Creating the conditions for test and learn
Establish a culture of test and learn and overcome barriers in your organisation.
To support test and learn projects, look at how you can influence wider ways of working across your organisation and system.
Setting the right culture
Your organisation needs to be willing to take risks on new approaches. Work with leaders to shape a culture that:
- tests new ideas, prizes curiosity and accepts failure
- encourages shared learning by making it standard practice to work in the open and talk about what does not work, as well as what does work
- values collaboration and respects people from different disciplines and backgrounds
- supports team wellbeing, recognising that doing things differently requires resilience and strong networks
Sharing what works and what does not
Join networks to share your experiences and learn from others. If a network does not exist in your area or sector, consider working with peers to set one up. For example, the South West Test and Learn Network first met in June 2026. Generating interest in test and learn across your organisation and area can help change mindset and culture.
You can also join the national Test, Learn and Grow (TLG) Network to broaden learning and sharing.
Telling stories about your work
Share stories that show the impact of your service or intervention on the people who use it. Storytelling motivates others, and enables them to see why the test and learn approach works.
You can share stories in different ways, for example by:
- writing blog posts – see Camden Council’s Change by Design blog for examples
- making videos
- giving presentations – read the Doing presentations guide by Giles Turnbull
- bringing your work to the TLG Network to get community feedback, or starting your own group
Building capabilities
A range of skills are needed to run test and learn projects, including design, evaluation and research.
You can build these skills by:
- setting up dedicated test and learn teams
- updating training and leadership programmes to grow local expertise
You’ll also need to work with wider teams so they accept these new ways of working and value input from different disciplines and voices.
Read the guidance on the skills you need in your team.
Giving teams autonomy to make decisions
Budget spend can often cause friction. Consider releasing the budget in stages, based on the team meeting agreed outcomes. Delegating financial authority lets teams iterate quickly without having to get approval for every change in direction.
System barriers can get in the way of teams following a test and learn approach. These barriers range from fragmented funding and complex spending approvals to data sharing and skill gaps.
The Test, Learn and Grow programme is working to solve these issues in central government.
You can also influence conditions in your organisation. For example, leaders can:
- change the way internal processes are managed, such as recruitment
- create a culture where working in the open is standard practice
- work more collaboratively with partners
Example: improved data sharing leads to better decisions
Staff in Somerset Council faced a safeguarding challenge because information about children and families was stored in separate systems. As a result, services often missed opportunities to intervene, and families had to retell their story to many different people.
To solve this challenge, a test and learn team created the Transform Family View system. It brings together information from more than 30 data sources across children’s social care, education and health.
The system presents this data in one secure place to show:
- a child’s vulnerabilities
- which services are involved
- who else is supporting the family
- actions staff have already taken
Having this information in one place helps staff make better decisions and provide more coordinated support for children.