Small steps, big change, discussing the real power of discovery

As councils across England navigate the challenges and opportunities of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), many face a dilemma: where do we even begin?  

The scale of change can feel overwhelming — new operating models, complex system integrations, cultural shifts, all while delivering day-to-day services. It’s easy to think you need a big plan before you take the first step. However, in our experience at Perago working on similar projects, the most effective transformations often begin small. 

One of the most powerful tools we use is a discovery. In just a few weeks, a small multi-disciplinary team can explore a problem area, gather insights from users and staff, test assumptions, and clarify the pain points and problems you’re really trying to solve. These short bursts of activity are focused on gathering information, data and insight, as well as developing relationships with teams and people across the organisation, deliberately not thinking of solutions, but just developing a laser-sharp focus on the issues in front of us. 

Discovery in action 

We recently conducted a Discovery with a local authority to explore how to support residents in financial crisis. What started as a service-specific problem revealed wider duplication in support pathways across departments. By mapping the resident journey and identifying overlaps in funding and referral processes, the team uncovered savings and service improvements beyond the original brief. 

This is the real power of discovery. It provides fast feedback and deep insight. And because it brings frontline teams into the process and sharing the findings, it begins to build the cultural shift required for sustainable transformation. 

Reducing risk, building confidence 

Too often, transformation programmes stall under the weight of assumptions and complexity. Discovery reduces that risk by filling in the gaps. They help councils: 

• get a full picture of all the moving parts – not jumping to a final solution before fully understanding the problem 

• understand user needs in context 

• spot opportunities for reuse, better integrate and configure products 

• surface blockers early, before they grow into programme risks 

Just as importantly, discovery work builds internal confidence. Teams learn new ways of working. Leaders get a clear, evidence-based picture. And because it’s collaborative, it fosters alignment from the outset. 

It’s about mindset, not methodology 

You don’t need a big team or complex tooling to get started. What you need is curiosity and commitment to evidence-led decisions. Typically a discovery will last between 4 – 6 weeks, but insight and information to start shaping up the direction will start to be realised as early as the first two weeks. 

We’ve helped councils do just that. Often, these initial discoveries evolve into bigger change programmes. But they start by focusing tightly on a single question: what’s the real problem here? 

Investing in sustainable change 

Some councils hesitate to invest time in Discovery because they feel they already know what needs to be fixed. But taking the time to understand the real problem usually saves time, money and energy in the long run. 

Discovery isn’t just a step in the process, it’s the foundation of smart, sustainable change. Done well, it sets up every subsequent phase of transformation for success. 

Getting started 

At Perago, we support councils through: 

• discovery, sprint planning and facilitation 

• process mapping and developing Service Blueprints – the ‘as-is’ process is key to benchmarking the service, project, or business area 

• capability building so teams can run their own discoveries 

• now / next / later recommendations and roadmaps based on discovery findings 

And one of the most important elements of starting a Discovery is to convene a kick off meeting that absolutely includes the subject matter experts and key stakeholders or sponsors, associated with the area of change you are focusing on. Without these on board from the outset, you’ll struggle to get the traction you need to progress quickly.  

If you’re facing the start of your LGR journey and aren’t sure where to begin, our advice is straightforward: start small, start smart.  

Discoveries don’t solve every problem, but they show you where to look next, and they do it fast whilst validating the problem to focus on. 

Small steps, big change. That’s the real power of discovery.