Service Design: A Holistic and Contextual Approach to Enhancing Cross-functional Team Collaboration in Startups: A Project Roadmap Framework as a tool to establish a common communication ground and foster internal alignment
Translated title
Service Design: A Holistic and Contextual Approach to Enhancing Cross-functional Team Collaboration in Startups
Authors
Hierstätter, Sarah ; Brejchova, Terezá
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-05-24
Pages
167
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan en service design-tilgang kan hjælpe tværfaglige teams i modne startups med fælles kommunikation, intern afstemning og samarbejde, især når nye projekter begynder. Service design forstås her som en måde at planlægge og forbedre tjenester ved at fokusere på mennesker, processer og berøringspunkter, så organisationen får et fælles udgangspunkt. Arbejdet tager udgangspunkt i en startup inden for forretningsrejser, som deltog både som samarbejdspartner og som kunde. Den centrale udfordring var at skabe bedre afstemning mellem medarbejdere fra forskellige fagområder ved projektstart. For at løse dette udviklede vi Project Roadmap Framework, et værktøj der hjælper teams med at etablere et fælles sprog og struktur fra dag ét. Specialet bygger på litteratur om service design, startups, tværfagligt samarbejde, kommunikation og organisatorisk forandring. Vi fulgte en design thinking-tilgang – en struktureret, iterativ proces til at forstå behov, udvikle ideer og afprøve løsninger – og anvendte en blandet metode, der kombinerer kvalitative og kvantitative data. Datagrundlaget omfatter workshops, interviews, prototyper, desk research og spørgeskemaer. Resultatet er et Project Roadmap Framework skræddersyet til samarbejdspartnerens behov, som giver et mere helhedsorienteret greb om projektstyring. Frameworket tilbyder konkrete trin, retningslinjer og ressourcer, der hjælper tværfaglige teams med at skabe fælles forståelse og forbedre samarbejdet ved projektstart. Specialet bidrager både til den teoretiske forståelse og til praksis for brugen af service design i startup-miljøer. Det kan fungere som inspiration for praktikere med indsigter og strategier til at håndtere almindelige interne udfordringer og styrke samarbejde og afstemning i startups.
This thesis examines how a service design approach can help cross-functional teams in mature startups build common communication, internal alignment, and collaboration, especially at the start of new projects. Here, service design is understood as a way to plan and improve services by focusing on people, processes, and touchpoints, giving teams a shared basis to work from. The study is grounded in a corporate travel startup that participated as both a collaboration partner and a client. The key challenge was aligning people from different disciplines at project kick-off. To address this, we developed the Project Roadmap Framework, a tool that helps teams establish a shared language and structure from day one. The work draws on literature in service design, startups, cross-functional collaboration, communication, and organizational change. We followed a design thinking process—an iterative, structured way to understand needs, generate ideas, and test solutions—and used a mixed-method approach that combines qualitative and quantitative data. Our data collection included workshops, interviews, prototyping, desk research, and surveys. The outcome is a Project Roadmap Framework tailored to the partner’s needs, offering a more holistic approach to project management. It provides clear steps, guidelines, and resources that support a common ground for communication and strengthen collaboration at the beginning of projects. The thesis contributes to both theory and practice on how service design can be applied in startup environments. It offers insights and strategies that can inspire practitioners to address common internal challenges and foster better collaboration and alignment in startups.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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