Enterprise Scan: How to use

How to use the Enterprise Scan

The Enterprise Scan is designed to be a collective effort by co-creators involved in addressing a specific design challenge. While it can be of value in all phases of the EDGY Change Loop, it is primarily intended to be used in the first two, the Initial focus and the Explore phases. We suggest you start by performing an initial scan yourself to gain a clearer overview and a better understanding of the design challenge before you involve the larger team.

Practical tips

Start small The more people involved, the higher the risk of discussions becoming unfocused and challenging to manage. It's better to start with a small group and expand as needed, rather than starting large and having to downsize.

Don’t get stuck on finding the “right” answer A common problem is people getting stuck selecting the single “right” answer to each question. However, since answering the questions is only the first step in the exploration process, the most suitable answers are the ones that feel most correct to the person answering based on the information available to that person.

The greatest value lies in well-facilitated discussions. The questions posed in the scan are open-ended and wide-ranging. A facilitator with the ability and the authority to guide the discussion is needed to prevent the process from being sidetracked and prolonged. Facilitation is also required for the scan to produce actionable outcomes.

Put EDGY in the background Using the common terminology of EDGY is a crucial feature of the scan, as it ensures effective communication among all co-creators involved. However, when not all participants are familiar with the EDGY terminology, the facilitator must focus on the design challenge, rather than let the terminology become the focus of the conversation.

Assign accountability One of the aims of the scan is to produce a list of actions to be taken as next steps. To guarantee continuity and follow-through, these actions must be summarised, clearly defined, and assigned to accountable co-creator(s).

Performing an Enterprise Scan

The Enterprise Scan consists of two separate but intrinsically linked aspects. The first is the OBJECT, a basic questionnaire, and the second is the ACTIVITY of performing it. While each co-creators answers to the questions are important, it is only the first step. Analysing the answers, collectively reflecting on them, and documenting the results is at least as important. The facilitated reflections are a powerful tool for eliciting insight, fostering engagement and creating alignment between co-creators. The ensuing documentation also provides useful guidance for future steps, as well as reference material for the agreements and insights produced during the Enterprise Scan process.

Select who should participate in the Enterprise Scan

Thinking we fully understand the realities of others is a dangerous assumption. As much as possible, we must involve people that can authentically represent those that are most impacted by the resulting enterprise design. The list of people that are impacted can include anyone:

• whose daily work is likely t be changed as a result of the design and its implementation (e.g. end-users, customers);
• who will have to make decisions about the design and its implementation (e.g. team-leads, project leaders, managers);
• whose areas of responsibility are likely to be changed as a result of the design (e.g. managers, BU heads, executives);
• who is likely to be working on the design challenge itself (e.g. architects, experience designers, engineers, software designers);
• who is likely to be consulted for their expertise during the design (e.g. subject-matter experts, technical experts, legal advisors, financial advisors).

As the one facilitating the Enterprise Scan, we must carefully consider who to include and who to leave out of the process. What matters most is getting a good representation of the full diversity of perspectives in the (part of) the enterprise under consideration. Choosing people who can represent those perspectives well is more important than title and status.

Steering towards general alignment among the people involved in and affected by the design challenge is essential. Two groups require particular attention to ensure alignment. They need to be properly represented in the Enterprise Scan.

Deciders The people accountable for the people and areas impacted by the design challenge, and who have the authority to make decisions regarding its progress.

Designers The people responsible for addressing the design challenge, designing it, and/or delivering its intended outcome.

Ask participants to answer the survey

To ensure that the responses reflect the participants' personal views, uninfluenced by others, we recommend you send the questions to them individually before the reflection workshop.

Include a clear description of the design challenge to explore. It is easy to assume that everybody has the same understanding of the challenge and scope. However, too often that is not the case, which can lead to conflicting answers and a lot of unnecessary waste of time.

Example of what a description can consist of:

• What is being scanned? Is it an organisational unit, a product, a capability, a channel, a mixture of elements, the enterprise as a whole, a specific problem or opportunity, or something else?
• Why is it being scanned? Are you scanning for a better understanding of the current state or an understanding of an intended change?

“I don't know” is an important answering option Ensure that participants feel at ease answering “I don’t know” and that enough time is allocated in the reflections to address this.