by Symphonic StrategiesWhy do residents keep getting sent to another office?
One service makes a referral. Another understands a different promise. A resident is left to make the connection.
What should a resident be able to count on?
Explore this situation ↗Recognize the problem.
Find a useful way in.
A county referral. A product promise. A grant expectation. Each depends on groups understanding what they need from one another. See how examining one connection reveals the next useful question.
Featured example · Interactive demo
See the approach through Cedar Valley County.
Follow a fictional leadership team as it examines where expectations, responsibilities and support need to connect, and discovers which question to ask next.
Two guided situations · Downloadable leadership briefs · No sign-in or upload required
We can fund the launch. What are we committing to?
A grant can get a service started. The continuing service promise may depend on support other groups have not agreed to provide.
Which commitments continue after the funding ends?
Explore funding & commitments ↗How does this apply in another setting?
These short fictional previews show the same inquiry approach in a business and a foundation. Start with what the groups understand differently, then follow the question that could change a decision.
Mid-sized business · Fictional scenario preview
Are we hearing, building and promising the same thing?
Marketing hears that customers need easier integration with the systems they already use. R&D is building advanced analytics its team wants to develop. Sales is promising an integration that is neither available nor planned.
Marketing hears
“Customers tell us connecting to their existing systems matters most.”
R&D builds
“Our next release adds the analytics capabilities we want to advance.”
Sales promises
“We’ve told the prospect our product will connect to their system.”
The connection to examine: How customer insight informs product choices, and how those choices set the boundaries of a customer promise.
Start with this question
Which customer need have we agreed the product must address?
Bring the customer evidence and the reasons for the current product choices into the same conversation. A feature request, a build decision and a sales commitment may be telling three different stories.
If the priority is not shared
What evidence would help us agree which customer need matters most, and who can make that choice?
If the priority is shared
What explains the gap between that priority and what R&D is building?
Then ask: Given what is actually available or agreed for development, what can Sales responsibly promise, and which existing commitments need clarification?
National foundation · Fictional scenario preview
Do our grant expectations fit the support we provide?
A national foundation asks local partners to create lasting change. Program teams encourage adaptation, grants cover one year of defined activities, and reporting asks every partner to demonstrate the same outcomes.
Program teams expect
“Partners need room to adapt their approach to local conditions.”
Grants Operations funds
“The agreement supports one year of specified activities.”
Learning & Evaluation asks
“We request the same outcome evidence from each partner.”
The connection to examine: How program expectations connect to grant terms, partner flexibility and the evidence requested.
Start with this question
Are the results we ask partners to demonstrate consistent with the support and flexibility we provide?
Read the program expectations, grant terms and reporting requests together. Invite partners to explain what those arrangements make possible, respecting their own goals and decision authority.
If the expectations exceed the support
What conditions are we assuming partners can create, and have we discussed those assumptions with them?
If the support fits the expectations
Does the evidence we request help us understand progress in each partner’s context and timeframe?
Then ask: What needs clarification before the next grant cycle or renewal: the intended results, the support offered or the evidence requested?
What can you take away from the county demo?
These sample pages come from the Cedar Valley resident-services brief. Open a page to inspect it, or download the full document above.
The connections map
See what each group needs from the others.
Enlarge this sample →
The connections snapshot
Distinguish a reported gap from a question that is still open.
Enlarge this sample →
The next-question brief
See why different answers lead to different questions.
Enlarge this sample →Which connection matters in your organization?
Start with a promise, an expectation or a shared priority that depends on several groups. We can discuss what would help you understand that connection and what to ask next.
Discuss your organization →