Co-Creation & Change Management Methodology
A Practical Framework for Collaborative Rulebook/ Governance Framework Development
1. What Is Co-Creation?
Co-creation is a collaborative and incremental design process in which diverse stakeholders jointly define challenges, explore ideas, and develop shared solutions.
It moves beyond consultation, instead focusing on shared ownership, transparency, and learning through iteration.
Co-creation brings together expertise from policy, business, technical, and legal domains to ensure that what is designed is inclusive, implementable, and collaborative.
2. Why Co-Creation Matters?
Ensures alignment between strategic goals and operational realities.
Builds trust and commitment among contributors.
Encourages transparency and accountability in decision-making.
Creates solutions that are tested, adaptable, and widely accepted.
Brings the community together and shares the ownership of the Governance Framework among the practical implementers
A collaborative approach to pragmatic improvements aligning with the needs of the users.
3. The Co-Creation Process
Co-creation within a Data Space builds on a few practical, repeatable steps.
Each Data Space initiative is free to tailor this process; this process is not linear, but there is a learning curve with being consistent with the guiding questions and building blocks defined in the Data Space Template/Rulebook.
Prepare Your Foundation
Establish your own working version of the iSHARE Data Space Template.
Copy the template, create a local version, and review the building blocks relevant to your initiative.
Map Stakeholders and Responsibilities
Identify who needs to be involved and where.
Map stakeholders and assign them to the most relevant building blocks. See the supporting template for this attached below.
Explain the Co-Creation Approach
Ensure everyone is aligned on the collaboration process.
Share the co-creation methodology, guiding questions, and topics from the Data Space Template with your stakeholders (You can use the supporting template shared above as well). Clarify how outcomes will feed into the Data Space Template.
Plan and Prioritise
Establish a shared understanding of which governance, business, and technical topics require immediate attention and sequencing.*
Define the prioritise of each topic, building block and plan sessions with your stakeholders.
Align with Your Roadmap
Align sessions in sync with your project timeline.
Develop a roadmap of co-creation sessions that aligns with your initiative’s milestones. Ensure adequate time for feedback and iteration.**
Run and Document Sessions
Capture input and make progress visible.
Facilitate sessions, collect notes and decisions, and document updates in your working version of the Data Space Template/Rulebook. See supporting template below.
Consolidate and Iterate
Translate outcomes into formal deliverables.
Integrate session results into the Rulebook, validate across teams, and refine where needed.
** It is highly recommended to adopt an internal release timeline to ensure structured collaboration and steady progress. Iterative drafts incorporating partner feedback and refinements promote transparency, alignment, and quality, while minimising inconsistencies. This approach supports continuous improvement and ensures that final deliverables are coherent, accurate, and reflect the participants’ collective expertise.
4. Roles & Responsibilities
Change Manager/ Main co-ordinator (e.g. Working Group leader): Oversees the co-creation and change management process, ensures timely progress, documentation, and maintains overall coordination.
Session Facilitators (e.g. Governance Task leader): Guide discussions, capture key points, and ensure outcomes are recorded. See the template here.
Consortium Participants: Contribute to discussions, provide feedback, and submit proposals via GitHub following the established workflow (Latest only applicable, in case you are using those tools within your change management practice).
Consortium Leader/Project leaders: Facilitate conflict resolution and ensure decisions align with the project objectives.
Change Advisory Group: Review major changes, provide recommendations, and ensure cross-block consistency and alignment.
5. Integrating Change Management (only applicable after the first complete deliverable of the Rulebook)
Change management ensures that co-created outcomes are adopted, improved, and sustained over time. Hence, it is only integrated after the first completed version of the Rulebook/Data Space template is delivered/ published. It complements co-creation through structured governance and transparent documentation.
Key Enablers:
Communication: Open channels before, during, and after each session.
Documentation: Clear traceability of inputs, versions, and rationales.
Project Management: Managing operational processes and day-to-day activities, meeting timelines, and making decisions on priorities.
Participation: Inclusive engagement from all relevant stakeholders.
Feedback & Adaptation: Iterative refinement to keep outputs relevant.
Step-by-Step Process of Change Management:
Identify areas for improvement within the Rulebook
Propose the change
Define how to implement the change / develop an implementation plan
Analyse the potential impact of the change on the data space template component
Decide whether to approve the change based on the analysis (if approved, proceed to implementation)
Implement the change
Assess the results and document lessons learned
6. Expected Outcomes
A collaboratively built and versioned governance framework/rulebook.
Documented stakeholder inputs and rationale for every decision.
A living process that continues evolving after the formal project ends.
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