Start a Circle/Winnable issues: Pipeline Workflow

How to scope, propose, and deliver a winnable issue

Ask the Circle:

Choose a narrow, winnable target that targets part of the larger problem

Example transformations:

High Level Issue	Winnable Version
Isolation amongst domestic violence survivors	Set up a safe communication channel for the survivor community
Dirty streets	Organise a trash cleanup day
Youth unemployment	Fundraise for a school’s IT department to improve the students' employability
Food insecurity	Set up a food bank
Digital exclusion of older population	Run in-person digital literacy sessions

Winnable issues must be owned by the community.

Required elements:

Local partners - who is already working on this and how can we support or learn from them?
Frontline validation - have the people directly affected validated that this is actually useful?
Small pilot group - bring together a small group of benefactors
Emotional resonance - do the Circle members really care about this issue and are continuing to volunteer, or is motivation fizzling out?

Circles should act as enablers, not top-down builders.

Core Principle:

Build With, Not For

Traditional development builds solutions for users.

Circle-based prototyping builds tools with participants, where:

The Circle’s role is to ideate, facilitate, coordinate, and provide infrastructure - not to centralise control.

In this step, you should create a shareable artefact:

In line with showcase-driven development, a prototype should produce something visible:

This artefact becomes:

Do not build complex dashboards.
Pick two to three metrics only.

Suggested signals:

If your winnable issue requires a technical solution, please refer to theLogos technical project management guide for support