OUR METHODOLOGY
Tackling the culture transformation challenge: Engagement
We blend behavioral science, change management methodologies, and best practices in engineering quality to build programs people actually want to belong to, and that makes the right behavior the rewarding one.
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THE PROGRAM SUCCESS GUIDE
Our process is public, and free.
We published the full methodology in 2022 under a free-to-access blog. Seven steps, cyclical, designed to be run again each time you learn something. The guide was written for security champion programs, but the process was never limited to them. It applies to any initiative that changes how an organization behaves at scale.
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Vision
Where do we want to end up?
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Participants
Who are we trying to reach?
Setting
What is the environment we're working in?
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Concept
How do we want people to behave?
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Design
What will we motivate them to do, and how?
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Delivery
How do we launch and communicate it?
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Tuning
What are we learning, and what changes?
THE KATILYST MATURITY MODEL
Know where you are. Know what's next.
We built our program maturity model from the work we've done with dozens of programs across the globe, and every one of them started somewhere on it. It gives you two things: an honest read on where your organization is today, and a specific next move rather than a general ambition. The levels work in order, each makes the next one possible, and skipping a rung is why good intentions plateau.
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LEVEL 1
Reactive
Quality is something that happens after the fact. Problems surface late, a central team absorbs them, and everyone is busy fixing what already shipped.
LEVEL 2
Guided
A first group of allies starts modelling better practice. Standards exist on paper, and allies are showing what they look like in real work.
LEVEL 3
Integrated
The right checks live inside daily tools, workflows and AI prompts. Building with quality becomes the path of least resistance instead of an extra step.
LEVEL 4
Optimized
Quality is a default, not a decision. Builders hold the standard themselves, and the organization recognizes and rewards them for holding it.
HOW CULTURE TRANSFORMS
Recognize and motivate your allies to spread the word.
Culture doesn't change by mandate, it changes when a handful of respected allies start working differently, get recognized for it, and pull their teams with them. That's an ally program, and it works in any domain where behavior has to shift.
Security Champions
Secure design, threat modeling, vulnerability ownership. Our flagship, and where most customers start.
AI
Champions
Safe, effective adoption of AI across your company: prompting, validation, and human-in-the-loop review.
Security Ambassadors
Security Awareness best practices, like phishing, safe data handling, and privacy.
Privacy
Guardians
Data handling, privacy engineering, and the judgment calls that don't have a policy yet.
A partnership built for the long-term.
Culture transformation doesn't happen in a quarter. Successful programs are designed for a three-to-five year arc from the start, with early wins that keep leadership interested, and a plan for keeping enthusiasm high for the long haul. We're there to support you at every phase of the journey.
DESIGN · MONTHS 1–3
The blueprint
Program design, including: vision & goals, engagement strategy, launch roadmap, metrics, tooling, and branding.
LAUNCH · YEAR 1
The engine
Katilyst platform setup and tooling integration, ally recruitment, automated behavior tracking & rewards, and program impact reporting.
SCALE · YEARS 2+
The culture
Continuous program improvement, interactive events and workshops, and increased coverage across your entire organization.