As well as having a sense of the stages of an adaptation process it is also important to design an adaptation plan to be flexible enough to cope with 'messiness' and 'surprise' as it arises. Adaptation is not a linear process although it is often presented in this way for the sake of simplicity. In practice adaptation occurs more iteratively and with unanticipated elements that challenge the inevitably partial and inadequate framing. These provide opportunities to challenge assumptions about how change happens and learn from the unforeseen consequences of interventions (Moser and Ekstrom, 2010).

A good collaborative adaptation process is composed of cycles of learning that deepen and focus the inquiry into what will support effective adaptation in a given context. Seeing it as a process of learning allows openness to not knowing precisely what will emerge. Understanding will develop during the process particularly if opportunities for reflecting, reassessing and changing the focus are designed into the process to keep the work on track. Much of the most useful learning and connections between individuals happens through informal processes in 'shadow spaces' (Pelling and High, 2005) that provide opportunities for people to connect with peers in their own and other organisations and build of informal links in order to learn from each other