Are you solving for the right problem?

Practical methods to cut through the noise, identify the root cause, and align your interest-holders around what actually needs to change. Practice applying lessons to a real challenge of your choosing.

Learn to:

• Get to the root of a problem, rather than focusing on the symptoms.

• Turn vague mandates into clear, actionable goals

• Align interest-holders with competing priorities around a shared understanding

• Reduce institutional risk by grounding work in the actual challenge

Walk away with:

• A proven method for navigating complexity in public sector environments

• Hands-on practice applying the framework to a real challenge from your own work

Why it matters:
Jumping to solutions before fully understanding the problem is one of the most common and costly mistakes. Problem Framing will help you build trust, responsibly manage resources, and often make things easier for the people you are meant to serve.

Do you know what it’s really like to use your services?

Introduces journey mapping, a practical tool for revealing how people experience public services so your team can identify gaps and make targeted, meaningful improvements. Practice applying lessons to a real challenge of your choosing.

Learn to:

• Map experiences from the perspective of the people your program serves

• See services as part of a person’s full path toward a goal, not just a transaction

• Know when and why journey mapping is the right tool

• Get started on your own journey map with confidence

Walk away with:

• A foundational understanding of journey mapping as a strategic practice

• A visual tool for communicating the human reality of service delivery to leadership and partners

Why this matters:

The challenges of delivering public services can be so complex that we forget about the experiences of both the public and those serving them. Journey mapping makes that experience visible and actionable, helping you better shape experiences that are consistent with the goals and values of your service and organization.

Are you reacting to problems or solving them?

Framework to map how challenges connect, prioritize where to focus, and align with your team as you move forward. Practice applying lessons to a real challenge of your choosing.

Learn to:

• Distinguish root causes from surface-level symptoms

• Map how challenges connect to each other on a single page

• Reframe narrow technical problems as broader, mission-aligned opportunities

• Build shared understanding across teams with competing priorities

Walk away with:

• A clear logic framework for approaching complex civic challenges

• The beginning of a challenge map applied to a real problem of your choosing

Why this matters:

Organizations are often torn between the big-picture problems their mission focuses on and the practical realities on the ground. Challenge mapping helps identify tangible opportunities with direct potential for mission-critical impact, enabling better interest-holder alignment and confidence in the actions your team is taking to deliver on your mission.

One-on-one advisory hours extend the workshop experience and deepen your learning by helping you apply methods to your specific context, challenges, and team. Each set includes 3 hours of live, interactive, tailored 1-on-1 engagement with a member of our team.

This is for the practitioner who is ready to move from concepts to more concrete action and wants a thought partner with real public sector experience.

This version of Advisory Hours is only available as an add-on to a workshop. Each participant can purchase up to 5 sets of Advisory Hours (15 hours total) for each workshop they attend.

To learn more about standalone Advisory Support options, contact us at hello@civicdesign.co.