Examples

Situations from our work: what was happening, what became visible, and what that made possible.

When we work with clients, it is about you. About what you do and what is happening in your organisation. If your way of working works for you, good. If something gets in the way, we look at it together. From theory and practice, we use what works for you and your stakeholders.

How we work

Large municipality

What the SLA covered and what was needed

What was happening: The cloud migration took much longer than expected. New projects were hard to get started, and it was difficult to get work done.
What became visible: We took the SLA that was already there and put it side by side with what the municipality needed and what it got for what it paid. What had been bought as a cloud platform turned out to be cloud infrastructure. Along the way, the municipality got a sharper picture of what it needed itself; that was not in the SLA.
What that made possible: At first, renegotiating counted as impossible. With this picture, the director could show that the delay was not down to his team but to what had been agreed. With it, he could renegotiate the agreements so that they fit what the municipality needs and what it pays for.

Energy company

Two departments, and doing nothing as an option

What was happening: Cooperation between two departments was difficult. Inside the organisation it was seen as a question of roles and responsibilities: a RACI problem.
What became visible: Instead of a new roles chart, we used system dynamics to map the feedback loops between the departments: which reinforced the work and which turned into vicious circles. Then we looked together at the concrete issue: how the relationships stood, who did what, and which options there were.
What that made possible: Next to three worked-out options, the zero option was on the table: leave everything as it is. With its costs. Nobody wanted it. With that, the departments actively chose not to carry on as before. The teams accepted all three options; management chose among them.

Public service organisation

Reports that led to no discussion

What was happening: Between IT and the business, cooperation around service management was not running smoothly. The meeting on the IT reports lasted only ten minutes and moved neither side much further.
What became visible: We took the service management presentations as they were and marked what was missing and where it became unclear. That made visible that the report was written from the technical side of the work and did not show what it meant for the business.
What that made possible: In one session we went through the points together, and at each point it became visible why it wasn't working. With that, they could discuss what the report needs to show, and change it themselves.

Software company

Steering by backlog or by priority

What was happening: There was dissatisfaction in the service team; where it came from was not yet visible.
What became visible: We used the data that was already there and put it into a visual picture. It showed that the work was mainly being steered by the size of the backlog, and what was missing in the link with the developers.
What that made possible: With that picture on the table, the owners, the service team and the development team could discuss what they want to achieve and what takes priority, and make working agreements on that together.