Applying Organisation facilitation OFCL to service design

Organisation facilitation OFCL was introduced as a skill in SFIA 8.

Organisational facilitation focuses on supporting workgroups to achieve effective teamwork across organisational boundaries and professional specialisms. It goes beyond basic workshop facilitation, encompassing the broader responsibility of helping teams adopt effective principles and practices for decision-making, problem-solving, and collaboration. The skill includes implementing contemporary working practices, supporting self-management, removing barriers to success, and continuously reviewing team effectiveness. This skill is particularly valuable in service design contexts where cross-functional collaboration and effective teamwork are essential for successful outcomes.

Here's a succinct description of the OFCL skill levels, emphasising progression:

Level 4 - Delivery Focus

• Facilitates specific activities and workshops in complex situations
• Takes responsibility for designing and running structured sessions
• Impact is primarily at the individual workshop or event level
• Accountable for immediate workshop outcomes and team performance

Level 5 - Team and Process Focus

• Facilitates ongoing workgroup effectiveness across multiple activities
• Takes responsibility for establishing sustainable team practices
• Impact extends across entire workgroups and their continuous improvement
• Accountable for overall team performance and collaborative capabilities

Level 6 - Strategic and Organisational Focus

• Facilitates high-level leadership teams and organisational change
• Takes responsibility for designing organisation-wide collaboration approaches
• Impact influences entire organisational culture and ways of working
• Accountable for embedding effective cross-functional collaboration at scale

The key progression is from facilitating individual sessions (L4), to enabling sustained team effectiveness (L5), to transforming organisational collaboration (L6).

Application in service design

Co-creation workshops

• Facilitates collaborative sessions bringing together users, stakeholders, and delivery teams
• Designs and runs service design workshops using techniques like journey mapping and blueprinting
• Guides cross-functional teams through design thinking exercises

Design sprints

• Structures and facilitates time-boxed service design activities
• Helps teams maintain focus on user needs while navigating complex stakeholder requirements
• Supports rapid prototyping and decision-making sessions

Service implementation

• Facilitates transition from design to delivery across different organisational units
• Helps teams adopt new service delivery practices
• Supports integration of service design principles into existing workflows

Business value

Improved outcomes

• Accelerates service design process through effective facilitation
• Reduces risks of misalignment between design and delivery
• Ensures user needs remain central throughout the design process

Enhanced collaboration

• Breaks down silos between design, technical, and business teams
• Creates shared understanding of service goals and constraints
• Builds sustainable cross-functional working practices

Efficient delivery

• Reduces time spent in unproductive meetings
• Streamlines decision-making processes
• Enables faster iteration and improvement cycles

Practical examples

Example 1: Healthcare service redesign

A hospital improving its outpatient services:

• Level 4 facilitator: Runs journey mapping workshops with patients and staff
• Level 5 facilitator: Coordinates cross-department service implementation
• Level 6 facilitator: Guides executive team through strategic service transformation

Example 2: Digital service development

A government agency creating new online services:

• Level 4 facilitator: Conducts user research synthesis workshops
• Level 5 facilitator: Coordinates agile delivery across multiple teams
• Level 6 facilitator: Enables organisational shift to user-centred design

Example 3: Financial services transformation

A bank redesigning its customer onboarding:

• Level 4 facilitator: Leads service blueprint workshops
• Level 5 facilitator: Implements new ways of working across channels
• Level 6 facilitator: Develops framework for continuous service improvement

Value indicators

• Reduced time to market for new services
• Increased stakeholder alignment and buy-in
• Higher user satisfaction with resulting services
• More efficient use of specialist resources
• Better integration between design and delivery teams
• Sustainable embedding of service design practices

This skill is particularly valuable in service design as it enables organisations to:

• Bridge the gap between design and implementation
• Maintain focus on user needs throughout delivery
• Build lasting capability for service innovation
• Create truly cross-functional service teams
• Embed service design thinking across the organisation