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 to 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.

Analyse the responses

Ask to get the answers back at least two days before the reflection workshop to allow you to analyse the answers in preparation. Here are some things to keep in mind.

All participants answer the same

That people provide the same answer does not necessarily indicate consensus. They may have reached the same answers using different mental models. Since these models may have different definitions of concepts and requirements, additional alignment could be required to make sure there is actual mutual understanding and agreement.

Participants answer differently

That people give different answers does not necessarily indicate that they disagree. They can still agree on content and requirements, but have different ideas about the current status, based on their different perspectives, departments or disciplines.

Someone answers “Don’t know”

“I don't know” can mean either

The person doesn’t understand the question, making it impossible to answer. This generally means the person doesn’t understand the EDGY element the question refers to, requiring clarification and definition, or
The person doesn’t know how to answer

This generally means the person is not involved in that particular area within the enterprise, requiring the topic to be addressed by someone else with the appropriate knowledge and insights.

If all participants answer “I don’t know”, that can suggest that you are missing knowledge or competence critical to the design challenge.

Someone answers “Not relevant”.

Although it is important to consider all the EDGY elements in every design challenge, they are not always equally relevant. When elements are seen as irrelevant, it is important to make sure all participating co-creators agree, and such design decisions are made consciously and deliberately.

Collectively reflect on the answers

By far the greatest value of the Enterprise Scan comes from collectively reflecting on the answers. Allocate ample time for this step. How much time you need depends on several factors, for example, how many people are involved, how familiar they are with EDGY, the Enterprise Scan, and the complexity of the design challenge.

There is no formula for what a reflection workshop looks like, but here are a few tips that may assist in preparation and moderation.

Ensure all participants can participate

Every participant represents a particular role and contributes specific knowledge and skills. Consequently, the absence of any individual creates a gap.

Allocate enough time

We suggest you allocate at least 30 minutes per participant.

Manage expectations

Enterprise Design Scans are conducted for different reasons. Therefore it is good practice to clearly communicate the purpose of each scan to the participants, and how you intend to work with its outcomes.

Moderate the discussions

The real value lies in the ensuing discussions, where diverse responses from various participants can be crucial in steering the conversation toward the right path.

The questions in the Scan are both open and broad. Without someone with the ability and authority to lead the discussion, things can easily derail and get drawn out without leading to any actionable results.

Controlling the time and ensuring that all participants are heard is an important reason for assigning a moderator. Another reason is to have someone more familiar with EDGY, able to dig deeper effectively into each question. Here are a few examples of follow-up questions that can be used.

Follow up questions:

For questions answered “Yes”

What do you mean?
Do others agree?
Is it documented so that it is articulated and easily accessible to others?
If you ask two people today, how likely is it that they will give the same answer?

For questions answered “Partly”

What exists?
What is missing?
How much effort do you think it is to get to a “Yes”
Do we have the competence needed?
How important is that which is missing?

For questions answered “No”

Why is this missing?
What effect is it likely to have?
How important is it to address?
Do we have the competence needed?

For questions answered “I don’t know”

Why is it that you can’t answer the question? Is it that you don’t understand the question, or are unsure of the status?
Can you figure it out yourself or do you need to talk to someone else? If you need someone else, is that someone already a part of the initiative?

For questions answered “Not relevant”

Why do you consider it not relevant?
Would it be relevant for someone else or from a different perspective?

For questions where all answered the same

Ask one person for their perspective and logic. Then discuss amongst you to ensure that you all agree. Be ready to revise the answer based on the discussion.

For questions where you have different answers

Ask for the perspective and logic around each answer. Then discuss amongst you to see if you can agree on perspective and logic that leads you to a consensus and a common answer.

Document the results

Even if we believe we are in complete agreement during a reflection workshop, our mental models may not be entirely aligned without proper documentation for discussion and comparison. Although there is no single correct method for documenting the outcomes of a scan, it is advisable to use a visualisation with EDGY Maps such as primitive maps, EDGY statements, blueprints or a Milky Way map.