HKSM

A structured model for improving organizational processes that progresses through five stages: Initiating, Diagnosing, Establishing, Acting, and Learning.

Key Points

• Gives a clear, phased roadmap for organizational change from kickoff to sustained improvement.
• Each phase has specific goals and outputs, such as vision, assessments, plans, pilots, and lessons learned.
• Emphasizes feedback and iteration; after Learning, teams can loop back to Initiating for the next cycle.
• Commonly applied to agile transformations, scaling initiatives, and process maturity efforts.

Example

A company adopting Scrum uses IDEAL: Initiating by forming a transformation team and vision; Diagnosing by assessing current delivery lead time and quality; Establishing by creating an improvement backlog and training plan; Acting by piloting Scrum with two teams and introducing CI; Learning by reviewing metrics and retrospectives, then updating the rollout plan.

PMP Example Question

In the IDEAL model, what is the primary objective of the Diagnosing phase?

1. Create executive sponsorship and define the improvement vision.
2. Analyze the current process and determine improvement gaps.
3. Deploy process changes across teams and monitor adoption.
4. Capture lessons learned and refine the improvement roadmap.

Correct Answer: B — Analyze the current process and determine gaps

Explanation: Diagnosing focuses on understanding the current state and identifying issues to address before planning and implementing changes.