The MAPLES Worksheet is a practical tool for designing policy in complex environments. Built around the MAPLES framework — Map, Assess, Prototype, Learn, Enable, Scale — it helps teams surface barriers, identify levers, and chart adaptive next steps. Designed as a conversation tool, not a reporting template, the worksheet makes it
The worksheet guides you through six adaptive steps:
What conditions, pressures, or disruptions are shaping the environment?
Who must be involved? Who holds power, influence, or lived experience?
What future change are you aiming for? What small moves or leverage points could shift the system?
How will you know if it’s working? What signals or feedback loops matter?
What decisions or supports could remove blockers and strengthen what’s effective?
What’s needed to expand, replicate, or embed success more widely?
- Creates a structured path for adaptive policy design
- Builds shared ownership by engaging diverse stakeholders
- Encourages learning through testing and feedback
- Helps teams spot roadblocks and levers early
- Provides a step-by-step way to reduce policy risk and scale what works
Bring the worksheet to your next policy or strategy session and choose one issue to work on. Move through each MAPLES step as a group, capturing headlines rather than long notes. The worksheet works best when filled in collaboratively, with different voices in the room. Use it as a living tool — one that evolves as you test, learn, and adapt your approach.
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