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Barrier AddressedHack NameHack DescriptionHack CategorySource
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5. Air-Gapped OrganizationsDrop-in open office hours."Every Friday we open the door to city staff to come in and meet us or share a problem."

Director, Civic Innovation Lab		Build Community to Connect Champions Reduce Isolation and Expose People to Service DesignCanadian practitioners interviews
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2. Prime Before You PaintHigh-level guides/playbooks, Workbook for design sprintsThe BC Government has issued their downloadable, openly-available Service Design Playbook

"The Alberta Health Services Lab created a workbook that has all the boxes you need to fill as part of a design sprint -- you still need facilitation, but it’s a nice takeaway."

Design Strategist, Provincial Government Ministry		Find Ways to Scaffold People's Thinking and Make Design AccessibleCanadian practitioners interviews
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7. No Time for Working Quickly2-hour executive deep dives "Another example would be when we first started executive deep dives in Energy, we asked for a whole day session, or even a day and a half. It was hard to get them to focus and meaningfully pay attention. So we moved to half days, which immediately improved uptake. Then we went to 2 hours, and they said this is great, we’re going to scale it out to our EDs."

Director of Design, Provincial Government		Break Work into Manageable Chunks in Order to Enable ParticipationCanadian practitioners interviews
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17. Hook Line and SinkerTranslated job postingsHave an external-facing job ad, then share the official job description once the hiring process is complete.Translate Between Government and Design in Order to Get the Job DoneCanadian practitioners interviews
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4. Legacy Lock-inProject retrospectives with partnersBuild in time for retrospectives where project partners articulate how the approach made them think differentlyAdjust Designer's Expectations to Celebrate Small WinsCanadian practitioners interviews
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8.Never Tell Me The OddsShow vulnerability, Behave as equal members of a team, even with senior leaders, Model collaboration and flatness even when briefing people like Assistant Deputy Ministers or Deputies."It's helpful having a few people on the team that are more willing to be vulnerable than others. Standing up when you feel shitty, people who trust themselves to be vulnerable in front of group, normalizes it."

Employee Experience Lead, Provincial Government		Model Collaborative Vulnerable and Flat Ways of Working in Order to Normalise ThemCanadian practitioners interviews
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12. Power to the People?Design Researcher/Policy Pairs"Find people who have been able to immerse themselves in the policy and bureaucracy and then come up with hacks and workarounds. Have those people embedded with your designer or research from the get-go."

Chief of Design, Federal Government		Befriend Bureacracy Hackers to Work the SystemCanadian practitioners interviews
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17. Hook Line and SinkerLook for the outliers who are frustrated"We hire castaways, people who are rejected by the formal system for being agitated, tired of how slow the system goes"

Lead, Provincial Government Design Lab		Find Your Allies and Build Strength in NumbersCanadian practitioners interviews
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9. A View From the TopSeek commitment from the top"One of the things that accelerated things ... was the four directors committed to having service design bootcamps for managers. People thought, 'oh ok this is serious, 20 people, 10 business days, this must be serious.'"

Senior Business Consultant, Provincial Ministry		Find Your Allies and Build Strength in NumbersCanadian practitioners interviews
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13. Don’t Stop Believin’... Because Service Design Is A JourneyProject score cards, Partnership assessment conversation"We use project scorecards. Criteria for a good project include access to data and an opportunity to prototype. We also have partner scorecards: we're looking for people who want change beyond status quo, and opportunities to engage with residents."

Director of a Civic Innovation Lab		Find the Right Partners to Help Move the NeedleCanadian practitioners interviews
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6. Service Design David vs. Corporate Real Estate GoliathThe "trolley toolkit""We didn't have a dedicated space and weren't able to tuck things away so we had a trolley with all the key tools and materials for everyone to use (e.g., markers, sticky notes, …)"

Policy Resident, Provincial Government		Make Do with the Space You HaveCanadian practitioners interviews
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2. Prime Before You PaintClear engagement models"We define a clear engagement model with our project partners – stages we go through, people, time commitment for every resource."

Senior Business Consultant, Provincial Government		Enable Clear Expectations at Every Level of the WorkCanadian practitioners interviews
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14. Quicksand in CommitteelandSwap steering committees for show-and-tells"Some of the partners are in much more formal contexts, so we try to negotiate compromises to avoid all of that to the extreme degree. There are usually a lot of steering committees; we try to avoid that and focus more of things like a show and tells."

Service Designer, Provincial Government		Show AND Tell to Build Buy InCanadian practitioners interviews
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9. A View From the TopAccessible leadersIn one provincial department, the Chief Digital Officer and Deputy Minister is available on Slack Build Relationships to Create TrustCanadian practitioners interviews
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4. Legacy Lock-inStickers on Macbooks"Showing up to a meeting with a Mac, covered in stickers is powerful. It makes people think: wow you really are different, and I want to be part of your team. Appearances do matter."

Chief of Design, Federal Government		Use Signs and Signals to Break Out of Business as UsualCanadian practitioners interviews
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15. When All You’ve Got Are Nails Everything’s A HammerProduct managers as "spies"Position project managers as a mediator between delivery and stakeholders perpectives. They can facilitate compromise and trust, explore new ideas, take risks.SDinGov 2019
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12. Power to the People?Empathy videos or low-fi roleplaysCreate mini clips of your user reality to show those involved in design the needs to address. It allows to scale user understanding in an efficient way.SDinGov 2019
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17. Hook Line and SinkerTranslated evidenceProvide decision makers and stakeholders evidence that resonates with their role or practice. For example risks, savings, cost to business, SDinGov 2019
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5. Air-Gapped OrganizationsLunch and learnOver lunch, go around local offices in high-traffic spaces to show and demonstrate your work and start a dialogue.SDinGov 2019
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2. Prime Before You PaintEarly expectation settingDefine and share project expectations, dependencies, and milestones early with the stakeholder involved and impacted by the initiative. Iron out any comcerns arising at that stage.SDinGov 2019
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12. Power to the People?Privacy checklistA set checklist that outlines in clear language privacy requirements and FOI considerations to reassure users, businesses, and legal bodies.SDinGov 2019
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14. Quicksand in CommitteelandChampions to lead the wayIdentify and engage with project/organizational champions that can pave the way and support your work or approach to a broader audience. They can help access organizational knowledge or resources and build community.SDinGov 2019
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7. No Time for Working QuicklyDesign in reverseWork backwards - from "solution" to project kick-off so that leaders can see the value of problem definition, discovery, etc. and approve the approach.SDinGov 2019
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18. Credibility CalamityIgnore the jargonSeek buy-in and approvals without using the service design jargon to describe the approach to the project in order to avoid concerns related to a new practice.SDinGov 2019
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2. Prime Before You PaintProject evaluationPrioritize projects using clear criteria such as:
1. Does it deliver on ogrnaizational priorities?
2. Is the timing right?
3. Does it solve a problem for users?
4. Does it deliver savings/efficiencies or unlock larger transformation?
5. Does it meet political direction?
6. Is it empowering th eservice manager?
7. Is it realistic and achievable?
8. Are the resources required available?		SDinGov 2019
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2. Prime Before You PaintLearning through doingAllow clients and colleagues to observe service design in action by including them in stand-ups, reviews, and presentations, and invite them to contribute when possible. Beyond being "trained" in service design, individuals are treated as valued collaborators and more likely to advocate service design across the organization.SDinGov 2019
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9. A View From the TopService design experience Use an engaging, fast, and team-based activity (e.g., design dash developped in Sweden) for leaders to experience service design at a viceral level and better understand its value.SDinGov 2019
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11. Paperweights Paper WaitsMinimum viable reportingMap the reporting processes and milestones for a project and design minimally viable ways to deliver on the requirements and multiple reporting needs when possible to allow for minimal effort and disruption.SDinGov 2019
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7. No Time for Working QuicklyThe teaseTurn 15-min status meetings into a tease - showcase complexity, energize the need to do more, outline the impact of decisions to be made, and inspire leadership/stakeholders to call a longer gathering.SDinGov 2019
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2. Prime Before You PaintData baselineGather existing data that demonstrates your current service performance/experience to establish a baseline that will provide evdence of the value of the new service and the approach taken to design it.SDinGov 2019
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11. Paperweights Paper WaitsThe Government WhispererA person (or group) that handles the dirty work - checkpoints, approvals, directives, steering committee. Let's the team do their work.ON gov dry run
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16. Intrapreneurs Extra BurdensThe Account ExecutiveA personal responsible for finding leads, building the sales deck, creating a budget, monitoring progress/client needs ON gov dry run
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17. Hook Line and SinkerThe Free AgentsDedicated team of experienced people who get loaned out to other groups for dedicated work while maintaining their spot in a friendly open team.ON gov dry run
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16. Intrapreneurs Extra BurdensPot of GoldEnsure design teams are funded upfront to provide time for organization to see value and address budget constraints. ON gov dry run
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12. Power to the People?See it to Believe itInvite your business stakeholders to sit through and be involved in usability test (take notes!)ON gov dry run
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7. No Time for Working QuicklyKnow Your EAWork with the EA to understand your Director's stresses, gain alignment to ADM, Ministry levelsON gov dry run
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15. When All You’ve Got Are Nails Everything’s A HammerIntermediate ArtifactsThere may be defined, mandatory output artifacts, but if there is flexibility in what is passed along before final artifacts are generated. Gives flexibility in tools and preparation even if legally oligated to use a specific format in end product (i.e. dealing with legislature)ON gov dry run
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15. When All You’ve Got Are Nails Everything’s A HammerFind a Mentor/CoachIf your tool doesn't seem to fit the problem, find a more experienced service designer to provide advice or laternatives. Also could work with communities of practice, centre of excellence, open house hours.ON gov dry run
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8.Never Tell Me The OddsBad Examples Find, highlight and present examples of projects that failed becuase of risk aversion (e.g. no user research led to a product that was not used often)ON gov dry run
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12. Power to the People?Secret AgentsLeverage your personal network to gather insights through unconventional process (under the table) if needed. Ask the subject to sign the consent form to protect the research info.ON gov dry run
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10. Digitally DatedWe'll Do it Your Way, And Our Way TooFrame the activity into familiar format or language while you add a new layer of organizational needs.ON gov dry run
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1. Talking the Talk Without Walking the WalkLet Me Show You the WayOffer to help with a goal. Do Workshop on a plan. What to outputs and keys look like.ON gov dry run
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2. Prime Before You PaintTweak Current PracticesTaking exisiting frameworks and data you can reframe existing work to generate more insights.ON gov dry run
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8.Never Tell Me The OddsRisk KillerPrioritize the areas of risk in the project, and implement service design practices in the area that has the lowest risk.ON gov dry run
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1. Talking the Talk Without Walking the WalkMindset vs Methods/Fail FasterTake the time for more training, understanding the problem and pivoting solutions if the discovery process unearths the lack of interest in the approach.ON gov dry run
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7. No Time for Working QuicklyCan You Ever Forgive Me?Pilot something that's not necessarily approved by all levels yet and prove that the pilot/prototype has worked with various stakeholders.ON gov dry run
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4. Legacy Lock-inMake it So! Collect disparate resources, amalgamate, release via an API or at a minimum in public open data catalogue. Educate stakeholders (inside and out). Better data means more $ but must be able to be used more effectively. Better data will lead to more services to public at less direct cost to govt (maybe). Upheaval - this is a longer term view might fall to tunnel vision of 'how'ON gov dry run
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