The Envisioning Phase

The Envisioning Phase simply means – everything that needs to happen to get a project underway – before there is something meaningful to look at.

If a map doesn’t yet exist for a specific group, and you want the group to make one – you’re envisioning. You wear the ‘Visionary Hat‘. Your imagination is engaged with what could exist, but you can’t make it happen on your own – because Social System Mapping is an inherently collaborative process.

You need others to support the project, inform the survey design/connection questions/informational texts, participate in a pilot test, review & give feedback on a prototype map. It doesn’t require the whole network to engage up front – using the ‘Show Them Don’t Persuede Them Principle’ lowers the bar on getting buy-in. But you DO need at least a few people to help push beyond the envisioning phase to the point where the is something to show.

The Envisioning section of this Knowledge Base has articles to help you with this part, and the Visionaries/Envisioning Community is where you’ll find others wearing the Visionary Hat and discussing this part of the process.

Sharing the Vision / Promotion

Promotion is ongoing. It involves pitching the idea to a client or a network you’re part of, inviting network members to be part of the development & design process, getting network members to share info about themselves and their network connections, and enticing network members to engage with the map. There is always another layer to gain insight into, so there’s always a need to imagine how that could be done. The core Visionary work is perpetually essential – helping others imagine what’s possible, from each phase to the next, through-out the cycle.

The Advocates

Developing a map is relatively easy, but designing a map that a network will find increasingly useful over time requires involving key members of the community. Every project needs at least a couple people who are willing to be advocates for the project, in addition to the Visionary and the Technician.

Learn more about the Advocate Team here

Piloting

If you’re to meet them where they’re at, and show instead of persuade – you need something your network members can interact with. In this early phase, we create a prototype map to help generate understanding and interest. But to do that we need a handful of pilot testers to share their data in order to create it.

Survey Content Development

Developing your survey/profile and connection questions is the most important part of the envisioning phase (after catalyzing the project in the first place). Those questions define and limit what’s possible to map, and the more specific they are to needs of your specific network, the better the outcome will be. But keep in mind – everyone’s insight into what’s relevant and necessary to greater collective insight will change over time as the mapping SenseMaking deepens. So be ok with ongoing tweaks or drastic changes, and coach your Advocates to be ok with that as well.