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International Financial Reporting Tool
International Financial Reporting Tool perfect reporting according to IFRS
IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows
International Financial Reporting Standards (EU)	Print Email
EC staff consolidated version as of 24 March 2010
Last EU endorsed/amended on 24.03.2010
Information about the cash flows of an entity is useful in providing users of financial statements with a basis to assess the ability of the entity to generate cash and cash equivalents and the needs of the entity to utilise those cash flows. The economic decisions that are taken by users require an evaluation of the ability of an entity to generate cash and cash equivalents and the timing and certainty of their generation.
The objective of this Standard is to require the provision of information about the historical changes in cash and cash equivalents of an entity by means of a statement of cash flow which classifies cash flows during the period from operating, investing and financing activities.
1An entity shall prepare a statement of cash flow in accordance with the requirements of this Standard and shall present it as an integral part of its financial statements for each period for which financial statements are presented.
2This Standard supersedes IAS 7 Statement of Changes in Financial Position, approved in July 1977.
3Users of an entity's financial statements are interested in how the entity generates and uses cash and cash equivalents. This is the case regardless of the nature of the entity's activities and irrespective of whether cash can be viewed as the product of the entity, as may be the case with a financial institution. Entities need cash for essentially the same reasons however different their principal revenue-producing activities might be. They need cash to conduct their operations, to pay their obligations, and to provide returns to their investors. Accordingly, this Standard requires all entities to present a statement of cash flow.
Benefits of cash flow information
4A statement of cash flow, when used in conjunction with the rest of the financial statements, provides information that enables users to evaluate the changes in net assets of an entity, its financial structure (including its liquidity and solvency) and its ability to affect the amounts and timing of cash flows in order to adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities. Cash flow information is useful in assessing the ability of the entity to generate cash and cash equivalents and enables users to develop models to assess and compare the present value of the future cash flows of different entities. It also enhances the comparability of the reporting of operating performance by different entities because it eliminates the effects of using different accounting treatments for the same transactions and events.
5Historical cash flow information is often used as an indicator of the amount, timing and certainty of future cash flows. It is also useful in checking the accuracy of past assessments of future cash flows and in examining the relationship between profitability and net cash flow and the impact of changing prices.
6The following terms are used in this Standard with the meanings specified:
Cash comprises cash on hand and demand deposits.
Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.
Cash flows are inflows and outflows of cash and cash equivalents.
Operating activities are the principal revenue-producing activities of the entity and other activities that are not investing or financing activities.
Investing activities are the acquisition and disposal of long-term assets and other investments not included in cash equivalents.
Financing activities are activities that result in changes in the size and composition of the contributed equity and borrowings of the entity.
7Cash equivalents are held for the purpose of meeting short-term cash commitments rather than for investment or other purposes. For an investment to qualify as a cash equivalent it must be readily convertible to a known amount of cash and be subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value. Therefore, an investment normally qualifies as a cash equivalent only when it has a short maturity of, say, three months or less from the date of acquisition. Equity investments are excluded from cash equivalents unless they are, in substance, cash equivalents, for example in the case of preferred shares acquired within a short period of their maturity and with a specified redemption date.
8Bank borrowings are generally considered to be financing activities. However, in some countries, bank overdrafts which are repayable on demand form an integral part of an entity's cash management. In these circumstances, bank overdrafts are included as a component of cash and cash equivalents. A characteristic of such banking arrangements is that the bank balance often fluctuates from being positive to overdrawn.
9Cash flows exclude movements between items that constitute cash or cash equivalents because these components are part of the cash management of an entity rather than part of its operating, investing and financing activities. Cash management includes the investment of excess cash in cash equivalents.
Presentation of a statement of cash flow
10The statement of cash flow shall report cash flows during the period classified by operating, investing and financing activities.
11An entity presents its cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities in a manner which is most appropriate to its business. Classification by activity provides information that allows users to assess the impact of those activities on the financial position of the entity and the amount of its cash and cash equivalents. This information may also be used to evaluate the relationships among those activities.
12A single transaction may include cash flows that are classified differently. For example, when the cash repayment of a loan includes both interest and capital, the interest element may be classified as an operating activity and the capital element is classified as a financing activity.
13The amount of cash flows arising from operating activities is a key indicator of the extent to which the operations of the entity have generated sufficient cash flows to repay loans, maintain the operating capability of the entity, pay dividends and make new investments without recourse to external sources of financing. Information about the specific components of historical operating cash flows is useful, in conjunction with other information, in forecasting future operating cash flows.
14Cash flows from operating activities are primarily derived from the principal revenue-producing activities of the entity. Therefore, they generally result from the transactions and other events that enter into the determination of profit or loss. Examples of cash flows from operating activities are:
(a)cash receipts from the sale of goods and the rendering of services;
(b)cash receipts from royalties, fees, commissions and other revenue;
(c)cash payments to suppliers for goods and services;
(d)cash payments to and on behalf of employees;
(e)cash receipts and cash payments of an insurance entity for premiums and claims, annuities and other policy benefits;
(f)cash payments or refunds of income taxes unless they can be specifically identified with financing and investing activities; and
(g)cash receipts and payments from contracts held for dealing or trading purposes.
Some transactions, such as the sale of an item of plant, may give rise to a gain or loss that is included in recognized profit or loss. The cash flows relating to such transactions are cash flows from investing activities. However, cash payments to manufacture or acquire assets held for rental to others and subsequently held for sale as described in paragraph 68A of IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment are cash flows from operating activities. The cash receipts from rents and subsequent sales of such assets are also cash flows from operating activities.
15An entity may hold securities and loans for dealing or trading purposes, in which case they are similar to inventory acquired specifically for resale. Therefore, cash flows arising from the purchase and sale of dealing or trading securities are classified as operating activities. Similarly, cash advances and loans made by financial institutions are usually classified as operating activities since they relate to the main revenue-producing activity of that entity.
16The separate disclosure of cash flows arising from investing activities is important because the cash flows represent the extent to which expenditures have been made for resources intended to generate future income and cash flows. Only expenditures that result in a recognised asset in the statement of financial position are eligible for classification as investing activities. Examples of cash flows arising from investing activities are:
(a)cash payments to acquire property, plant and equipment, intangibles and other long-term assets. These payments include those relating to capitalised development costs and self-constructed property, plant and equipment;
(b)cash receipts from sales of property, plant and equipment, intangibles and other long-term assets;
(c)cash payments to acquire equity or debt instruments of other entities and interests in joint ventures (other than payments for those instruments considered to be cash equivalents or those held for dealing or trading purposes);
(d)cash receipts from sales of equity or debt instruments of other entities and interests in joint ventures (other than receipts for those instruments considered to be cash equivalents and those held for dealing or trading purposes);
(e)cash advances and loans made to other parties (other than advances and loans made by a financial institution);
(f)cash receipts from the repayment of advances and loans made to other parties (other than advances and loans of a financial institution);
(g)cash payments for futures contracts, forward contracts, option contracts and swap contracts except when the contracts are held for dealing or trading purposes, or the payments are classified as financing activities; and
(h)cash receipts from futures contracts, forward contracts, option contracts and swap contracts except when the contracts are held for dealing or trading purposes, or the receipts are classified as financing activities.
When a contract is accounted for as a hedge of an identifiable position, the cash flows of the contract are classified in the same manner as the cash flows of the position being hedged.
17The separate disclosure of cash flows arising from financing activities is important because it is useful in predicting claims on future cash flows by providers of capital to the entity. Examples of cash flows arising from financing activities are:
(a)cash proceeds from issuing shares or other equity instruments;
(b)cash payments to owners to acquire or redeem the entity's shares;
(c)cash proceeds from issuing debentures, loans, notes, bonds, mortgages and other short or long-term borrowings;
(d)cash repayments of amounts borrowed; and
(e)cash payments by a lessee for the reduction of the outstanding liability relating to a finance lease.
Reporting cash flows from operating activities
18An entity shall report cash flows from operating activities using either:
(a)the direct method, whereby major classes of gross cash receipts and gross cash payments are disclosed; or
(b)the indirect method, whereby profit or loss is adjusted for the effects of transactions of a non-cash nature, any deferrals or accruals of past or future operating cash receipts or payments, and items of income or expense associated with investing or financing cash flows.
19Entities are encouraged to report cash flows from operating activities using the direct method. The direct method provides information which may be useful in estimating future cash flows and which is not available under the indirect method. Under the direct method, information about major classes of gross cash receipts and gross cash payments may be obtained either:
(a)from the accounting records of the entity; or
(b)by adjusting sales, cost of sales (interest and similar income and interest expense and similar charges for a financial institution) and other items in the statement of comprehensive income for:
(i)changes during the period in inventories and operating receivables and payables;
(ii)other non-cash items; and
(iii)other items for which the cash effects are investing or financing cash flows.
20Under the indirect method, the net cash flow from operating activities is determined by adjusting profit or loss for the effects of:
(a)changes during the period in inventories and operating receivables and payables;
(b)non-cash items such as depreciation, provisions, deferred taxes, unrealised foreign currency gains and losses, undistributed profits of associates, and non-controlling interests; and
(c)all other items for which the cash effects are investing or financing cash flows.
Alternatively, the net cash flow from operating activities may be presented under the indirect method by showing the revenues and expenses disclosed in the statement of comprehensive income and the changes during the period in inventories and operating receivables and payables.
Reporting cash flows from investing and financing activities
21An entity shall report separately major classes of gross cash receipts and gross cash payments arising from investing and financing activities, except to the extent that cash flows described in paragraphs 22 and 24 are reported on a net basis.
Reporting cash flows on a net basis
22Cash flows arising from the following operating, investing or financing activities may be reported on a net basis:
(a)cash receipts and payments on behalf of customers when the cash flows reflect the activities of the customer rather than those of the entity; and
(b)cash receipts and payments for items in which the turnover is quick, the amounts are large, and the maturities are short.
23Examples of cash receipts and payments referred to in paragraph 22(a) are:
(a)the acceptance and repayment of demand deposits of a bank;
(b)funds held for customers by an investment entity; and
(c)rents collected on behalf of, and paid over to, the owners of properties.
Examples of cash receipts and payments referred to in paragraph 22(b) are advances made for, and the repayment of:
(a)principal amounts relating to credit card customers;
(b)the purchase and sale of investments; and
(c)other short-term borrowings, for example, those which have a maturity period of three months or less.
24Cash flows arising from each of the following activities of a financial institution may be reported on a net basis:
(a)cash receipts and payments for the acceptance and repayment of deposits with a fixed maturity date;
(b)the placement of deposits with and withdrawal of deposits from other financial institutions; and
(c)cash advances and loans made to customers and the repayment of those advances and loans.
Foreign currency cash flows
25Cash flows arising from transactions in a foreign currency shall be recorded in an entity's functional currency by applying to the foreign currency amount the exchange rate between the functional currency and the foreign currency at the date of the cash flow.
26The cash flows of a foreign subsidiary shall be translated at the exchange rates between the functional currency and the foreign currency at the dates of the cash flows.
27Cash flows denominated in a foreign currency are reported in a manner consistent with IAS 21 The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates. This permits the use of an exchange rate that approximates the actual rate. For example, a weighted average exchange rate for a period may be used for recording foreign currency transactions or the translation of the cash flows of a foreign subsidiary. However, IAS 21 does not permit use of the exchange rate at the end of the reporting period when translating the cash flows of a foreign subsidiary.
28Unrealised gains and losses arising from changes in foreign currency exchange rates are not cash flows. However, the effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents held or due in a foreign currency is reported in the statement of cash flows in order to reconcile cash and cash equivalents at the beginning and the end of the period. This amount is presented separately from cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities and includes the differences, if any, had those cash flows been reported at end of period exchange rates.
29[Deleted]
Interest and dividends
31Cash flows from interest and dividends received and paid shall each be disclosed separately. Each shall be classified in a consistent manner from period to period as either operating, investing or financing activities.
32The total amount of interest paid during a period is disclosed in the cash flows statement whether it has been recognised as an expense in profit or loss or capitalised in accordance with IAS 23 Borrowing Costs.
33Interest paid and interest and dividends received are usually classified as operating cash flows for a financial institution. However, there is no consensus on the classification of these cash flows for other entities. Interest paid and interest and dividends received may be classified as operating cash flows because they enter into the determination of profit or loss. Alternatively, interest paid and interest and dividends received may be classified as financing cash flows and investing cash flows respectively, because they are costs of obtaining financial resources or returns on investments.
34Dividends paid may be classified as a financing cash flow because they are a cost of obtaining financial resources. Alternatively, dividends paid may be classified as a component of cash flows from operating activities in order to assist users to determine the ability of an entity to pay dividends out of operating cash flows.
Taxes on income
35Cash flows arising from taxes on income shall be separately disclosed and shall be classified as cash flows from operating activities unless they can be specifically identified with financing and investing activities.
36Taxes on income arise on transactions that give rise to cash flows that are classified as operating, investing or financing activities in a statement of cash flow. While tax expense may be readily identifiable with investing or financing activities, the related tax cash flows are often impracticable to identify and may arise in a different period from the cash flows of the underlying transaction. Therefore, taxes paid are usually classified as cash flows from operating activities. However, when it is practicable to identify the tax cash flow with an individual transaction that gives rise to cash flows that are classified as investing or financing activities the tax cash flow is classified as an investing or financing activity as appropriate. When tax cash flows are allocated over more than one class of activity, the total amount of taxes paid is disclosed.
Investments in subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures
37When accounting for an investment in an associate or a subsidiary accounted for by use of the equity or cost method, an investor restricts its reporting in the statement of cash flow to the cash flows between itself and the investee, for example, to dividends and advances.
38An entity which reports its interest in a jointly controlled entity (see IAS 31 Interests in Joint Ventures) using proportionate consolidation, includes in its consolidated statement of cash flows its proportionate share of the jointly controlled entity's cash flows. An entity which reports such an interest using the equity method includes in its statement of cash flow the cash flows in respect of its investments in the jointly controlled entity, and distributions and other payments or receipts between it and the jointly controlled entity.
Changes in ownership interests in subsidiaries and other businesses
39The aggregate cash flows arising from obtaining or losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses shall be presented separately and classified as investing activities.
40An entity shall disclose, in aggregate, in respect of both obtaining and losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses during the period each of the following:
(a)the total consideration paid or received;
(b)the portion of the consideration consisting of cash and cash equivalents;
(c)the amount of cash and cash equivalents in the subsidiaries or other businesses over which control is obtained or lost; and
(d)the amount of the assets and liabilities other than cash or cash equivalents in the subsidiaries or other businesses over which control is obtained or lost, summarised by each major category.
41The separate presentation of the cash flow effects of obtaining or losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses as single line items, together with the separate disclosure of the amounts of assets and liabilities acquired or disposed of, helps to distinguish those cash flows from the cash flows arising from the other operating, investing and financing activities. The cash flow effects of losing control are not deducted from those of obtaining control.
42The aggregate amount of the cash paid or received as consideration for obtaining or losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses is reported in the statement of cash flows net of cash and cash equivalents acquired or disposed of as part of such transactions, events or changes in circumstances.
42A Cash flows arising from changes in ownership interests in a subsidiary that do not result in a loss of control shall be classified as cash flows from financing activities.
42B Changes in ownership interests in a subsidiary that do not result in a loss of control, such as the subsequent purchase or sale by a parent of a subsidiary's equity instruments, are accounted for as equity transactions (see IAS 27 Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements (as amended by the International Accounting Standards Board in 2008)). Accordingly, the resulting cash flows are classified in the same way as other transactions with owners described in paragraph 17.
Non-cash transactions
43Investing and financing transactions that do not require the use of cash or cash equivalents shall be excluded from a statement of cash flow. Such transactions shall be disclosed elsewhere in the financial statements in a way that provides all the relevant information about these investing and financing activities.
44Many investing and financing activities do not have a direct impact on current cash flows although they do affect the capital and asset structure of an entity. The exclusion of non-cash transactions from the statement of cash flows is consistent with the objective of a statement of cash flows as these items do not involve cash flows in the current period. Examples of non-cash transactions are:
(a)the acquisition of assets either by assuming directly related liabilities or by means of a finance lease;
(b)the acquisition of an entity by means of an equity issue; and
(c) the conversion of debt to equity.
Components of cash and cash equivalents
45An entity shall disclose the components of cash and cash equivalents and shall present a reconciliation of the amounts in its statement of cash flow with the equivalent items reported in the statement of financial position.
46In view of the variety of cash management practices and banking arrangements around the world and in order to comply with IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements, an entity discloses the policy which it adopts in determining the composition of cash and cash equivalents.
47The effect of any change in the policy for determining components of cash and cash equivalents, for example, a change in the classification of financial instruments previously considered to be part of an entity's investment portfolio, is reported in accordance with IAS 8 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors.
48An entity shall disclose, together with a commentary by management, the amount of significant cash and cash equivalent balances held by the entity that are not available for use by the group.
49There are various circumstances in which cash and cash equivalent balances held by an entity are not available for use by the group. Examples include cash and cash equivalent balances held by a subsidiary that operates in a country where exchange controls or other legal restrictions apply when the balances are not available for general use by the parent or other subsidiaries.
50Additional information may be relevant to users in understanding the financial position and liquidity of an entity. Disclosure of this information, together with a commentary by management, is encouraged and may include:
(a)the amount of undrawn borrowing facilities that may be available for future operating activities and to settle capital commitments, indicating any restrictions on the use of these facilities;
(b)the aggregate amounts of the cash flows from each of operating, investing and financing activities related to interests in joint ventures reported using proportionate consolidation;
(c)the aggregate amount of cash flows that represent increases in operating capacity separately from those cash flows that are required to maintain operating capacity; and
(d)the amount of the cash flows arising from the operating, investing and financing activities of each reportable segment (see IFRS 8 Operating Segments).
51The separate disclosure of cash flows that represent increases in operating capacity and cash flows that are required to maintain operating capacity is useful in enabling the user to determine whether the entity is investing adequately in the maintenance of its operating capacity. An entity that does not invest adequately in the maintenance of its operating capacity may be prejudicing future profitability for the sake of current liquidity and distributions to owners.
52The disclosure of segmental cash flows enables users to obtain a better understanding of the relationship between the cash flows of the business as a whole and those of its component parts and the availability and variability of segmental cash flows.
53This Standard becomes operative for financial statements covering periods beginning on or after 1 January 1994.
54IAS 27 (as amended by the International Accounting Standards Board in 2008) amended paragraphs
39-42 and added paragraphs 42A and 42B. An entity shall apply those amendments for annual periods beginning on or after 1 July 2009. If an entity applies IAS 27 (amended 2008) for an earlier period, the amendments shall be applied for that earlier period. The amendments shall be applied retrospectively.
55Paragraph 14 was amended by Improvements to IFRSs issued in May 2008. An entity shall apply that amendment for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. Earlier application is permitted. If an entity applies the amendment for an earlier period it shall disclose that fact and apply paragraph 68A of IAS 16.
56Paragraph 16 was amended by Improvements to IFRSs issued in April 2009. An entity shall apply that amendment for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2010. Earlier application is permitted. If an entity applies the amendment for an earlier period it shall disclose that fact.
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text:
European Development Finance Institutions Announce Joint Ambitions for Climate Action
EDFI group outlines shared commitments to phase out fossil fuels and mobilise private sector climate finance, aligning with Paris Agreement and high disclosure standards.
The Association of European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI), which has a combined $50 billion under management in emerging and frontier markets, today announced that its 15 members will phase out fossil fuel investments by 2030.
The group of publicly-owned institutions said it will align all new financing decisions with the objectives of the Paris Agreement by 2022 and will ensure that their portfolios achieve net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.
The EDFI group will immediately cease new coal or fuel oil financing and will limit other fossil fuels, such as selective investments in gas-fired power generation, to financing consistent with the objectives of the Paris Agreement until generally excluding them by 2030 at the latest. The new commitment includes direct investments, indirect investments made through other funds and dedicated lending via financial institutions.
In its statement today, EDFI said: "A significant and progressive alignment of private capital flows to developing countries will be required to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and to implement the Paris Agreement. Over the past five years, the European DFIs have committed €8 billion to climate finance in low and middle-income countries. Now, in the lead-up to COP 26, and as countries around the world strive to achieve a sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever that European DFIs set a collective example for investors in developing markets."
The fossil fuel sub-sectors that will be immediately excluded include:
Coal prospection, exploration, mining or processing
Oil exploration or production
Standalone fossil gas exploration and/or production
Transport and related infrastructure primarily used for coal for power generation
Crude oil pipelines
Construction of new or refurbishment of any existing coal-fired power plant (including dual)
Construction of new or refurbishment of any existing HFO-only or diesel-only power plant
Producing energy for the public grid and leading to an increase of absolute GHG emissions
Any business with planned expansion of captive coal used for power and/or heat generation
The institutions are determined to build on their strong track-record in climate finance and mobilise private sector climate finance by holding themselves to ambitious individual targets and reporting on their progress.
Søren Peter Andreasen, CEO of EDFI, said: "As taxpayer funded organisations, we are committed to promoting green growth, climate adaptation and resilience, nature-based solutions, access to green energy and a just transition to a low-carbon economy. Today's announcement underlines that commitment.
"DFIs are diverse institutions that will follow different paths in and use their best efforts to implement these commitments, with some institutions going even further in certain areas and others needing more time for implementation. By working together on these joint ambitions, European DFIs will take full account of their effects on the planet without compromising on their development impact."
Nick O'Donohoe, Chief Executive of CDC Group, the UK's DFI and impact investor, said:
"I am delighted that all the 15 European DFIs, including CDC, are working together to invest in a sustainable economic future for some of the least developed nations in the world. International cooperation to mobilise private finance is vital to support countries pathways to net zero emissions and to accelerate investment in the climate adaptation solutions that are urgently needed."
The EDFI group's institutions will also make climate related financial disclosures in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures ("TCFD").
For the full EDFI statement and technical specifications, please see here
About EDFI – the Association of European Development Finance Institutions
EDFI promotes the work of 15 bilateral European development finance institutions that invest in the private sector in emerging and frontier markets to create jobs, boost growth, and fight poverty and climate change. Since EDFI was set up in 1992, its members have invested in app. 15,000 projects, and they now manage a combined investment portfolio of EUR 46 billion across financial services, clean energy, industry and many other sectors in more than 100 countries. EDFI's member institutions include BIO (Belgium), BMI-SBI (Belgium). CDC Group (UK). COFIDES (Spain), KfW-DEG (Germany), Finnfund (Finland), FMO (Netherlands), IFU (Denmark), Norfund (Norway), OeEB (Austria), Proparco (France), SIFEM (Switzerland), Simest (Italy), SOFID (Portugal), and Swedfund (Sweden).
Learn more at www.edfi.eu
Andrew Murray-Watson, CDC Group: amurray-watson@cdcgroup.com
James Brenton, EDFI: James.brenton@edfi.eu
Mathilde Poncelet, EDFI: Mathilde.poncelet@edfi.eu | m: +32 471 850 610

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package cc.spray.can

import akka.config.Config._
import java.net.InetSocketAddress
import akka.actor.Actor

/**
 * The common configuration elements of a [[cc.spray.can.ServerConfig]] and a [[cc.spray.can.ClientConfig]].
 */
trait PeerConfig {
  /**
   * The size of the read buffer used for processing incoming messages.
   * Usually there should be little reason to configure it to a value different from its default of 8192 (bytes).
   */
  def readBufferSize: Int

  /**
   * The time period in milliseconds that an open HTTP connection has to be idle before automatically being closed.
   * Set to zero to disable connection timeouts.
   *
   * Default: 10,000 ms = 10 seconds
   */
  def idleTimeout: Long

  /**
   * The `reapingCycle` is the time in milliseconds between two runs of the "reaper", which is the logic that closes
   * open HTTP connections whose idle timeout has exceeded the configured value. Larger values (very slightly) increase
   * overall server or client efficiency (since less time is being spent looking for timed out connections) whereas
   * smaller values increase the precision with which idle connections are really closed after the configured idle
   * timeout. The default value is 500, which means that the reaper runs twice per second.
   */
  def reapingCycle: Long

  /**
   * The time period in milliseconds that are response has to be produced by the application (in the case of the
   * [[cc.spray.can.ServerConfig]]) or received by the server (in the case of the [[cc.spray.can.ClientConfig]].
   * Set to zero to disable request timeouts.
   * The default value is 5000 ms = 5 seconds.
   */
  def requestTimeout: Long

  /**
   * The `timeoutCycle` is the time in milliseconds between two runs of the logic that determines which of all open
   * requests have timed out. Larger values (very slightly) increase overall server or client efficiency (since less
   * time is being spent looking for timed out requests) whereas smaller values increase the precision with which
   * timed out requests are really reacted on after the configured timeout time has elapsed.
   * The default value is 200.
   */
  def timeoutCycle: Long

  /**
   * The configuration of the ''spray-can'' message parser.
   */
  def parserConfig: MessageParserConfig

  require(readBufferSize > 0, "readBufferSize must be > 0 bytes")
  require(idleTimeout >= 0, "idleTimeout must be >= 0 ms")
  require(reapingCycle > 0, "reapingCycle must be > 0 ms")
  require(requestTimeout >= 0, "requestTimeout must be >= 0 ms")
  require(timeoutCycle > 0, "timeoutCycle must be > 0 ms")
  require(parserConfig != null, "parserConfig must not be null")
}

/**
 * The `ServerConfig` configures an instance of the [[cc.spray.can.HttpServer]] actor.
 *
 * @constructor Creates a new `ServerConfig`
 * @param host the interface to bind to, default is `localhost`
 * @param port the port to bind to, default is `8080`
 * @param serverActorId the actor id the [[cc.spray.can.HttpServer]] is to receive, default is `spray-can-server`
 * @param serviceActorId the id of the actor to dispatch the generated [[cc.spray.can.RequestContext]] messages to,
 * default is `spray-root-service`
 * @param timeoutActorId the id of the actor to dispatch the generated [[cc.spray.can.Timeout]] messages to,
 * default is `spray-root-service`
 * @param timeoutTimeout the number of milliseconds the timeout actor has to complete the request after having received
 * a [[cc.spray.can.Timeout]] message. If this time has elapsed without the request being completed the `HttpServer`
 * completes the request by calling its `timeoutTimeoutResponse` method.
 * @param serverHeader the value of the "Server" response header set by the [[cc.spray.can.HttpServer]], if empty the
 * "User-Agent" header will not be rendered
 * @param streamActorCreator an optional function creating a "stream actor", an per-request actor receiving the parts
 * of a chunked (streaming) request as separate messages. If `None` the [[cc.spray.can.HttpServer]] will use a new
 * [[cc.spray.can.BufferingRequestStreamActor]] instance for every incoming chunked request, which buffers chunked
 * content before dispatching it as a regular [[cc.spray.can.RequestContext]] to the service actor.
 */
case class ServerConfig(
  // ServerConfig

  host: String = "localhost",
  port: Int = 8080,
  serverActorId: String = "spray-can-server",
  serviceActorId: String = "spray-root-service",
  timeoutActorId: String = "spray-root-service",
  timeoutTimeout: Long = 500,
  serverHeader: String = "spray-can/" + SprayCanVersion,

  // must be fast and non-blocking
  streamActorCreator: Option[ChunkedRequestContext => Actor] = None,

  // PeerConfig
  readBufferSize: Int = 8192,
  idleTimeout: Long = 10000,
  reapingCycle: Long = 500,
  requestTimeout: Long = 5000,
  timeoutCycle: Long = 200,
  parserConfig: MessageParserConfig = MessageParserConfig()
) extends PeerConfig {

  require(!serverActorId.isEmpty, "serverActorId must not be empty")
  require(!serviceActorId.isEmpty, "serviceActorId must not be empty")
  require(!timeoutActorId.isEmpty, "timeoutActorId must not be empty")
  require(timeoutTimeout >= 0, "timeoutTimeout must be >= 0 ms")

  def endpoint = new InetSocketAddress(host, port)

  override def toString =
    "ServerConfig(\n" +
    "  endpoint       : " + endpoint + "\n" +
    "  serverActorId  : " + serverActorId + "\n" +
    "  serviceActorId : " + serviceActorId + "\n" +
    "  timeoutActorId : " + timeoutActorId + "\n" +
    "  timeoutTimeout : " + timeoutTimeout + " ms\n" +
    "  serverHeader   : " + serverHeader + "\n" +
    "  readBufferSize : " + readBufferSize + " bytes\n" +
    "  idleTimeout    : " + idleTimeout + " ms\n" +
    "  reapingCycle   : " + reapingCycle + " ms\n" +
    "  requestTimeout : " + requestTimeout + " ms\n" +
    "  timeoutCycle   : " + timeoutCycle + " ms\n"
    ")"
}

object ServerConfig {

  /**
   * Returns a `ServerConfig` constructed from the `spray-can` section of the applications `akka.conf` file.
   */
  lazy val fromAkkaConf = ServerConfig(
    // ServerConfig
    host           = config.getString("spray-can.server.host", "localhost"),
    port           = config.getInt("spray-can.server.port", 8080),
    serverActorId  = config.getString("spray-can.server.server-actor-id", "spray-can-server"),
    serviceActorId = config.getString("spray-can.server.service-actor-id", "spray-root-service"),
    timeoutActorId = config.getString("spray-can.server.timeout-actor-id", "spray-root-service"),
    timeoutTimeout = config.getLong("spray-can.server.timeout-timeout", 500),
    serverHeader   = config.getString("spray-can.server.server-header", "spray-can/" + SprayCanVersion),

    // PeerConfig
    readBufferSize = config.getInt("spray-can.server.read-buffer-size", 8192),
    idleTimeout    = config.getLong("spray-can.server.idle-timeout", 10000),
    reapingCycle   = config.getLong("spray-can.server.reaping-cycle", 500),
    requestTimeout = config.getLong("spray-can.server.request-timeout", 5000),
    timeoutCycle   = config.getLong("spray-can.server.timeout-cycle", 200),
    parserConfig   = MessageParserConfig.fromAkkaConf
  )
}

/**
 * The `ClientConfig` configures an instance of the [[cc.spray.can.HttpClient]] actor.
 *
 * @constructor Creates a new `ClientConfig`
 * @param clientActorId the actor id the [[cc.spray.can.HttpClient]] is to receive, default is `spray-can-server`
 * @param userAgentHeader the value of the "User-Agent" request header set by the [[cc.spray.can.HttpClient]],
 * if empty the "User-Agent" request header will not be rendered
 */
case class ClientConfig(
  // ClientConfig
  clientActorId: String = "spray-can-client",
  userAgentHeader: String = "spray-can/" + SprayCanVersion,

  // PeerConfig
  readBufferSize: Int = 8192,
  idleTimeout: Long = 10000,
  reapingCycle: Long = 500,
  requestTimeout: Long = 5000,
  timeoutCycle: Long = 200,
  parserConfig: MessageParserConfig = MessageParserConfig()
) extends PeerConfig {

  require(!clientActorId.isEmpty, "clientActorId must not be empty")

  override def toString =
    "ClientConfig(\n" +
    "  clientActorId  : " + clientActorId + "\n" +
    "  userAgentHeader: " + userAgentHeader + "\n" +
    "  readBufferSize : " + readBufferSize + " bytes\n" +
    "  idleTimeout    : " + idleTimeout + " ms\n" +
    "  reapingCycle   : " + reapingCycle + " ms\n" +
    "  requestTimeout : " + requestTimeout + " ms\n" +
    "  timeoutCycle   : " + timeoutCycle + " ms\n"
    ")"
}

object ClientConfig {
  lazy val fromAkkaConf = ClientConfig(
    // ClientConfig
    clientActorId   = config.getString("spray-can.client.client-actor-id", "spray-can-client"),
    userAgentHeader = config.getString("spray-can.client.user-agent-header", "spray-can/" + SprayCanVersion),

    // PeerConfig
    readBufferSize = config.getInt("spray-can.client.read-buffer-size", 8192),
    idleTimeout    = config.getLong("spray-can.client.idle-timeout", 10000),
    reapingCycle   = config.getLong("spray-can.client.reaping-cycle", 500),
    requestTimeout = config.getLong("spray-can.client.request-timeout", 5000),
    timeoutCycle   = config.getLong("spray-can.client.timeout-cycle", 200),
    parserConfig   = MessageParserConfig.fromAkkaConf
  )
}

/**
 * The configuration of the HTTP message parser.
 * The only setting that more frequently requires tweaking is the `maxContentLength` setting, which represents the
 * maximum request entity size of an HTTP request or response accepted by the server or client.
 */
case class MessageParserConfig(
  maxUriLength: Int = 2048,
  maxResponseReasonLength: Int = 64,
  maxHeaderNameLength: Int = 64,
  maxHeaderValueLength: Int = 8192,
  maxHeaderCount: Int = 64,
  maxContentLength: Int = 8192 * 1024, // default entity size limit = 8 MB
  maxChunkExtNameLength: Int = 64,
  maxChunkExtValueLength: Int = 256,
  maxChunkExtCount: Int = 16,
  maxChunkSize: Int = 1024 * 1024   // default chunk size limit = 1 MB
)

object MessageParserConfig {
  lazy val fromAkkaConf = MessageParserConfig(
    maxUriLength            = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-uri-length", 2048),
    maxResponseReasonLength = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-response-reason-length", 64),
    maxHeaderNameLength     = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-header-name-length", 64),
    maxHeaderValueLength    = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-header-value-length", 8192),
    maxHeaderCount          = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-header-count-length", 64),
    maxContentLength        = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-content-length", 8192 * 1024),
    maxChunkExtNameLength   = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-chunk-ext-name-length", 64),
    maxChunkExtValueLength  = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-chunk-ext-value-length", 256),
    maxChunkExtCount        = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-chunk-ext-count", 16),
    maxChunkSize            = config.getInt("spray-can.parser.max-chunk-size", 1024 * 1024)
  )
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Gerry: Hello, welcome to another episode of This Is HCD. My name is Gerry Scullion I'm Human-Centered Design practitioner based in Sydney, Australia. Before we jump in, however, as this podcast was recorded in the Sydney CBD I'd like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of the land where we meet today and pay respect to their elders both past and present.
In this episode, we caught up with Cyril Secourgeon, the Principal Human Centered Designer practitioner at Westpac group, one of Australia's big four banks.
We discussed the methods that the wider HCD team in Westpac use to help keep stakeholders engaged. Cyril explains the signs to look out for with engaged and disengaged stakeholders and how to work with them to build trust. He takes us through the project process right from the start of projects, and the engagement dos and don'ts when working in large-scale organisations.
Also, this podcast was kindly sponsored by Aquent Sydney (incorporating Vitamin T and Firebrand Talent). The 100% of the money donated goes straight to CaraCare.org.au.
Their teams tell us that they've got lots of UX related freelance and permanent job opportunities on right now. Please visit aquent.com.au and choose "find work" to see what they have on right now.
Gerry: Cyril, welcome to the show.
Cyril: Hi Gerry, thanks for having me.
Gerry: So, Cyril let's kick this off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into Design.
Cyril: I'm a Human-Centered Designer, but I started initially by studying marketing. I was really interested in the class and theory, but then I did an internship and I realised that marketing wasn't for me.
Gerry: Yes, so back in France…we can hear the accent.
Cyril: Yes, back in France at that time. I did an additional year of study closer to the digital world and found a job which was a hybrid of project management and design/information architecture, and from there I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
Cyril: Yes, but it wasn't even called like that at that time because France has always been a little bit behind Australia in terms of UX, I would say. But yes that was the spirit.
Gerry: Okay, so tell us a little bit the topic that you want to discuss today and how it was originated.
Cyril: A few months ago, I was online and I read an article that was saying that basically poor communication, poor stakeholder engagement, lack of clarity, and lack of trust are the main reasons why a project can derail. I've been working in medium to large organization for more than 12 years.
Gerry: How large are we talking?
Cyril: We are talking big banks. So, I was in BNP Paribas back in France, so pretty big size like 40K employees. I'm at Westpac today which is also one of the biggest employers in Australia. So, I've been working in these big size companies and I had time to realise how stakeholder engagement is critical to project success. Also, I have time to realise how complex it was, for example in large organisations you often have many stakeholders per project which make the engagement pretty complex, and each stakeholder often has a different level of design maturity. Also, big organisations tend to very siloed which means stakeholder often focus on their own specific goals, the challenge is to get them to converge toward the same vision and objectives.
Gerry: Yes. sure! Alright so, why do you think it is so important to get stakeholder deeply engaged? What are their goals?
Cyril: Well, I think it's important to me because it prevents the project to derail and definitely increases the chances of success. By having stakeholder fully engaged you avoid any misalignments, misunderstandings, and you get buying on the solution by designing it collaboratively. I also believe that stakeholders often subject matters experts, right, and as a designer would bring all designer expertise on the tables, so by combining the two, it just increases the chances of success and having a quality output.
Gerry: What tactics do you use to enable the collaboration to happen with those stakeholders?
Cyril: So, just before I jump in into details, I just want to give credit to Dan Smith who's the director of the Human-Centered Design Team at Westpac, basically my boss.
Cyril: Yes, so he came up with this approach a few years ago and we've been using it in the team since then. So, basically we follow the design thinking process, but we put a stronger emphasis on taking stakeholders on a journey with us. Collaboration and communication are very important to us. I give you few examples before the project starts; we write the HCD approach together with the stakeholders. So, If I'm working on the project I would go and meet the stakeholders the first time and we will frame the problem together, we will talk about the scope, and I'll go away and hand sketch a one-pager with the approach and it will be very visual, if we look almost like Sketch Notes.
Gerry: I was going to ask, what is that going to look like? How did you define that very early stage piece with these stakeholders? You may or may not have that design maturity that [inaudible]?
Cyril: We talk about business objective, essentially, to start with and then from there we can give them some recommendations from the Human-Centered Design perspective. We tried to find a happy medium where, I'd be comfortable starting to work on the approach, basically.
Garry: Okay. So, those things that the stakeholders call out, is there a prioritisation piece that happens there? What are the pieces that can be addressed and the design process or is there any consideration given to it?
Cyril: So, not initially at the beginning of the project but usually we based our recommendations on research. So, once research is completed we often have good visibility on what are the different opportunities and from there we usually conduct some prioritisation session where we consider desirability, viability, and feasibility. This happens with the relevant stakeholders in the room.
Garry: Okay. What are the next steps?
Cyril: So, once we get a detailed report where everyone is comfortable with, then the project can kick off. We usually start a project with a co-design session. We bring designers and stakeholders to the table. It is very good for stakeholders because often their mind can already be set on a solution and by having that co-design session happening, it can be an eye-opener for them.
Garry: Okay, you mentioned earlier when you were speaking before we start recording about the project walls and the weekly huddles and all these certain ceremonies; try to tell me a little bit more what they are and how they fit in the process?
Cyril: Yes sure. For each project, we work on we create a project wall, and we really think this wall has to serve a purpose. On the project wall, you will find the key information that was mentioned in the HCD approach: you will find the project opportunity, the scope, the list of stakeholders that are supposed to be engaged in this project. And from there it is basically a work in progress. So, for example, if we got a researcher working on the project, the first week the wall would be filled in with post-it notes with insights. The following week would be a hand sketch structure of the journey map, and the week after that it would be a digital output of that map. Also, we have weekly huddles happening at the wall. It's like 30 minutes session where we gather with stakeholders. We take them through the work that has been done in the previous week and we keep them updated on the HCD activities. It is a very good stand up session. It is pretty dynamic. The stakeholders can give us the feedback and also often we see the conversation happening between stakeholders which helps in breaking the silos I mentioned earlier.
Gerry: Yes, so they can come from different parts of the business could have different objectives of the projects. They have to see the evolution of the project in front of their eyes, almost.
Gerry: Just an aside question, what happens after the research is being completed and the research is on the wall? Where does that go and live? The bin?
Cyril: No, it stays up the wall but when we move from research to ideation we often have two Human Centered Designers that work in parallel, in tandem. Basically, we always kick off with the research and then a Human-Centered designer who focuses on prototyping and testing will then take these insights and feed them into his work. And vice versa after user testing, the Human-Centered designer would feedback some insights to the researcher so that formation can be added to the journey map.
Gerry: So, after that, you mentioned in the show notes here that were we looking at, the face to face collaboration, no emails.
Gerry: To me that's a little bit stronger than most other points here because a lot of business is digital transformation we going to find those emails back and forth, we going to save paper like. Why no emails? I'm keen to hear your perspective on that.
Cyril: So, no emails might be a little bit extreme but we try to limit the number of emails. That will be more correct. Yes, we really were pushing our the team to face to face conversations with stakeholders. That is where we find the wall being very useful for that. For example, we encourage our designers not to share a link to a prototype or soft copy of the journey map, and instead of having a conversation at the wall. The reason is, in the past when we use to do that the email got shared to other stakeholders or other people that we are not aware of, and suddenly you end up receiving emails with bullet points of feedbacks on things you haven't ask for, not necessarily very clear.
Gerry: You may not go on the journey as well.
Cyril: Yes, so having a face to face conversation on the wall is much more efficient, in terms of a getting clear output and outcome.
Gerry: So, what you say to stakeholders, like this is a really great prototype, when you show them on the phone, can you send me a copy of that? Cause another team perhaps elsewhere in the organisation might do that.
Cyril: Yes, so when the stakeholders ask for a soft copy or a link to a prototype, we always ask why do they need it. So we need to get a good understanding of what are they going to do with it. If they are going to present it to another team for example, then we should have a discussion of potentially involving HCD in that presentation because obviously, we've been the closest to the work. It depends on the stakeholders, some are very comfortable in presenting our work.
Gerry: I think that's really smart. With hindsight, what are the key learning around the way you've been engaged with stakeholders. Maybe, what do you do differently?
Cyril: So, in terms of key learnings, I think getting to know them before the project starts is very important and like creating that relationship and the trust. Developing relationship takes time and something can't really a force but you can differently influence it and be proactive with it. So, it might just be starting with the cup of coffee with the stakeholder. There is a lot of stakeholders that we work frequently with and we end up developing that relationship like that by working together several times.
Gerry: Yes, at a human to human level.
Cyril: At a human level, yeah. The thing with the relationship is that there is increased trust. When there is trust people work more effectively in more easily together. It's also important to understand what's happening in their world, so we know what we can ask or expect from them.
Gerry: So when you say their world, do you mean I would their whole world not just the work world.
Cyril: Yes, so it would depend on the personality of stakeholder and how close you could get to them, in a way.
Gerry: You may only have 20 minutes a week for somebody's stakeholders because they are pretty busy.
Cyril: Yes, at the end of the day, it's a human contact so sometimes it clicks and sometimes and it doesn't.
Gerry: Yes, It's [inaudible]; I guess it is kind of important to the designer to have that and EQ to be able to tap into that.
Cyril: Yes, it's a very good point.
Gerry: So, I guess it sounds like you're treating them almost like an extension of the team, so you are bringing them into that process. They are almost partners so that is what I'm hearing, it's that correct?
Cyril: Yes, that is totally right. We should and we always have treated stakeholders as partners, and vice versa, because we do have the same goals we do share the same vision.
Cyril: It is important to treat them as partners, also something that's pretty important is to keep the momentum going to keep stakeholders engage. I know in HCD, we move at a pretty fast based on project it is not just because of budget limitation, but it's also because this fast phase helps us keeping the momentum and keeping the stakeholder engaged.
Gerry: And, to bring more value as well.
Cyril: So, for example when we conduct user testing we do that within one day, six session on one day. And then we only have six or seven days in between the two rounds of testing, which might sounds a lot, but actually there are a lot of things that need to happen between these two sessions.
Gerry: Does that fluctuates the number of participants depending on stages of testing that happens in the journey? As the more fidelity, [inaudible], more testing partner, for instance?
Cyril: When we test with customers we usually limit up to six, knowing that the minimum that has been mentioned by Jacob Nielsen is five people. Basically, that is how we can uncover 80 % of the usability issues. So we usually stick to six but then it can vary. For example when we do research, obviously, sometimes depending on the number of segments we have to approach, sometimes we can go more than six people.
Gerry: Depending on the accuracy that is required, I suppose.
Gerry: Okay, so, just to go back to the original question like, what's changed with hindsight, how we this framework evolve overtime since when you started at Westpac to now? What are you doing differently?
Cyril: When I joined Westpac as mentioned, this engaging framework was already in place, but I guess myself and the other designers in the team, as a team grew we brought on our experience on the table and background and then we basically help this approach evolve and adapt to the daily challenges were facing.
Gerry: Yes, it's like your own playbook.
Cyril: Yes, we definitely own this framework and we're always tweaking it and adjusting it. Also we gets some stakeholders that we work a lot, which means it makes things easier then we don't have to go through the whole framework by the book, every time.
Gerry: As the maturity increases.
Cyril: As the maturity increases.
Gerry: So, what kind of involvement do you have, because as people in culture, and also like it's just having it increase the design maturity, because the lower design maturity organisation we going to work harder to get those things across the line. So, any collaboration up to between the HCD team and the training and Operations level of Westpac to upskill the organisation to become more design mature.
Cyril: No, unfortunately, we don't do that. We are big believers of starting from the ground and going up. I think It is a long and slow process.
Cyril: It is proven to work. We've got some areas in the business where we frequently work with them so we've seen that level of maturity definitely increasing. Part of the challenges of the next few months may be years is to tackle all the areas of the business where we know that the design maturity level is pretty low.
Gerry: Yes, I work in organisations similar sizes ways back and before. What always shocked me was whenever I work to some designers and some non-designers they always thought that the stakeholder engaged was really high. What I'm keen to hear is your understanding of what does successful engagement looks like? What are the signs to look for?
Cyril: Well, for us I think during the project when we see stakeholders having conversation at the project wall without us being around, then that is a good sign of success. They are really using that framework in place. Even better, we often live post-its and a pen blue tacked on the wall. That way we can collect feedback from the stakeholders but as well the rest of the project team, like BAs or PM. When we find post-it notes filled in with questions, then it is a pretty good feeling as well. I guess at the end of the project, another sign of success will be for stakeholders to come back to us for another project, asking for more.
Cyril: Yes, referrals. If stakeholders we work with turn into promoters and recommend us to other stakeholders, which actually happened a few times, then it's a pretty good feeling.
Gerry: We kind of touched in this area earlier in the episode, what would've you done differently so far in the framework?
Cyril: Look, I think there have been few projects where we really push hard to get in because we thought it was the right thing to do and we managed to get in but in the end it was a bit of an uncomfortable situation. Because some of the stakeholders really don't want to us there. I think it has some kind of impact in the final output. Now, we try to really focus on the project where the team is set up for success. Projects where we're really wanted there.
Gerry: Yes. It is like a walk in the park working this large organisation working on design teams. It can be quite difficult and you can obviously, it is human, just get people you don't click with and they don't understand the process. So is there any advice you can give to people who are listening, and how do you get around that?
Cyril: Yes. So there's different types of difficult stakeholders. The ones that don't really believe in the human centered design process. In that case, what we do is we use the project walls again. If you have a project wall in your company I highly recommend you to use it to pitch to stakeholders.
Gerry: How many walls do you have? It must be like the maze prison in Belfast.
Cyril: [laughs] It depends on the floors and the buildings. We might have at least ten to twenty walls, I would say. It keeps increasing. There is a wall war going on because everyone wants a wall.
Gerry: Just like Game of Thrones, the Wall. How big are these walls? I can't believe we are talking about the wall size but.
Cyril: Yeah, I know. So the height depends on the height of the ceiling obviously, the width is usually between one and two meters. But, it really depends on the project and the amount of information you have to put on the wall.
Gerry: I half expecting to come over and visit someday and see it like a maze. Dan Smith in the middle sitting in the big chair saying "We've been waiting for you" [laughter]. So, can you tell us a little bit about different stakeholders?
Cyril: Yes. When they are not convinced with the process we usually take them through these walls. We try to reassure them, and educate them on the HCD approach. We also refer them to other stakeholders who worked with us in the past so that they can get feedback from the people that speak their own language. There's also some stakeholders that don't really have time or are not really interested in the work you are doing in their project, which can be a bot of a shame. It's something that is very important to remember: primary stakeholders share some responsibility in participating actively. So, as designers, it is our responsibilities to make sure we give them enough space and time to provide feedback and to be engaged. But, if they seemingly engaged at the end of the day we've got a timeframe that we have to respect.
Gerry: Coming to the end of the episode Cyril, I just got one final question on this topic. What improvements would you like to see in the next 12 months to this framework? What have you identify as potential pain points, to use the design terminology, in the frameworks and how do you address them?
Cyril: As I mentioned briefly before, we've managed to set a good level of design maturity with one area of business banking. We need to increase some areas in which the stakeholders are not really familiar with the design thinking process. It is going to take time because it is a slow process but we know that it works.
Gerry: Do you have materials that you send out to those people like low design maturity, like partners that you send them off to get them educated?
Cyril: No, again it comes back again to face to face like having these a conversations and taking time to seat with them to take them through the walls. We know in large organisation, I don't know in smaller sized ones, every time you send a document to someone and it gets lost and not being read so it is better to have that in a conversation.
Cyril: One of our challenges is to make sure that the HCD framework is conveyed to everyone in the team, and make sure that they are using it. Because the team keeps growing. A year and a half ago it was just Dan and myself, and now we are almost fifteen. It seems obviously growing.
Gerry: What's the team made up of in terms of skills as oppose to roles?
Cyril: We've got three HCD Principal and we got Service Design leads we usually work with them on big complex projects that don't usually happen in the building we're located. We have a lot of Senior Human Centered Designers. Some of them are more specialised on research, others more on prototyping and testing. It is a good and healthy mix. We've got end to end Human Centered Designers as well. They can move from research to prototype and testing easily.
Gerry: Alright. Usually Mark does this, the three questions that [inaudible] but Cyril, what is the one professional skill that you wish you are better at?
Cyril: I would say public speaking. It is not necessarily a skill that I don't have but a skill that I'm trying to improve. Luckily, with my current role I am more exposed to that, so that's a good thing.
Gerry: Okay. What is one thing in the industry that you wish you'd be able to banish?
Cyril: Definitely, I would say waste of information. And by information I mean research, insights, data, etc. I think people like starting from scratch instead of leveraging existing information. When they do leverage existing information it is often overlooked and on the worst case scenario it is ignored. It does have an impact on the quality of the output.
Gerry: It also reduced the trust of the stakeholders. [inaudible] I've seen that, as well. So what is the message you'd give to emerging human-centered design talent for the future?
Cyril: Actually, I have couple of messages. The first one would be, being a designer is much more than being good at design, the process, the tools and the methods. Just think about growing your soft skills as well. We've talked about stakeholder engagement today and soft skills are very important in order to engage stakeholders properly. Second message would be, actually around the portfolio. I do a lot of interviews and often in portfolios, I see lot of pretty pictures. They often focus on the output, which is good, but what I think a lot of recruiters are interested in would be to get an understating of the process, the methods they've used, the challenges they have faced, etc.
Gerry: So, it is really important for young people coming through– they are going through to that process, to document it, and also to seek approval from the employers to be able to use that work publicly.
Gerry: Cyril, thank you so much for your time today. I know you are really, really busy and I really appreciate the time. And I know that the listeners really appreciate the time for sharing this information. It's been absolutely brilliant. Thanks for coming up in the show.
Cyril: Thanks so much for having me Gerry.


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