Our work
Mapping the conversation to help map the future of roadways

The challenge

Roads Australia is one of many organisations that helps us navigate the massive challenge of creating a more sustainable transport network. A recent strategy offsite with their executive leadership team needed more than the usual ‘round-table-by-numbers’ approach, to be able to successfully incorporate and align a wide variety of stakeholders from across industry and government.

Roads Australia is Australia’s peak body for roads within an integrated transport system, representing an industry that contributes $236 billion to the economy annually, and supports 1.4 million jobs. This industry is facing a clear case of where the thinking that got them here ‐ massive monolithic carbon-heavy infrastructure projects – won’t get them there: a more sustainable transport network that is an active part of changing consumer behaviour, creating positive social and economic change.

Our approach

In partnership with Access Partners, we designed and ran a set of conversations with CEO Ehssan Veiszadeh and the executive leadership team, as well as representatives from government, industry and other peak bodies, to not only align on common priorities, but to also help create a common set of strategic challenges to pursue.

In events like these, there are always times where different stakeholders spend time presenting to the rest of the room, which isn’t always the best way to have a productive conversation. What made this event different was how we captured each presentation as a visual summary using graphic recording. This helped all the main points to stay on the wall once the slides had gone, to help everyone remember, ruminate, and make more connections between each set of points.

The second half of the day involved getting everyone in mixed smaller groups to envision and capture ideas for combined offerings that would address challenges that the industry is facing. Access Partners did a masterful job of guiding this process, using adapted versions of the Value Proposition Canvas.

We again used graphic summaries to help everyone capture and synthesise some insights and combined offerings that would bridge the traditional silos of industry and government, and open up new value in existing infrastructure.

The day closed out with another synthesis and summary conversation that we graphically captured as a roadmap of opportunities.

It was really exciting to not only be ‘in the room where it happened’, but also to have the privilege of capturing and crystallising so many great ideas and points in such a complex space into clarity and action.

Top photo credit: Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash