Starting before you’re ready

YOU MUST START BEFORE YOU ARE READY!
•If you wait to prove that what you’re going to do will work and is the best possible use of resources, you’ll never do anything
•In this sense, taking no risks is the biggest risk of all
•The keys are therefore:
–Gather what evidence you can in the time available, do the analysis that you can and make sure you’ve involved everyone who can contribute
–Give yourself space to scale up or down if possible
–Continue to listen and develop good monitoring and feedback loops
–Prepare to learn as you go –and to make changes and refinements in the light of experience

ROYAL SOCIETY OF STATISTICS: COLES J., 10 RULES FOR EVIDENCE BASED POLICY MAKERS
http://www.rss.org.uk/pdf/080123%20rss1.pdf