Final Assignment – Design Thinking for Innovation

By Katie Wakefield

Visualization Tool

Challenge

We are currently faced with the challenge of shifting the way we do projects within our organization as we  stand up a new digital strategy. Some background information: we are one of the country’s largest energy  producers and have been going through a transformation over the past 5 years. Since our current CEO took the  helm, we have gone from a very favourable economic situation, working to streamline some of our value chains  and identify opportunities for standardization, to one of the worst economic downturns in the past 20 years.  Along with the downturn, our focus has shifted from production growth at any cost to a sustainability mindset.  We realize that we can be part of the solution as the world has turned its attention to reducing GHG emissions,  reducing our carbon footprint and becoming more aware of how the products we use daily are manufactured,  distributed and disposed of.

As the technology leaders for the company, we have recently combined business process management with  innovation and solution design to develop projects in a more responsible and planful manner. We have a  project management methodology that has been adopted from our major projects group, with the mindset  that we can apply the governance, rigour and oversight that has helped control capital and operating  expenditures of our large scale developments to new technology projects. The challenge is really to shift how  our group approaches design and development right from the beginning of a project, rather than  fundamentally changing the activities of our experts – the what. The problem statement could be: How do we  apply the principles of design thinking to our existing project management methodology while maintaining our  standards of portfolio management?

Selection

While exploring how we would shift to a more innovative business model we used visualization techniques. We  frequently use the whiteboards in our boardrooms to share thoughts and ideas, and in the workshops we  explored both current and future state models, including identifying various stakeholders. While we have pages  of existing documents written to describe the processes and procedures of our current methodology, we all felt  the need to see how to combine all of the activities, with the people involved and layer in other information  such as budgeting, RASCI and key milestones.

Application

We began work shops with four senior level directors from different areas of the Information & Process  Management function. As we discussed our current state and the challenges we were facing in delivering  projects through the gated review process, I documented the discussion on the whiteboard, taking photos at  the end of each work shop and then sending out a slide deck that included a written summary and the original  photos. We met weekly for four weeks before deciding to include some “disruptors” in our discussions. We  brought in management level employees to participate in the discussion. We sought out both those whose  view point was aligned with our modus operandi, to create change in project delivery by streamlining the  necessary artifacts and by establishing a different way of approaching technology opportunities, as well as  those we knew would oppose, or challenge, the proposed changes.

As a result of sharing information visually we were able to arrive at a consensus more quickly and clearly than  through discussion alone. We shared insights; each director brought a different perspective to the conversation

and each participant was better able to share the lens through which they approach each project, based on  their area of expertise and experience. This tool allowed us to shift the conversation from project deliverables  or artifact driven activities, which may not add value or provide the information required to make a decision on  the future of the project, to aligning ourselves to the desired outcomes we are seeking at each stage of the  project.

Insight and Approach

Visualization is not a new tool to me, having spent the past 5 years facilitating workshops and instructing I find  it’s a very useful tool to have in my tool belt! I’m also a visual-kinesthetic learner so I appreciate visuals as a  tool for communication. The insight I have gained through this activity is that not everyone uses visualization  as a means of communicating an idea, especially in an area of the business that is driven by digitization and  technology. This quote from Angela Meyer in her Week 1 video on Visualization Tool resonated with me:

It's really, it's really important to be able to understand the way that you communicate to people. The primary tools  for, for thinking visually are really just mastering some basic elements of imagining people, spaces, situations and  actions or movements. It's very easy to create a simple diagram, and most anyone can draw a stick figure, an arrow,  a circle, a square. Those are the basic building blocks of creating a visualization.

What I have learned is that my “space to play” within the tech world (which is relatively new to me) is the  meeting point between humans and technology. As we develop the design thinking capability within our  organization I will look to challenge my colleagues to use visualization and take it further than simple  whiteboard graphs and collections of words. I look forward to developing this capability for myself and then  further demonstrating visualization techniques as we explore the “What is” and “What if” questions of design  thinking.


Final Assignment – Design Thinking for Innovation By Katie Wakefield Visualization Tool Challenge We are currently faced with the challenge of shifting the way we do projects within our organization as we stand up a new digital strategy . Some background information : we are one of the country ’s largest energy producers and have been going through a transformation over the past 5 years . Since our current CEO took the helm , we have gone from a very favourable economic situation , working to streamline some of our value chains and identify opportunities for standardization , to one of the worst economic downturns in the past 20 years . Along with the downturn , our focus has shifted from production growth at any cost to a sustainability mindset . We realize that we can be part of the solution as the world has turned its attention to reducing GHG emissions , reducing our carbon footprint and becoming more aware of how the products we use daily are manufactured , distributed and disposed of . As the technology leaders for the company , we have recently combined business process management with innovation and solution design to develop projects in a more responsible and planful manner . We have a project management methodology that has been adopted from our major projects group , with the mindset that we can apply the governance , rigour and oversight that has helped control capital and operating expenditures of our large scale developments to new technology projects . The challenge is really to shift how our group approaches design and development right from the beginning of a project , rather than fundamentally changing the activities of our experts – the what . The problem statement could be : How do we apply the principles of design thinking to our existing project management methodology while maintaining our standards of portfolio management ? Selection While exploring how we would shift to a more innovative business model we used visualization techniques . We frequently use the whiteboards in our boardrooms to share thoughts and ideas , and in the workshops we explored both current and future state models , including identifying various stakeholders . While we have pages of existing documents written to describe the processes and procedures of our current methodology , we all felt the need to see how to combine all of the activities , with the people involved and layer in other information such as budgeting , RASCI and key milestones . Application We began work shops with four senior level directors from different areas of the Information & Process Management function . As we discussed our current state and the challenges we were facing in delivering projects through the gated review process , I documented the discussion on the whiteboard , taking photos at the end of each work shop and then sending out a slide deck that included a written summary and the original photos . We met weekly for four weeks before deciding to include some “ disruptors ” in our discussions . We brought in management level employees to participate in the discussion . We sought out both those whose view point was aligned with our modus operandi , to create change in project delivery by streamlining the necessary artifacts and by establishing a different way of approaching technology opportunities , as well as those we knew would oppose , or challenge , the proposed changes . As a result of sharing information visually we were able to arrive at a consensus more quickly and clearly than through discussion alone . We shared insights ; each director brought a different perspective to the conversation and each participant was better able to share the lens through which they approach each project , based on their area of expertise and experience . This tool allowed us to shift the conversation from project deliverables or artifact driven activities , which may not add value or provide the information required to make a decision on the future of the project , to aligning ourselves to the desired outcomes we are seeking at each stage of the project . Insight and Approach Visualization is not a new tool to me , having spent the past 5 years facilitating workshops and instructing I find it ’s a very useful tool to have in my tool belt ! I ’m also a visual - kinesthetic learner so I appreciate visuals as a tool for communication . The insight I have gained through this activity is that not everyone uses visualization as a means of communicating an idea , especially in an area of the business that is driven by digitization and technology . This quote from Angela Meyer in her Week 1 video on Visualization Tool resonated with me : It 's really , it 's really important to be able to understand the way that you communicate to people . The primary tools for , for thinking visually are really just mastering some basic elements of imagining people , spaces , situations and actions or movements . It 's very easy to create a simple diagram , and most anyone can draw a stick figure , an arrow , a circle , a square . Those are the basic building blocks of creating a visualization . What I have learned is that my “ space to play ” within the tech world ( which is relatively new to me ) is the meeting point between humans and technology . As we develop the design thinking capability within our organization I will look to challenge my colleagues to use visualization and take it further than simple whiteboard graphs and collections of words . I look forward to developing this capability for myself and then further demonstrating visualization techniques as we explore the “ What is ” and “ What if ” questions of design thinking .