Design. Transform. Assure.: three questions every regulator should be able to answer

Anissa Levy · 9 November 2026 · Design. Transform. Assure.

Every regulator should be able to answer three questions:

1. What regulator do we need to achieve our intended public outcomes?
2. How do we change today’s regulator into the one we need?
3. Where are we now, and how do we know it’s working?

Over the past three weeks, I’ve written about each of these in turn: Design. Transform. Assure.

Design: the regulator the mandate needs

Design is about being clear on purpose, structure and ways of working, so the regulator fits its mandate from the outset. That includes its regulatory posture, operating model, governance, capability and culture. A clear design gives everyone a shared picture of the regulator they’re building.

Transform: one coherent roadmap

Most regulators are not short of change. They’re carrying reforms, reviews, system upgrades and improvement projects, each sensible on its own, often pulling in different directions. Transformation works when everything is connected to a shared future state through one coherent roadmap: define the regulator you need to become, assess the gaps, prioritise and sequence the changes, and monitor progress as you learn. Every initiative should contribute to the future regulator.

Assure: assured, not just reassured

Assurance means taking a good, hard look in the mirror, at how the regulator actually works rather than what the policies say. Done well, it leaves leaders assured rather than just reassured: it assesses maturity, diagnoses the causes of gaps and plans practical action, with ownership and follow-through.

Why the three belong together

The three work best together. Design without transformation stays on paper. Transformation without assurance runs on hope. And assurance without a clear design has nothing solid to test against.

In practice, most regulators are strong in one or two of these. Some have a clear design and a strong strategy but struggle to turn them into coordinated change. Others are delivering a great deal of change without a clear picture of where it’s heading. Others have mature assurance and audit functions whose findings don’t connect to a broader improvement agenda.

The biggest gains usually come from connecting all three, so design sets the direction, transformation delivers it, and assurance shows whether it’s working and what needs to change next. That creates a cycle of continuous improvement rather than a series of disconnected projects.

Which of the three is hardest for your organisation right now?

Stop fixing symptoms. Start fixing systems.