How to Re-Shape Projects (without antagonising people) Slides from the NUX7 talk by Kate Tarling, Friday 19th October 2018. 2018.nuxconf.uk / nuxuk.org Synopsis How often have you seen a pipeline of work, a brief or a backlog and thought ‘what does this even mean? What’s actually being built and why?’ How organisations describe work and measure projects is too often only inward-facing. It reflects the internal view of something that should be built or bought, rather than clarity about what that organisation is trying to solve or achieve for its users or for itself. Having impact with good research and design is hard when work is already shaped from the inside out – especially when the team is then up against a deadline to deliver ‘something’. It also makes it hard for the organisation to anticipate problems or to know how to judge whether a project has been successful from any kind of outside perspective. For example, how users might be affected by a change, potential support costs, demand, efficiency, effectiveness, missed opportunities or unwanted effects. Kate will talk about some ways we can work constructively as part of a team, to not just re-shape projects for success, but how to evaluate them. In doing so, we move from being ‘the one’s designing other people’s ideas and products’, to being a core part of the team deciding where we need which products or technology – and just as importantly, where we don’t.

1. Re-shaping projects
Kate Tarling
@kateldn

2. Sometimes we get to work on
really great things.
Other times we question if the
work we’re doing is worthwhile.

3. System integrated end to end digital
service including front-end website
and back office case
management/CRM (GDS compliant)

4. A digital experience platform
to replace an unstable content
management system
(that places users at the heart)

5. Developers
Product managers
User researchers
Designers
Head of Design
Head of Product
VP of Product

6. Comms
Front line teams
Strategy
Operations
Procurement
Technical architecture
PMO
Infrastructure management
Security
IT and Technology
Business management
Contact centre management
Policy
Contract management
Finance

7. @kateldn
Each area - and profession – has their own
values and world views.
What they consider important, what ‘good’
looks like, how they think about
performance, ways of working, who are
their allies.

8. Inwardly focused: what things should
we build, buy or outsource?

9. Inwardly focused: what things should
we build, buy or outsource?
Outwardly focused: what are we trying
to solve or achieve? How are we
performing in this? How does what we
do, build or buy relate to this?

10. How do we know if a project is going
to be good or bad?
When should an organisation start
work, continue it, change or stop it?
How can teams describe work, in a
way that works for everyone?

11. 1. Untangle the purpose
and context of work

12. @kateldn
“We need a portal for
applicants to submit
their bank statements
electronically”
By @ayeshamoarif

13. @kateldn
“We need a portal for
applicants to submit
their bank statements
electronically”
Who is ‘we’?
Why now?
Or else?
Why do users
need to do this?
What does this
allow us to do?
What are users
actually trying
to do?
What does this
data tell us?
Why this?
How else?
By @ayeshamoarif

14. What would make the thing we’re
trying to make happen ‘good’, as
opposed to just making something
‘exist’?

15. 2. Establish the level at
which the work is
happening

16. @kateldn
End to end service
Supporting services
Activities
Capabilities
Technology
Data
We start to lose clarity
when the relationship
between these is
unclear

17. @kateldn
Design an end to end service
Redesign how someone applies
Improve or change a task
Set up or change a new function
Build a system to record decisions
Improve how data is used or shared
End to end service
Supporting services
Activities
Capabilities
Technology
Data

18. @kateldn
“We need a portal for
applicants to submit
their bank statements
electronically”
End to end service
Supporting services
Activities
Capabilities
Technology
Data

19. 3. Place the work in
context of a broader
service, or around how
humans approach things

20. Find out Choose Act Decide Fulfil Use Change

21. Find out Choose Act Decide Fulfil Use Chnage
Users know about it,
find the right service
and understand what
to do next - or rule
themselves out

22. Find out Choose Act Decide Fulfil Use Chnage
Users know about it,
find the right service
and understand what
to do next - or rule
themselves out
We make a fair, fast
and evidence-based
decision, which users
understand, in time for
when they need it

23. Find out Choose Act Decide Fulfil Use Chnage
Users know about it,
find the right service
and understand what
to do next - or rule
themselves out
We make a fair, fast
and evidence-based
decision, which users
understand, in time for
when they need it
Project 1
• Reduce confusion about
product options
• Increase likelihood of the
right product being chosen

24. Find out Choose Act Decide Fulfil Use Chnage
Users know about it,
find the right service
and understand what
to do next - or rule
themselves out
We make a fair, fast
and evidence-based
decision, which users
understand, in time for
when they need it
Project 1
• Reduce confusion about
product options
• Increase likelihood of the
right product being chosen
Project 2
• Increase likelihood of applications
being ultimately approved
• Reduce error rate of completed
applications

25. 4. Anticipate challenge
and confusion

26. People won’t always like you to
re-shape their (potentially well
thought out) projects

27. @kateldn
• We don’t have time for you to unravel this
• Everything is fine, prove it’s not
• Good enough is okay, we don’t need ‘gold
standard’
• If we don’t ship [stuff] by [date] we’ll lose
credibility with the rest of ‘the business’
• The ‘user perspective’ isn’t relevant for this

28. We can often, but not always,
re-shape existing work
We can also be involved from the
start, to help shape and clarify
work in the first place

29. 5. Clearly identify what
the organisation does

30. @kateldn
https://hodigital.blog.gov.uk/2018/06/07/creating-a-list-of-services/
Example

31. 6. Establish shared goals
that make sense for
everyone

32. @kateldn
The UK passport office
What it exists to do
Provide a secure way for British citizens to be
identified when travelling between countries
Service
Getting citizens secure passports, that work
where and when needed, in time for when they
need them

33. @kateldn
Defining successful outcomes for:
Users
Security and risk experts
UK border control
Immigration in all other countries
The travel and transport industries
Suppliers
Partners

34. 7. Find out how well
products and services are
performing

35. How many people should or could be using?
How many are aware that they can or should do something?
How many are actually doing something about it?
How many find their way to the service?
How many get through all the stages?
How much time and effort does it take for the user? For the provider?
Is performance lower for any group?
Where do we see confusion, failure, drop-offs, support costs?
Are there parts we simply acknowledge to be bad?
What would be the best way to get to the successful outcome?
By @keltanen. More details here: goo.gl/Dh2gGU

36. 8. Use desired outcomes as the
basis for radically (re)designing
products and services

37. @kateldn
Example

38. In summary…

39. 1. Untangle the purpose and context
2. Establish its level
3. Place it in context of service and humans
as a way to understand performance
4. Anticipate challenges
5. Identify what the organisation does
6. Establish shared goals & outcomes
7. Find out performance
8. Use outcomes as the basis for (re)design

40. Thanks for listening
More details and examples here:
goo.gl/Dh2gGU
@kateldn