Strategy Series: Mapping the Now Before Designing the New
This is the second post in our Strategy Series, published every Thursday. Each week, we’ll explore how Australian organisations can rethink their operating models, embrace AI with intention, and stay ahead of the curve.
Before you can transform a business, let alone apply AI, you need to understand how it works today.
Not how it's supposed to work. Not what’s written in the process manuals. But how your teams get things done, where decisions are made, and how value is created and delivered.
This is where every successful transformation starts: with a clear-eyed, shared understanding of the current state of your operating model.
At We Lead Out, we often compare this step to an architect surveying the foundations of a building before planning a renovation. You don’t want to draw up plans for a new level only to discover the structure can’t hold the weight.
Why map the current state at all?
In enterprise and government programs, there is often pressure to jump straight to future-state design or purchase new technology. But skipping the current state analysis risks building on shaky ground.
A few of the risks we see repeatedly when this step is skipped:
Misaligned initiatives: Teams pursue changes based on assumptions rather than evidence.
Wasted investment: Technology is layered over broken processes.
Misaligned Technology: Platforms are selected based on agendas rather than business value
Stakeholder resistance: People feel “done to,” not consulted.
Transformation failure: The operating model can't support the vision.
By investing in understanding your current state, you avoid these pitfalls and build a foundation for meaningful, sustainable change.
What is an operating model?
At its simplest, an operating model describes how an organisation delivers value. It includes:
People: roles, teams, skills, culture
Processes: how work gets done
Technology: systems and tools
Information: data and decision-making
Governance: how decisions are made
Structure: how the organisation is shaped
Deloitte refers to these as the Six Elements of an Operating Model. BCG frames it as a cube with interconnected dimensions. At We Lead Out, we favour a capability-led view that aligns strategy with the real machinery of execution.
Regardless of the framework, the goal is the same: to obtain a clear and actionable picture of how things currently function across all key dimensions.
How do we map the current state?
Mapping the current state isn’t just a desk exercise. It’s a structured discovery process that brings together data, documents, and, most importantly, people.
Here’s how we typically do it:
1. Stakeholder interviews
We start with structured conversations across functions and levels. We’re not just asking “what’s your process?” We’re looking for where work slows down, decisions get stuck, or customers get frustrated.
Think of this like listening to how the orchestra plays, not just reading the sheet music.
2. Document and data review
We review organisational charts, performance reports, process documentation, and customer insights. This helps validate what we’re hearing and identify where gaps exist between policy and practice.
3. Business capability mapping
We identify and assess the organisation’s core capabilities. The things it must be good at to deliver its strategy. Each capability is evaluated for its maturity, pain points, and potential for uplift.
This gives us a heatmap of what’s strong, what’s stretched, and what’s missing.
4. Value stream and process analysis
We map how value flows through the organisation—from customer need to service delivery. This often surfaces duplicate steps, legacy systems, or role confusion.
In one public sector example, mapping the value stream helped consolidate six previously disconnected customer intake processes into a single, streamlined experience.
5. Operating model synthesis
Finally, we consolidate all the information into a clear, visual representation of the current operating model, highlighting how strategy is executed today and where friction or fragmentation exists.
This becomes the foundation for future-state design, technology alignment, and business case development.
What happens next?
Understanding your current state doesn’t mean getting stuck in it. It’s about establishing a shared truth—a starting point from which real change can begin.
In our next post, we’ll explore how to design a fit-for-purpose future state operating model that’s aligned to your strategy, ready for AI, and grounded in execution.
Because if you want your organisation to go further, faster, you have to know where you're starting from.
We Lead Out helps business and government leaders navigate transformation with confidence, starting with the foundations that matter. Reach out to learn more about how we map operating models and build the case for sustainable change.
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Let’s set up your transformation program to deliver results.
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