses of community development’s theory of change approach, and the twelve principles underpinning the agile manifesto. The framework is a systematic, iterative, evidence-based and highly participatory management approach. This participatory approach is proposed to be particularly important when working with vulnerable or disadvantaged communities, and the iterative nature avoids the futility of attempting to predict the behaviour of complex societal issues. While a variety of benefits are anticipated to be derived from the use of the framework, it is also acknowledged that it is a significant shift away from traditional, less participatory ‘waterfall’ approaches and this will not be without challenges.