Reflection – Visualization of a New Process

Challenge   As a new member of this state-owned company, with a few disgruntled, unhappy and very  adverse to change employees from the IT department, I had the difficult challenge to design  and implement a new Change Procedure, with the mission of order the workflow and  eliminate some issues the auditors have been raising for ages.     Selection   Even though I was not familiar with design thinking techniques at the time, I thought the first  step would need to use the visualization tool.   I think that this is one of the best tools for this task, which facilitates both designing and  showing the way different groups of people interact with each other along the process flow.  The good thing is in this case you don’t need to be a very talented artist to implement this  technique, you just need to be able to draw lines, rectangles and rhomboids.    Application   We began by drawing a very basic process flow on a whiteboard, with a reduced group of  people.  Then we discussed about it, iterating over it, and continued to add more layers of  complexity, attaching post-it notes, to give more detailed explanations when necessary.   Then we organized different groups, to show all the participants how the steps of the  procedure could go, and allow them to make suggestions or changes, as long as some basic  compliance principles were to be preserved.    Insight   As I already mentioned, I didn’t know about design thinking at the time, but the experience  ratified our ideas about how this approach would be our best and maybe only chance to  success, which was using a visualization tool, besides getting all impacted people feel they  were on-board, participating of the design and implementation just from the beginning of the  project.     Approach   I think that I wouldn’t change the selected tool, which I continue to believe is the best for this  job, but I’d surely try to complement it with other techniques at an early stage. For example, it  would be great to be able to use the Learning Launch to let participants play with a prototype,  which would allow them to immerse in the new process, before it is officially live and running.


Reflection – Visualization of a New Process Challenge As a new member of this state - owned company , with a few disgruntled , unhappy and very adverse to change employees from the IT department , I had the difficult challenge to design and implement a new Change Procedure , with the mission of order the workflow and eliminate some issues the auditors have been raising for ages . Selection Even though I was not familiar with design thinking techniques at the time , I thought the first step would need to use the visualization tool . I think that this is one of the best tools for this task , which facilitates both designing and showing the way different groups of people interact with each other along the process flow . The good thing is in this case you do n’t need to be a very talented artist to implement this technique , you just need to be able to draw lines , rectangles and rhomboids . Application We began by drawing a very basic process flow on a whiteboard , with a reduced group of people . Then we discussed about it , iterating over it , and continued to add more layers of complexity , attaching post - it notes , to give more detailed explanations when necessary . Then we organized different groups , to show all the participants how the steps of the procedure could go , and allow them to make suggestions or changes , as long as some basic compliance principles were to be preserved . Insight As I already mentioned , I did n’t know about design thinking at the time , but the experience ratified our ideas about how this approach would be our best and maybe only chance to success , which was using a visualization tool , besides getting all impacted people feel they were on - board , participating of the design and implementation just from the beginning of the project . Approach I think that I would n’t change the selected tool , which I continue to believe is the best for this job , but I ’d surely try to complement it with other techniques at an early stage . For example , it would be great to be able to use the Learning Launch to let participants play with a prototype , which would allow them to immerse in the new process , before it is officially live and running .