The American Heart Association is running this Test Flight because too many strong innovations stall for reasons that have nothing to do with quality, effort, or intent.
Health systems are designed to protect patients, institutions, and resources. That protection matters — but it also means progress doesn’t move just because something is “good,” “needed,” or even “proven.”
This Test Flight exists to make those conditions visible.
You’re in a cohort with other high-caliber innovators navigating similar complexity — clinical, operational, regulatory, and institutional. The goal isn’t to push harder inside those systems. It’s to understand how they actually move so effort is applied where it can make a difference.
Our hope is that this experience gives you back time, energy, and focus — by helping you spend less of it trying to force progress where systems are doing what they’re designed to do: protect themselves.
Clarity doesn’t speed things up artificially. It prevents wasted motion.
Orientation & First Signals
Days 1 and 2 are about orientation, not output
What you’ll do
Time Commitment: ~30 minutes
By the end of Day 2, you’ll know what kind of problem you’re actually facing.
Mapping the Friction
Days 3 and 5 are about looking at a core diagnostic window
What you’ll do
Time Commitment: ~60-90 minutes, spread over several days
By day 5, you’ll hopefully stop saying ‘we need to explain this better’ and start saying, ‘oh– this where it breaks.”
Operational Translation
Time Commitment: ~45-60 minutes, spread over several days
By day 9, you realize the system isn’t resisting you, it’s protecting itself.
Narrative Alignment & Test Results
Time Commitment: ~30 minutes
By day 12, you’ll stop guessing what’s slowing progress, and insitutiions like The American Heart Association will stop guessing how to support you..
It’s about doing the right work — at the right moment.
When to book a facilitator session
You do not need a deck. You do not need the “perfect story.” Just come prepared with:
- What you’re building (1–2 sentences)
- Where things feel stuck (decision, value, workflow, stakeholders, or narrative)
- What you want clarity on by the end of the session
First steps
Where should I begin?
Start in the Flight Deck and open the module that matches what you’re experiencing. If you’re unsure, begin with the
Adoption Logic Map — it tends to reveal why movement is stalling.
Do I need to complete every module?
No. The point is not completion. The point is clarity. Use the rooms that help you name what’s real.
Office hours
What happens in a facilitator session?
We help you interpret what you’re seeing, reduce noise, and choose the next move. This is not a pitch and not an evaluation.
What should I prepare?
Bring your 1–2 sentence description, where you’re stuck, and the clarity question you want answered.
Navigation + flow
Why do some sections open in a new tab?
External links (like Calendly) open separately so you don’t lose your place in the Flight Deck.
What are “Field Notes”?
Field Notes are short briefings that help you recognize what’s happening before you do the work inside the module.
After Test Flight
What do I walk away with?
A clearer read on where movement is breaking (decision, value, workflow, stakeholders, narrative) and what to address next.
Will someone review my results?
If your cohort includes facilitator review, we’ll tell you exactly what to submit and when. Otherwise, office hours are the fastest path.
If you’re stuck
I’m overwhelmed. What do I do first?
Pick one module. Start with the one that matches the pain: stalled decisions (Adoption Logic), weight + loss (Value Chain),
friction loops (Workflow), diffusion (Stakeholders), or narrative under pressure (NPI).
Do I need help?
If you can’t choose the right room or can’t interpret what you’re seeing, book office hours. Clarity first, then action.
What Test Flight is (and isn’t)
Is this an accelerator?
Not yet. Test Flight is the diagnostic runway — the work that makes later acceleration honest and efficient.
Is this a pitch clinic?
No. You don’t “perform” here. You locate constraints, signals, and decision conditions.
The goal is clearer signal — so the system can move.