The Value of Jurisdictional Scans

The world moves fast. 

Every day brings new challenges, new solutions, and endless noise about what actually works. With so much information competing for attention, it’s easy to feel lost trying to figure out which approaches are worth pursuing.

Luckily, proven models already exist, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Across industries and regions, organizations have already solved many of the problems you are facing. The key is knowing where to look. 

That is where jurisdictional scans come in.

What is a Jurisdictional Scan?

A jurisdictional scan is a strategic research method that provides a comprehensive overview of how different locations and organizations are tackling similar challenges. It pulls together policies, programs, service models, governance approaches, funding structures, performance measures, implementation lessons, and real-world outcomes. Rather than starting from scratch, you learn from those who have already done the work.

How to Execute a Jurisdictional Scan

The framework for conducting these jurisdictional scans is relatively straightforward, though it requires time to execute. The process begins by identifying the specific questions you need answered like “What are the key program features?” or “How did the program delivery fall short of expectations?” Defining these questions helps narrow the goal of the scan, ensuring you collect only the information you actually need rather than documenting every aspect of what happened in another jurisdiction.

Once you have your questions, you can determine the specific data points required to answer them, such as eligibility requirements, governance structures, or program delivery methods. This ensures the information you collect is systematic and comparable across all jurisdictions. With the framework in place, it is time to dig into articles, websites, and interviews with key informants to ensure your questions are fully addressed. Typical scans include analyzing between 4 and 6 jurisdictions.

Turning Evidence into Action

The real value of a jurisdictional scan isn't finding a perfect, one-size-fits-all solution. It is about accelerating your path to implementation by learning from others' successes and missteps. A scan replaces guesswork with evidence, showing what has worked, what has failed, and what conditions made the difference. They highlight which elements work across different contexts, and which strategies are worth adapting for your specific needs. By combining proven practices from multiple organizations, you can craft a solution that is both grounded in evidence and tailored to your specific needs.

While no two situations are identical, these scans reveal patterns. They identify design elements that consistently support success such as clear accountability, stable funding, and realistic timelines as well as common failure points like unclear mandates, inadequate training, fragmented responsibilities, or technology flaws. 

Bridging the Gap

The output of a jurisdictional scan should be immediately usable. Beyond a summary of findings, it should include a comparative framework and an options analysis that connects external lessons to your specific goals. Once these patterns are identified, you can use the data along with any other data collected to conduct a gap analysis.

While the scan shows what everyone else is doing, the gap analysis highlights where your organization is falling short in common or best practices. This allows you to visually break down the changes needed to achieve similar outcomes. Of course, these recommendations must be feasible within your organization. This is why it is important to examine jurisdictions who not only share desired outcomes but are of a similar size or serve a similar demographic to ensure the proposed changes are realistic for your organization. Jurisdictions may also be selected because they are recognized leaders or because they have faced similar pressures and responded in innovative and successful ways.

The Cost of Excluding a Jurisdictional Scan

Without a jurisdictional scan, organizations often fund pilot programs that have already been proven ineffective in similar environments. These trial-and-error initiatives can be avoided by taking the time to do the research before implementation.

A scan acts as a form of insurance, ensuring that your resources are directed toward strategies with a high probability of success. If an initiative collapses due to a predictable flaw, the loss of public or employee trust is difficult to recover. A jurisdictional scan provides the due diligence necessary to defend decisions to boards, employees, the public, or donors.

In a world full of noise and uncertainty, jurisdictional scans cut through the clutter. They save time, reduce risk, and help you build on a foundation of real-world success. When you are ready to move forward with confidence, a jurisdictional scan is your roadmap.