If others will have to act on the information provided by an activity, the nature and scope of that response must be outlined. Select a few key activities to pilot. Don't be too ambitious. Look for clearly defined problems with medium visibility and use them to test the effectiveness of user-centered design activities. The problems should be clearly defined so that success in solving them can be measured easily.
Many products have intractable and difficult problems.
Leave them for later, and take on something more manageable at first. Few things are done perfectly on the first try. Plan for feedback and refinement as part of the normal course of action. That way, any problems or setbacks are not disasters that can derail the process, but part of an expected period of adjustment. Although much of the focus may be on the success of the activities themselves, use this evaluation period to make sure the process is working as you envisioned.