Helping public utilities to develop a digitalization strategy in four days

“The EBP Design Sprint delivers a foundation for a digitalization strategy in only four days”

In a report aimed at soliciting public input on the digital transformation process in the energy sector, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy summarized its assessment as follows: “Digitalization will have a profound and lasting impact on the energy sector.” Echoing this assessment while also underscoring the need for action, Silvan Rosser, Energy specialist at EBP, says, “Although digitalization presents many risks and opportunities, far too few city and municipal utilities in Switzerland have developed digitalization strategies that will enable them to make the necessary changes relating to their infrastructures, their internal processes, and their products and services.”

As part of an EBP initiative to promote innovation, Rosser launched an interdisciplinary project to examine the challenges presented by digitalization. The project’s aim was to develop a method that would enable public utilities to quickly establish a foundation for deriving a digitalization strategy. “Our four-day EBP Design Sprint offers just such a method,” says Rosser enthusiastically about the result of the innovation project.

“Your digita­lization strategy becomes clear and easy to communicate”

EBP Design Sprint

IT specialist Anne Wegmann describes the process: “Four employees of a public utility – including at least one worker, one department head and one executive – join forces with two EBP specialists from the areas of IT and Energy. An EBP facilitator leads the group for four engaging and varied workshop days.”

• Day 1: The participants focus on the task of defining a target state. Working with a special transformation map, they then outline what needs to be done to proceed from the current state to the desired target state.
• Day 2: With the help of the EBP strategy canvas, the participants identify the strategic paths to be taken and work out measures for reaching the target state.
• Day 3: The participants juxtapose the paths and measures with the results from Day 1 as a means of identifying and filling any remaining gaps. A draft of the strategy is then prepared for purposes of user testing on the final day.
• Day 4: The draft of the strategy is mirrored on the basis of interviews conducted with other workers and executives. At the close of the Design Sprint, the participants then incorporate any relevant feedback into the draft strategy and specify any tasks that remain to be completed.

Clear and pragmatic digitalization strategies

Anne Wegmann summarizes the advantages of the EBP Design Sprint as follows: “Overall acceptance levels tend to be much higher when public-utility workers and management join forces to develop common strategies; and the strategies themselves tend to be much better aligned to the particular circumstances of any given public utility.” The proven method enables the employees of public utilities to develop validated draft strategies within a period of four days. These draft strategies serve the management as a sound basis for further action.

• Employees and management benefit from insightful strategy suggestions.
• The resulting digitalization strategies are clear and easy to communicate.
• Both employees and management are activated and motivated to meet the challenge of digitalization.
• Workgroup participants enjoy a creative, focused environment and a guaranteed result.

“… And it’s a lot of fun!” Anne Wegmann adds.

Interested in meeting the digitalization challenge?

Would you, too, like to join us in a Design Sprint that will enable you to establish a foundation for a sound digitalization strategy that you can then refine together with your employees? Then don’t hesitate contact us.

Project team