Digitalisation strategy for the Swedish Psychological Association
How does digitalisation contribute to creating a more streamlined and high-quality work environment? How should we think to best handle future, and as-yet unknown, challenges?
Background
Äventyret was initially brought in to work with Psykologförbundet on challenges related to the association’s specialist training programme.
The development of “Specialist Training” for psychologists in Sweden started in 1992 following a decision by Sveriges Psykologförbund. The programme has since continuously grown in both course scope and number of participants. In 2013, the association’s secretariat took over responsibility for running and developing the programme, and a director of studies post was established together with a minimal secretariat.
Today the programme encompasses ten specialisations and offers 100–150 courses annually, with approximately 4,000 participating psychologists. The association arranges two of the mandatory courses, while most courses are produced by private providers, universities, and regional authorities — all of whom must have their courses approved by the association’s secretariat.
Neither the secretariat’s size nor the tools provided to it had developed in proportion to the specialist training programme’s growth in popularity. Large parts of the administration, communication, and case handling were manual and in need of modernisation. There were also structural limitations that made it difficult to work in a quality-assured, clear, and resource-efficient way. This created a poor working environment and gaps in service levels. The model was not sustainable and some form of change needed to happen. Äventyret was asked to produce a solution proposal and a basis for decision-making around this change.
The opportunities of digitalisation
As digital technology developed rapidly, Psykologförbundet faced the challenge of adapting its working processes to meet the growing needs of both staff and members:
- How do we find and meet specific requirements?
- How do we contribute to a more streamlined and high-quality working environment?
- How should we think to best handle future — and as yet unknown — challenges?
By focusing on the opportunities digitalisation offers, Äventyret developed a plan and strategy for how Psykologförbundet could best work with technical tools and implement systems that support a more automated and user-friendly handling of tasks. (We call this delivery a “Digitalisation Prospectus.”)
The vision was not only to streamline administrative processes, but also to guarantee
- Higher information security
- Full GDPR compliance
- A significantly elevated service level
- A contribution to a good working environment.
By creating a digitalisation prospectus, we wanted to provide sufficient basis for decision-making and inspiration for Psykologförbundet to embrace the opportunities of digitalisation — not just meeting, but exceeding expectations in an increasingly digitalised world.
The four steps of the Digitalisation Prospectus:
Developing a digital strategy for an organisation is an extensive process requiring careful analysis and strong engagement from the entire organisation. The following describes Psykologförbundet’s case, but the steps and deliverables are broadly the same across different digitalisation prospectuses.
A Digitalisation Prospectus from Äventyret contains more than just concepts and strategy. Where other pre-studies stop, Äventyret has chosen to include a range of more concrete deliverables in the form of prototypes and estimates. Read more about how and why here.
Step 1: Map the current state
Mapping and evaluating the current situation is fundamental. Together we conducted interviews, workshops, and SWOT exercises to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A revenue and cost perspective was also important to include, as it can be helpful in any subsequent prioritisation work.
In Psykologförbundet’s case, the mapping (interviews and conversations) was conducted with each target group’s perspective in mind — to understand the specific challenges and requirements of different users. An important part was also, at an early conceptual stage, to begin talking about solutions. How would it be if you had this…? What do you need for this to work better…?
In this way, the strategy work also created a basis and an idea of how a digitalised organisational support system could be structured.
Step 2: Define the prospectus goals with implementation principles
What is the digital strategy intended to achieve? For Psykologförbundet we defined two goals for two groups of beneficiaries:
Satisfied members, and tools to work more efficiently, sustainably, securely, and systematically as an organisation. For the implementation we formulated ten guiding principles:
- The association continuously develops operations towards relevant digital solutions
- The association relieves the organisation through digitalisation so that greater focus can be placed on high-quality relationships
- The association has user-friendly and efficient IT support
- The association prefers standard software over bespoke solutions
- The association complies with GDPR and values correct case handling
- The association prioritises usability over advanced features
- The association ensures that doing the right thing is easy — training and documentation are always included in development
- The association has a target-group focus rather than a sender focus
- The association is happy to collaborate with others where most efficient
- The association is a learning organisation and its digital development is evaluated annually according to the principles: develop — manage or phase out — develop
Step 3: Technology assessment
Interviews and conversations were also held with other suppliers who have built, or are in some way involved in, Psykologförbundet’s technical ecosystem — including the important CRM system.
Äventyret’s developers conducted a thorough review and together with the interview material were able to build a clear picture of the technology ecosystem. A current state description was produced together with a report containing recommendations for adjustments to achieve a “desirable technical infrastructure” based on the ten principles.
The digital strategy that Psykologförbundet requires demands commitment from the entire organisation and represents a raising of ambitions for their digital presence. It needs to be seen as an ongoing process rather than a one-off project. Future needs are hard to predict and, in our view, it is wise to keep the technical platform flexible and adaptable.
Together with the secretariat, Äventyret conceptualised a solution alternative in the form of a new digital administration system. Both the volume and type of tasks the system needed to handle gave it a naturally central position in Psykologförbundet’s technical ecosystem — with integrations to the CRM and various other surrounding services. The intended user base encompasses both staff and end users as well as course providers. We are therefore talking about a system with a broad target group, many touchpoints, and several possible directions in which functionality can be extended.
Step 4: Cost estimate for beginning the digitalisation journey
Flexible sounds great! What does it cost?
To be able to estimate costs, we selected the Specialist Training programme as a subset of the work. During the months we had worked on the digitalisation prospectus, a more concrete plan had taken shape for how the specific challenges of the Specialist Training programme could be solved, what its administration system could look like, and how it would function within Psykologförbundet’s broader offering — naturally aligned with the overall digital strategy. It is a better investment to step outside a specific case and instead take a holistic perspective. Creating a strategy for the organisation’s digitalisation where the Specialist Training programme’s challenges and proposed solutions are one part of a larger whole — and a step along the way.
The needs and challenges of the Specialist Training programme served as the driving force, and the intended administration system becomes the seed of a broader range of digital tools that Psykologförbundet’s staff and members may need going forward.
By detailing the Specialist Training programme and thereby estimating a subset of the work, Äventyret was able to approximate the overall scope of the prospectus content. Experience tells us that a priced “first step” is often the piece of the puzzle that facilitates decision-making. We therefore included a cost estimate with a timeline for executing the first phase — where the administration of the Specialist Training programme is digitalised.
Project components & deliverables
Workshops
To map the current state and desired future solution. Participants: Psykologförbundet’s secretariat and Äventyret.
Prioritise target groups
Insights from this component also need to guide which participants are included in the workshops, to ensure as many needs as possible are accounted for.
Interviews
With other suppliers who have built or are in some way involved in Psykologförbundet’s technical ecosystem.
Compilation of technical conditions
Mapping of the technical prerequisites.
Design
Creation of high-level interface sketches from the perspectives of all user groups, with three purposes: (1) verifying mutual understanding of needs and challenges, (2) creating material for use in workshops, and (3) making the alternatives for technical decisions tangible.
Possible data model
Developing a possible data model and technical platform for the future system.
Cost estimates
Using the Specialist Training programme’s detailed scope as a basis, cost ranges for the entire target state were estimated.
Compilation of decision basis
Anchored and presented to Psykologförbundet’s secretariat.
An eye for change
I have worked with digital transformation journeys and large organisations for 25 years. I understand how new technology challenges old ways of working, and I am passionate about ensuring people's potential is used better — not made redundant. Get in touch if you're thinking about how your organisation can make better use of new possibilities. I would love to help!
Kind regards, Joel Bergqvist,
CEO, Äventyret
