Scottish Approach to Service Design

Maturity assessment

The principles and methods of the Scottish Approach to Service Design describe an aspiration for a shared, participatory approach to designing public services in Scotland with, and not only for, the people of Scotland.

Different organisations will be at different places in their ability to deliver on the Scottish Approach to Service Design. What is proportionate and achievable will vary depending on the size of a partnership or organisation, senior leadership, and the need for design and participation.

So how do you know what things you should change or introduce to fully embrace the Scottish Approach to Service Design?

This matrix provides a set of prompts you can use to understand how your organisation is doing. It is organised along a scale of ‘maturity levels’ covering:

• practices
• process
• conditions

You can use it to identify key areas for action to improve your Scottish Approach to Service Design maturity and to give a general indicator of where you are against 5 stages on a scale. These are:

• Awareness: beginning to work in this way
• Interested: understanding how this way of working fits in your context
• Growing: building capacity for this way of working
• Strengthening: building consistency and creating a strategic approach
• Thriving: whole organisation uses this way of working

It is important to note that this is an approach to design and participation, not a project delivery methodology like Agile or Prince. It works with and alongside a variety of delivery approaches.

You can also use the maturity assessment to reflect as a partnership or collaboration, if you are already working across organisational boundaries.