From Regional Knowledge Resource Kit

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Background

This workshop follows the How to review progress workshop sessions.

Facilitation level

A basic level of facilitation skill is required to lead this workshop session.

Objective

To decide and plan new projects and small actions for the next three to six months.

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers.
• Butchers paper templates (see "Directions" section below).

Time

1 hour.

Directions

1. Write up potential initiatives on the whiteboard

In the previous How to review progress workshop session, table groups documented which Regional Knowledge Strategy actions they thought should be dropped, changed or created. Now, ask people to use this information to call out potential initatives for the region for the next three to six months. Write these up on the top half of the whiteboard. Don't order them - just write them up as they come.

2. Separate the projects and the small actions

1. Review the potential initiatives on the whiteboard. Discuss with participants which of the initiatives are projects and which are small actions.
   • Projects are larger activities that require detailed planning, funding and implementation e.g. setting up a region intranet or establishing communities of practice.
   • Small actions are initiatives that any staff member or group of staff members could implement off their own bat for improvement e.g. organising lunch-time talks.
2. As the discussion progresses, write P (for project) or S (for small action) next to each of the potential initiatives.
3. At the end of the discussion, leave the projects (marked with a P) in the top part of the whiteboard and transfer the small actions (marked with an S) to the lower part of the whiteboard, so that you end up with a row of projects and a row of small actions under each heading objective.

3. Decide up to three key projects

Now that the projects have been identified conduct a voting exercise to determine the top three priority projects to commence work on:

1. Hand a sheet of A4 paper to each participant and ask them to write down what they think are the top three projects that the region should start to be work on immediately.
2. Once the participants have written down their choices, step through each project on the white board and ask participants to put up their hand if they had that project as one of their top three. Tally the votes as you go.
3. Add up the votes and identify the top three choices by writing 1, 2 and 3 in large numbers in circles next to those choices,
4. Then facilitate a discussion aimed at ensuring that participants are in support of the top choices. Ask:
   • How does everyone feel about these projects as the immediate priority for our Regional Knowledge Strategy?
   • Can we handle all three projects at this time? Would just two projects (or even just one project) be more achievable?

4. Task groups to arrange meetings to design the key projects

1. Divide the participants into three groups.
2. Ask each group to pick one of the three priority projects from the whiteboard, in consultation with the other groups to avoid double-up.
3. Ask each group to arrange a group meeting within the next two weeks where they will prepare a plan for their priority project (in these meetings they will also work on some of the small actions, as shown in step 5 below).
4. Ask the groups to forward you the draft project plans at the end of the two weeks.
5. Give each group a copy of the project design template and ask each group to use it as a guide to prepare the plan for their priority project. The project design template is a sheet of butcher's paper divided into five parts with the following headings and questions as prompters or guides:
   • Purpose/Guiding Principles
     • Why is this being done? What are we trying to achieve with this project?
     • What are the key standards to hold in making decisions and acting on this project? What rules do we play by?
   • Successful Outcome
     • What would it be like if it were totally successful? How would I know?
     • What would that success look or feel like for the stakeholders?
   • Brainstorming
     • Conduct a mini brainstorming session with the group - capturing all ideas is the aim here.
     • What are all the things that occur to you about this? What is the current reality? What do I know? What do we not know? What ought we consider? What haven't we considered? etc.
     • Be complete, open, non-judgemental and resist critical judgement.
     • Wikipedia has a good entry on brainstorming.
   • Organising
     • Identify components (sub-projects), sequences, and/or priorities.
     • What needs to happen to make the whole thing happen?
     • Create outlines, bulleted lists, or organising charts, as needed for review and control
   • Next actions
     • Determine next actions. What should be done next, and who will do it?
     • If more planning is required, determine the next action to get that to happen.

5. Take forward the small actions

1. Use the same table groups as step 4 above.
2. Ask each group to select a proportion of the small actions from the whiteboard, in consultation with the other groups to both prevent double-up and ensure that every one of the small actions is addressed.
3. Ask each group to include in their project planning meeting (from step 4 above) the preparation of a brief implementation plan for each of the small actions they have selected.
4. Ask the groups to forward you the small action implementation plans at the end of the two weeks (together with the project plans from step 4 above).
5. The small action implementation plans are to do be written on a sheet of butchers paper which is to have five columns with the following headings:
   • The action to be done.
   • Who is responsible for ensuring the action is completed.
   • The things they (not someone else) are going to do to help implement the action.
   • The date the action will be completed.
   • A description of how the group will know the action has been completed.
6. Each group will put a separate row on their butchers paper for each action they selected.

5. Circulate, review and improve the project plans and small action implementation plans

1. After two weeks, you will receive the project plans and small action implementation action plans from each of the groups - you may need to send out reminders to make sure you get them all.
2. Transfer the information from the butchers paper to tables in a Microsoft Word document. This could either be a stand-alone action plan to accompany your Regional Knowledge Strategy, or a formal action plan amendment to your Regional Knowledge Strategy.
3. Circulate the action plan to all workshop participants for review and comment over a 1-week period.
4. Revise the action plan from the comments received, and circulate it to the Board, managers and staff of your region.

6. Implement the projects and small actions

Mentor and encourage staff in implementing the projects and small actions.

7. Next workshop

At the end of the workshop, participants should be reminded that they will be participating in another review workshop in three to six months time. If possible, set a time and date for the next workshop.

Variations

It is possible to use other similar action setting techniques to achieve the same aim. However, be wary, that this process is designed to create short-term, doable activities that engage staff and enables the organisation to adapt to changes in the business environment. Unlike other techniques, it is not a linear process.

Return to Stage 5 - implementation
Return to "Developing a Regional Knowledge Strategy" Quick Links Page