Harnessing the power of visual communication in transformation projects

October 17, 2024

image: ©Scriberia

Change is in the air. But, while the scale and complexity of new projects across the public sector can be daunting, taking a visual approach to communication at every stage helps to achieve the clarity and alignment required to get the job done

Here, Dan Porter, co-founder of Scriberia (specialists in visual communication and strategy), explains how departments at every level of government are visualising their success.

No matter how long ago our school days were, autumn always heralds a fresh start to some degree. But, with a change of government at the beginning of the summer, this feels like a season of very significant change for our clients, as they get to grips with new projects, priorities and personnel.

But nothing is more challenging than change. According to McKinsey consultants, less than a third of government transformations succeed. (1) So, at a time when public finances can ill afford failure, leaders must invest serious thought into avoiding the pitfalls.

Navigating journeys of change

For the past 15 years, we’ve supported clients across the public sector – in local councils and central government departments, including the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Justice, the Cabinet Office and more – as they navigated complex journeys of change. We create visuals that simplify complexity, communicate key messages at scale, and create the right culture and conditions for successful transformation.

As William Bridges, the renowned change consultant and much-quoted author of Managing Transitions, said: change relies on the effective communication of four Ps – the Purpose of change, the Picture of your future state, the Plan to get you there, and the Part each person will play in the project. (2) You might think that, at Scriberia, the picture would be our primary focus. But, when your success depends on the strength of your communication in all areas, the case for using pictures throughout is clear.

Despite our instinctive understanding that pictures are the fastest and most effective means of communication we have, it’s fair to say there remains a hesitation amongst leaders to put pictures to work where it really counts.

Seeing the bigger picture

But seeing the bigger picture – if you’ll pardon the pun – is always a challenge when operating at a vast scale across regions, functions, and departments. When the Cabinet Office’s digital and data function set out to drive digital transformation across the department, they needed a clear, inclusive, and inspiring strategic vision to engage staff, ensure alignment, and chart a roadmap for a digital future.

Through our vision mapping process, their leadership team were able to clarify and articulate their role, remit, and target operating state. This culminated in a clear visual to communicate this new direction across all levels of the organisation.

“It’s not just a picture, it’s our story. This was crucial for us to convey,” says Dia Nag, Head of Strategy and Digital Transformation at Cabinet Office Digital. “It’s a really impactful piece of work…and everyone immediately grasps it.” (3)

Interactive project hubs

Through countless projects like this, we’ve developed our services to include not only the mapping out of complex projects but also the creation of interactive project hubs. These hubs serve as one-stop resources where team members can access everything about a project – be that the purpose, the picture, the plan, or their part in it.

The hubs include interactive and animated features, including videos, data, documents, and e-learning modules. Users can dive deeper into the layers of content relevant to them, allowing them to engage more dynamically with the picture and, importantly, the project.

The hub becomes the single source of truth, allowing leaders to communicate clearly and consistently at every level across their organisation. It provides distributed teams with a sense of place, and becomes the go-to destination for new team members to orientate and align themselves with the mission.

Living pictures

And, of course, because plans evolve, your picture can too. We work closely with clients to update and iterate these crucial assets, to ensure they reflect changes as they happen. One such project – a vision map of the digital transformation of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, created in 2017 – is a case in point: Through a number of iterations over the years, it remains relevant to their mission and central to all they do.

John Fitzpatrick, now Transformation Director at the Cabinet Office, who led the project at HMPPS Digital, says:

“The speed with which you can get your message across, the value you get from punching above your weight in communications and people being able to understand what you’re trying to achieve at a much quicker pace… there’s not a price you can put on that.” (4)

So, when change is the only certainty on the agenda, pictures have unparalleled power.

There is a better route to change. Just picture it.

For more information, visit info.scriberia.com/public-sector