The Guides and Scouts of Finland launched the Paju project in 2022 to comprehensively renew its digital systems. The aim is to modernize the Scout movement’s digital services while enhancing usability, improving operating processes and clarifying the overall information architecture.
North Patrol supported the Scouts in shaping the concept for the new digital service ecosystem, designing the services, and evaluating alternative technology options.
North Patrol is a consulting firm specialized in the design of digital services and information systems. We shape ideas into a vision and service concept, find the best architectural and technological solutions, design a functional user experience, and compete to find the ideal partner for implementation work. We do not sell implementation projects, nor do we sell licenses; we are genuinely on the side of the customer.
13 March 2025
The existing systems landscape faced several concrete challenges, including fragmented systems, usability issues, complex processes, and insufficient support for data-driven management. The renewal therefore focused especially on user-centricity, clearer services, and improved operational efficiency.
The concept phase began in February 2023. During this stage, North Patrol’s consultants facilitated more than 20 workshops and design sessions involving Scout staff and volunteers. Together, the teams mapped current operating processes and user groups, defined the goals and key service areas for future digital services, explored architectural and technological alternatives, and prepared an initial roadmap for phased implementation.
A central part of the work was identifying the most important user groups and prioritizing their needs. These included Scouts and their guardians, as well as leaders of Scout groups and local troops. Particular attention was paid to user journeys, the overall user experience, and streamlining processes.
The first phase resulted in a clear concept for digital services that are intuitive, user-friendly, and better aligned with the needs of people involved in Scouting. At the same time, the concept supports the delivery of the Scout programme, which plays a central role in the organization’s day-to-day activities.
During the definition phase, North Patrol worked closely with the Scouts’ project team and a wide range of subject-matter experts to further refine the identified development needs and requirements. This work was divided into two areas: defining the functional requirements for the membership register at the core of the new systems landscape, and describing the customized applications selected for implementation in the first phase of the project.
The work began with a relatively high-level description of the procurement target. Selected implementation partners were then invited to a technical dialogue, using this material as background information. The renewed systems landscape and its requirements were described at a level that gave potential partners a clear overall understanding of the project and enabled them to present preliminary technical solution proposals and estimate the scope of the work.
These discussions provided valuable insight into how different technological approaches would meet the Scouts’ needs. Based on the outcome of the technical dialogue, North Patrol’s consultants prepared a more detailed requirements specification for the tendering phase. This specification describes the systems that would be implemented in the first phase and their requirements and serves as one of the key procurement documents in the supplier selection process.
Several North Patrol consultants were involved in the project, bringing together expertise in concept design, service design, requirements definition, and architecture. Altogether, more than 30 workshops and design meetings were held during the project, involving dozens of experts appointed by the Scouts — including staff members, volunteers in positions of trust, other volunteers, and representatives of the Scouts’ technical maintenance partners.
Because of the scale of the renewal and the complexity of the Scouts’ operating environment, identifying the needs of different user groups and translating them into clear requirements called for a highly systematic approach. North Patrol’s consultants were responsible for advancing the agreed project scope, selecting the methods and tools used in the design work, and ensuring that each phase produced the agreed deliverables.
The methods and materials used during the project, including workshop exercises, canvas models, mind maps, user flow descriptions, and process diagrams, were designed so that the Scouts’ own teams could continue refining and using them in later phases of the work.
As an external partner, North Patrol also brought fresh ideas and perspectives into the design process. These were developed further in close collaboration with the Scouts’ project group and specialists.
Open communication and close cooperation between North Patrol and the Scouts’ project leads and teams made it possible for the nearly two-year collaboration to move forward according to plan and remain in line with the original assignment, including the budget.
The ongoing systems renewal is a major multi-year effort affecting almost all of the Scouts’ functions, processes, and systems, as well as everyone involved in Scouting in one way or another. Planning continues, and the requirements will be refined further as the project moves toward the selection of one or more supplier partners and the implementation of the first phases.
There is still a great deal ahead. But thanks to the strong concept design and service design work completed at the outset, the Scouts now have a clear foundation for moving the renewal forward.
Noora Linnermo is a specialist in web strategies and digital concept and service design.
She consults the customers on web concepts, project management and requirement specifications driven by the optimal user experience.
With several years’ experience in leading digital service projects she can help customers in planning web projects that meet the requirements of the organization, end users and those responsible for the maintenance. She can help organizations to identify benefits and potentials of their web services and to plan how to take full advantage of them.
Noora has worked with web services in several roles having experience both from the customer’s and solution provider’s side. She has been responsible e.g. for needs assessments, functional and technical specifications, usability testing, implementations and training. Noora has worked as a technical product owner and a system and concept development manager participating to the planning and developing organizations’ digital services.
31 May 2025 - Camilla Heikkilä
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