Enterprise Scan: Questions

Tools | Enterprise Scan

Enterprise Scan: Questions

These are the questions of the Enterprise Scan and their explanations, in a format that is easy to read and easy to copy into a survey tool of your choice.

People

Question 1: Is there a common understanding of who will benefit from the Outcome?

These are the People whose Tasks we are serving. From the perspective of those delivering a Product, they are generally seen as the customer or benefactor. From the perspective of the enterprise, they can be any stakeholder group, from internal employees to external partners.

Question 2: Is there a common understanding of who is required to deliver the Outcome?

These are the People required to realise the Capabilities required to make, deliver, and support the output being offered to the customer or benefactor (generally the employees and/or partners).

Question 3: Is there a common understanding of who is accountable for the Outcome?

These are the People that are accountable for defining the Purpose and ensuring the necessary prerequisites (for example Stories, Content, Assets and Processes) are in place to realise the required Capabilities. Examples are executives, managers, board members, politicians, etc.

Question 4: Is there a common understanding of who else might affect, or be affected by, the Outcome?

These are any other People and groups that are not directly involved but can affect or be affected by whatever you are doing and, therefore, need to be specifically considered. For example: government organisations, interest groups, trade unions, etc. If the scan is being conducted for parts of the enterprise, this can also apply to People and groups in other parts of the enterprise.

Experience

Question 5: Is there a common understanding of the Tasks we are helping People accomplish?

Even though our Products and services have specific functionalities, their primary function is to help People with Tasks they want to accomplish.

Question 6: Is there a common understanding of the relative importance of each Task?

We seldom help People accomplish one Task only, and while many tasks are worth addressing, they are never equally important. Some deliver more value than others, and to different People.

Question 7: Is there a common understanding of the Journeys we expect People will go through?

People inevitably go through a Journey when achieving their Tasks, going from one step, or Sub-Task, to the next, until the primary Task is completed.

Question 8: Is there a common understanding of the Channels we serve People through?

When going through their Journeys and accomplishing their Tasks, People have access to multiple Channels, both physical and digital. Some you can control; like a store, service centre, or website, while others you can at best influence, like reseller stores, search engines, or social media.

Identity

Question 9: Is there a common understanding of the Purposes being strived for?

Few things are accomplished by individuals. A clear understanding of the Outcomes we are working towards and why we are pursuing them, inspires People, fosters collaboration, and guides everyone involved through the multiple decisions to be made along the way.

Question 10: Is there a common understanding of the relative importance of each Purpose?

Even though some enterprises have defined one official Purpose to communicate to the world, they are generally working with multiple Purposes depending on the Product being delivered and the context being worked within. While many are worth addressing, they are never all equally important. Some mean more than others, and to different People.

Question 11: Is there a common understanding of the Stories that need to be created?

Stories are what we use to contextualise what is being done, how, why, for whom, and so forth. You therefore likely need multiple Stories for different contexts, scenarios, and audiences.

Question 12: Is there a common understanding of the Content that is required?

Content is what we produce in order to convey the Stories and put them in context. While understanding what Content specifically needs to be created, it is important to also understand what Content already exists and is probably being produced.

Architecture

Question 13: Is there a common understanding of the Capabilities required?

Irrespective of what it is that you want to do or accomplish you will require not one, but multiple Capabilities. Some are standard and needed simply to operate and abide by laws and regulations. Others are more specific to you, what you are doing, how you are doing it, where you are doing it, and so forth.

Question 14: Is there a common understanding of the relative importance of each Capability?

While multiple Capabilities are required, they are not all equal. Some are business critical, while others are more of a “nice to have”. Some require high focus and a higher level of investment, while others can be kept very basic and with minimum investments.

Question 15: Is there a common understanding of the Processes involved?

We realise Capabilities and deliver their outputs through the execution of Processes. While having the right Capabilities in place is critical, Processes are where benefits from advances in, for example, science and technology, are delivered, allowing us to realise higher and higher level Capabilities in increasingly effective and efficient ways.

Question 16: Is there a common understanding of the Assets needed?

In order to execute Processes and realise Capabilities, we need a broad range of tangible and intangible Assets. For example buildings, machines, raw materials, software applications, information, financial Assets, and know-how.

Intersections

Question 17: Is there a common understanding of how People need to be organised?

While its scope and complexity can vary greatly People need some sort of an Organisational structure. They need some way to assign responsibility and accountability and to ensure that they can effectively collaborate and co-create the intended Outcomes.

Question 18: Is there a common understanding of the Products to be offered?

What is it that you actually deliver? It is not enough for those involved to know what it says on the box or in the marketing material, but actually what it is that is being delivered in the form of output, and its relation to the Task(s) and the value it brings to the end user(s).

Question 19: Is there a common understanding of the effect on the enterprise Brand(s)?

Every interaction People have with the enterprise is likely to affect its Brand. In order to ensure a consistent view of the Brand in People's minds, the way it is to be represented needs to be clear for everybody involved in designing and orchestrating these interactions.