PHASE 1 – DISCOVER
Stage 1: Pre-Planning
The Pre-Planning stage is about getting all the ducks in a row (at least to start with). It is about understanding the landscape and what it will take to undertake the first phase of co-design before you jump in the deep end.
Go to Stage 1 Content
Co.Design4All
5 Stages of Discover
The DISCOVER Phase has 5 stages and 32 tools
Stage 1
PRE PLANNING
This stage includes undertaking an initial planning process to understand the resources, governance and budget needs of the project.
4
Tools
Stage 2
CURRENT STATE
This stage includes an assessment of the current state, including data exploration, and understanding the key players in the context of the place based response.
2
Tools
Stage 3
ENGAGEMENT
Engagement will involve conversations with the key stakeholders identified in current state. This will allow unpacking and exploring the key issues and ideas/solutions. This will inform who should be involved in the design phase.
14
Tools
Stage 4
EXPLORATION
Exploration includes examining what solutions have been used in this and similar contexts. It also includes expanding on any ideas identified during this stage and looking at local context for implementation clues.
8
Tools
Stage 5
PLANNING
Planning includes detailing the where, when, who and how stakeholders should be involved in the co-design process. This includes planning for reimbursement of the time of participants as needed.
4
Tools
Gate 1 – REFLECT & PLAN
The reflect and plan component of the framework has been designed to provide a point to review what has been achieved, then based on this review process, plan for the next stage of implementing the toolkit. There are a set of outcomes or questions that should be considered at each of these points.
Reflect & Plan
DISCOVER
Stage 1 – Pre Planning
Overview
This phase will involve project formation, such as establishing a project team, draft timelines, budget and project governance.
Key Activities
Establishing the project team is critical for getting started. This will include the following steps:
- Determine the town or location of focus for the project to determine locations of greatest weakness and the focus of efforts.
- Assemble a project team with the right skills and knowledge to participate in the project.
- Develop a draft scoping document and project plan articulating the current understanding of the issue and approach that will be applied.
- Establish the project governance and reporting mechanisms, including links to the Board, ELT, key stakeholders like hospital districts and other clinical governance mechanisms.
- Develop a budget for the project and seek sign off for the allocation of resources.
- Draft a terms of reference for the project governance board to sign off and agree.
STAGE 1 – Pre planning
Project Plan
Project Plan
Tool Reference # 1D0101
This tool offers a structured guide to the essential elements of a Project Plan. Sections, tables, diagrams, and charts may be adjusted to fit your specific project needs. Sections may be added, removed, or redefined as needed to meet your requirement. Designed for thorough and adaptable planning, this document aims to support a well-organised approach to project management.
WHAT
The project plan is developed early on this the formation stage of the idea. It will provide clarity to the team and other stakeholder on the project intent and give direction to the team.
WHO
This is used by the project team and can be designed as a team.
HOW LONG
Over a few days.
Stage 1 – Project Plan
A flexible and structured guide designed to support organized and adaptable project planning.
STAGE 1 – Pre planning
Project Budget
Project Budget
Tool Reference # 1D0102
A project budget template identifies all the resources and expenses that will be required in the delivery of a project. It can also be used throughout the project to track the expenses relative to the budget outlined at the start.
WHAT
This tool will assist to estimate the budget for implementing the project and the resource dedication required.
WHO
This is used by the project team and is best completed by one person
HOW LONG
1-2 hours
Stage 1 – Project Budget
A project budget template outlines required resources and costs, and helps track expenses against the initial budget throughout the project.
You need to purchase subscription.
STAGE 1 – Pre planning
Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference
Tool Reference # 1D0103
A Terms of Reference (TOR) document establishes a particular board or committee and details the specific authority that board or committee has to oversee a project of delegated area of responsibility. A TOR should include:
- vision, objectives, scope and deliverables (i.e. what has to be achieved).
- stakeholders, roles and responsibilities (i.e. who will take part in it)
- resource, financial and quality plans (i.e. how it will be achieved)
- work breakdown structure, schedule and reporting (i.e. when it will be achieved)
WHAT
This tool is used to document the authority that the governance group/committee will have over the running of the co design project.
WHO
This is used by the project team and is best done together to ensure alignment
HOW LONG
2-3 hours in total
Stage 1 – Terms of Reference
A Terms of Reference (TOR) document defines a board or committee’s authority, outlining the project’s purpose, scope, roles, resources, timeline, and reporting structure.
You need to purchase subscription.
STAGE 1 – Pre planning
CATWOE Analysis
CATWOE Analysis
Tool Reference # 1D0104
This will help you to unpack the key issues you might encounter when exploring or solving for a particular issue. It is really useful to help you to think about the environment and other factors that might be impacting the outcomes.
WHAT
This tool is a checklist which helps find solutions to problems that might involve multiple and conflicting interests by stimulating multiple approaches.
WHO
Project team
HOW LONG
60 mins
Stage 1 – CATWOE Analysis
This tool helps identify key issues and environmental factors affecting outcomes when exploring or solving a problem.
You need to purchase a subscription.
WE CAN HELP
Support & Guidance
Dealing with the people elements of any project is often the hardest part. We can help with advice and supports through provision of training programs and consulting services. Sometimes, it can be useful to have an independent facilitator available to call out problem behaviours or negotiate who needs to be involved. This can free up those from participating organisations to contribute their ideas to problem solving rather than being waylaid managing a room.
CO.DESIGN4ALL
Get in Touch With Us
Please choose the subject of your enquiry from the drop-down selection. We look forward to engaging with you on Co.Design4All.
CASE STUDY
Kids “Five To Thrive”
Everyone would agree that giving kids the best start in life is critical. Most of us know that before a child turns seven, many aspects of who they will become have been established.
When a group of local health, education and social care providers decided to gather in Inala, one of Queensland’s most disadvantaged regions, the enthusiasm was high. The common language around how to make a difference was not. Bringing the group together to ultimately produce the Five to Thrive approach took many meetings. Common understanding and a shared frame of reference needed to be developed about how to prepare kids for a good start at school.
Inala Primary Care was the only general practice involved. Clarifying the role of general practice, the constraints on our team and the practicalities of asking general practitioners to do more took some effort. We worked with the meeting organisers to get the right people involved, to have videos of stimulating ideas shown and to manage the sometimes outspoken behaviour of attendees.
It all comes down to having lots of tools in your back pocket so that you can harness the energy of others to get a good result.
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TESTIMONIALS
What our clients have to say
Tracey Silvester
Executive Officer
Engaging, Successful, Credible
I have been witness to Tracey Johnson’s knowledge of the health care system and her exceptional group facilitation skills. She is a master at understanding the complexities in which health services operate; an understanding that is reflected in the quality of the co-design tools and resources that have been developed. Her ability to clearly communicate complex concepts and engage diverse audiences ensures the success and credibility of her work. I am confident that these attributes and Tracey’s commitment to making a difference will make the website a valuable resource for all users.
McGrath ‘Model of Care’ project
Project Participant A
Best Co-design Process
This has been the best co-design process I have even participated in……ACTUAL co-design.
Meredith Cummins
CEO Neuroendocrine Cancer Australia
Wonderful Co-design Workshop
Wonderful to be involved in this co-design workshop to ensure the model of care for all cancers benefits all cancers.
McGrath ‘Model of Care’ project
Project Participant B
Fantastic Co-design Workshop
Fantastic to have been part of the codesign workshop with McGrath Foundation and Natasha Doherty.
Stacey Allerton
Patient Advocate
Compassionate Co-Design
Thank you to Natasha Doherty for a kind and compassionate session co-designing the McGrath Foundation model of nursing care for all cancers!
Cathy Baynie
Practice Consultant & Past President AAPM
Highly Recommend Co.Design4All
I highly recommend this resource as the necessary tool that will support and foster the needs of all stakeholders in the co-design process. Tracey and Nat have an in depth and lived understanding of what is required for a successful outcome. Their skills in working with groups and inspiring others are second to none.
Cathy Baynie, Registered Nurse. Practice Consultant & Past President AAPM (Australian Assoc of Practice Managers) Manager Advocacy and Health Workforce
Michele Smith
WNSWPHN
Excellent Co-Design – Resounding Success
The “Excellent Co-Design” training by Tracey Johnson and Natasha Doherty has been a resounding success. It not only enriched the skill set of the WNSW PHN Primary Care team but also instilled a culture of collaboration and innovation that will propel the PHN’s mission to improve primary health outcomes.
Freddy Ortega
WNSW PHN Primary Care Team
Transformative, Comprehensive Training
The “Excellent Co-Design” training, expertly delivered by Tracey Johnson and Natasha Doherty, has been transformative for the WNSW PHN Primary Care Team. This comprehensive training has equipped the team with vital skills in community engagement, service innovation, and program implementation—key components for addressing complex primary care challenges, especially in rural and remote contexts
Tracey Silvester
Executive Officer ACHSM
Quality Tools & Resources
Tracey Johnson is a master at understanding the complexities in which health services operate, an understanding that is reflected in the quality of the codesign tools and resources that have been developed. I am confident that these attributes and Tracey’s commitment to making a difference will make the Co.Design4All website a valuable resource for all users.
insights and thought leadership
Our Latest Articles & Blogs
We are passionate about Co.Design4All and the difference it makes to projects and community initiatives to facilitate and enable successful and better outcomes for ALL. We will share our knowledge, insights, and expertise in articles and blogs to help you successfully adopt and implement co-design principles.
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Team Co.Design4All
The most useful insights about a broken system almost always come from the people it serves least well. Learn why fixing the ride, not the rider, is where real systems change begins, and how co-design puts the right voices at the centre of that process.
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In a culture that rewards self-promotion over self-mastery, what does it actually take to lead meaningful change? Drawing on the work of David Brooks, Angela Duckworth, Jonathan Haidt and Robert Greenleaf, this article explores why character is the foundation of effective leadership in healthcare and community change work, and why humility may be the most important capability that change leaders still need to develop.
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Kombi, not Chaos: Why your team isn’t doing what you asked — and what to do about it
Team Co.Design4All
Why aren’t your team following the procedure you agreed on? The COM-B model — Capability, Opportunity, Motivation — offers a practical diagnostic framework for healthcare and organisational leaders. Pair it with co-design and you have both the diagnosis and the method to fix it.
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Ask, Don’t Tell: The quiet discipline of listening to learn
Team Co.Design4All
In change work, the people who listen hardest tend to get the furthest. Drawing on Schein’s humble inquiry and Scharmer’s four levels of listening, this article explores why asking — not telling — is the foundational discipline of genuine co-design, and how to practise it in healthcare and community settings.
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Head, Heart, Hip Pocket: How to Pitch Change so it Actually Lands
Team Co.Design4All
A great idea is not enough. Winning funding, permission and momentum requires a pitch that speaks to the rational, emotional and financial realities of your audience — all three, in the right order. The Head, Heart, Hip Pocket framework is a battle-tested structure for change-makers in healthcare and beyond, grounded in decades of co-design practice and the best of behavioural science.
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When Co-Design Becomes a PR Exercise: Learning from Australia’s Live Export Debacle
Team Co.Design4All
Co-Design vs Performative Consultation Co-design has become the darling of public policy. Governments and organisations everywhere trumpet their commitment to collaborative decision-making, promising to work alongside affected communities to shape policies that impact them. But what happens when co-design is deployed not as a genuine collaborative process, but as window dressing for decisions already made? …
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The Vanishing Village: What we lost when we stopped joining things — and why co-design may be how we get it back
Team Co.Design4All
Social capital has been quietly collapsing across Australia for fifty years. Volunteering is at an all-time low, loneliness now carries health risks equivalent to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, and trust in government continues to fall. Drawing on research from Robert Putnam, Andrew Leigh, Hugh Mackay, and Julianne Holt-Lunstad, this article examines what we have lost, why it matters for the health and wellbeing of Australian communities, and why genuine co-design may be the most practical path toward rebuilding the social fabric we have allowed to unravel.
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Gender Equity, Kindness, and the Screen Between Us
Team Co.Design4All
Half a century of equity reform has produced real gains — and real resistance. From the gender pay gap to the rise of the manosphere, this article examines where Australia stands on gender equality, what the evidence tells us about coercive control and online radicalisation, and why structured co-design at community level may be one of our most practical tools for rebuilding common ground.
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