Example of running an Enterprise Scan

Introduction to the Example: Severin is a Service Designer. The agency Severin works for has won the bid to help improve and bolster the digital offerings of Intersections Railways. Severin has been chosen by the agency to lead the initiative.

Note: the designer in this example is an external, working for a consulting agency, but there is no reason Severin could not have been an employee of Intersection Railways.

First meeting Severin starts by holding an introductory meeting with Mary, the internal lead of the project, who is from Marketing and Communication. In the meeting, they discuss their initial thoughts and ideas, as listed below.

Background With environmental consciousness increasing in the world, we believe there is an opportunity in the market to reintroduce night trains. We believe we can target this product not only towards current train users but also as an alternative for customers of our more indirect competition, such as planes and private cars.

Solution We believe that the key to reaching our potential customers is through offering the best possible customer experience based primarily on a world-class digital experience. We need a new killer app, something like an “Apple iTrain”.

Initial thoughts

Severin finds reintroducing night trains an appealing proposition. It revolves around premium customer experience and environmental issues, which Severin is very passionate about. What he is worried about is the strong focus on the digital aspects, without an equal focus on the more physical aspects of the suggested product. When he shared his concerns with Mary, she told him the physical side was being handled by a separate team, more focused on the trains themselves. There will, of course, be some coordination between the teams, but they are run separately, because of their different focus, competences and disciplines involved.

In addition, Mary tells Severin that the primary focus is on the digital service and the customers' experience in the company’s digital channels. Digital is currently high on the leadership’s agenda. The company recently adopted a new Digital Strategy that is expected to guide all future developments.

Severin understands the situation but is a little sceptical, as he has encountered similar situations several times before. In his experience, results are better when all aspects of a product are co-designed collaboratively among people who represent all aspects of the enterprise involved in the new product.

To address this issue, Severin proposes to kick off the project work by performing an Enterprise Scan.

Severin tells Mary that the scan’s primary purpose is to ensure a holistic understanding of the product and alignment around what is to be delivered. What he doesn’t say is that he has a secondary purpose in mind, which is to broaden the discussion to get a better understanding of how the more physical aspects of the product can and must be included in the project's scope. He is thinking of customer support, for example, and the night train itself, including the coaches, cabins and on-board services.

The Scan

While the Scan is new to Mary, she is intrigued by the idea and agrees to try it. Based on Severin’s introduction to the Scan, Mary proposes that it be done with those currently engaged in the project.

Select

• Monica: Head of Sales, marketing and communication, sponsor
• David: Digital Strategist, owner of the digital strategy and co-ordinator of all digital initiatives
• Peter: Product Owner for the Intersection Railways app, accountable for the Intersection Railways app functionality and experience
• Petra: Product Owner for the Night Train product, accountable for the new Night Train Product and accompanying services
• Earnestine: Enterprise Architect, accountable for IT infrastructure and integrations
• Mary: Marketing and communications strategist, internal lead for the initiative to develop digital functionalities related to the new Night train product

Severin is a little hesitant about the participants. While they seem to be a powerful group, it is only Petra who represents a function other than communication or Digital. As the Night Train product is primarily a physical product, he raises this concern with Mary, but she assures him that this group can represent all aspects of the project they have been assigned. They are primarily focusing on the digital aspect and if questions come up regarding the more physical aspects, Petra can address those.

As this is the first iteration of the Scan, Severin accepts. After all, if there are any gaps in representation, it is better they come up in the Scan. That is likely to lead to more clarity on what is missing. It also means the participants will have reached that conclusion themselves, rather than hearing it from Severin.

Answer

Severin sends out the Enterprise Scan questionnaire in advance to all participants, who promptly (with a little supportive push from Mary) answer and send it back to Severin a good two days before the planned workshop.

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