How is it Designed and Implemented: The Process of Whole-System Design
The specifics steps toward creating the future organization will depend on the client’s priorities and situation. However, this graphic provides a very general process flow that has proven to work in the past.
The work of the Steering Team includes making the business strategy clear, assessing their assets and liabilities that contribute to achieving that strategy, and defining principles they wish to be considered in the design. They write a design charter that becomes the foundation of the Design Team’s work.
The Design Team generally begins by mapping the current state of the work process, discovering, through a process of inquiry, how others view that process. They then create a general “dream” of the ideal future process; and then map the specific steps that would create that future. They do the same for the enabling processes. Once these are approved by the Steering Team, they build the structure and systems that will support the work process. Finally, they develop a specific implementation plan.
There is no hard and fast right way to develop the future of the organization. These steps are a starting point for discussion and creating a customized process that will best meet the needs of the client.