1. Service Blueprinting

Client

Government ministry

Sector

Public

Role

Project lead

Skill areas

  • Service design

  • Transformation

  • Project management

  • Coaching and mentoring

  • Collaboration

Context

The client was undertaking a once-in-a-generation transformation programme to reset its foundations, redefine service delivery and modernise technology. During my time with the client, I worked on several pieces focused on designing future and transitional states. This case study focuses on the service blueprinting project during the discovery phase of the delivery programme.

Opportunity

As the transformation programme moved into delivery, a strategic design team with cross-functional capabilities was established to ensure alignment with the future service and target operating models. Service blueprinting was adopted to identify and align what needs to be true in the organisation to deliver the desired experiences for staff, clients, and partners.

Outcome

The service blueprinting process integrated knowledge of the current state and future state documents to articulate a desirable transition state from both an experience and organisational perspective.

Seven prepopulated blueprints, based on organisation-wide experience patterns, were created by subject matter experts and validated through workshops involving over 40 participants from more than 16 teams. These workshops generated over 1,500 comments, which were used to refine the blueprints and produce a design report.

The blueprints and process offered an organisation-wide perspective to:

  • Support the development of high-level business requirements.

  • Inform the broader team of considerations for detailed design to ensure alignment with the desired experience.

  • Guide decision-makers on high-level design and highlight any limitations and trade-offs before detailed design and implementation.

As the project lead…

  • I collaborated as part of a larger strategic design team of 11, engaging stakeholders of various seniorities and managing interactions in all directions—self, upward, downward, and sideways.

  • I provided service design expertise, facilitated technical upskilling, and developed design artefacts and supporting materials to ensure the effective use of service design throughout the programme.

  • Through workshops, meetings, and presentations, I drove cross-functional collaboration and alignment across teams, workstreams, and the organisation.

  • I managed key deliverables, guided the blueprinting team of three, coached junior team members, and handled project management, briefings, and stakeholder management.

  • I established ways of working for the team to generate, analyse, consolidate, create, and refine, including methods for translating complex and technical information from business processes, business capabilities, benefits, legislation and policy, channels, and data domains.

  • Most importantly, I supported my immediate and broader team's professional growth, confidence, and culture.

Tools

  • Figma

  • Miro

  • Jira

  • Confluence

  • Objective

  • Microsoft Teams

  • PowerPoint