Facilitation
Facilitation is the ticklish art of making a structured meeting between parties easier (Spanish: facil). It is a toolset that enables communications, win-win negotiations, and joint satisfactory conclusions. It requires diplomacy and a thick skin.
What is FIND Facilitation?
FIND is a coined acronym whose meaning varies by audience. It is a pre-planned goal-oriented meeting strategy. With the end in mind, the FIND workshop is organized structurally to mercilessly trim excess fluff to reach the stated goal. I raise a common question during the strategy planning process: "Why are you going to cover this issue in this specific meeting?".
When building computer systems, it stands for Facilitated Interactive Development and is based on the M.G.Rush FAST model (FAST meaning: 'speedy'), which is a superior generation tool beyond the earlier ground-breaking IBM JAD model (Joint Application Design).
When reaching tactical or strategic agreements at the management level, FIND stands for Facilitated Institutional Dialogue and is based on the requirements gathering portion of the M.G.Rush FAST model.
How does FIND differ from ordinary meetings?
Many meetings do not efficiently use the expensive time of the often times too many participants. Some meetings are just flat out counter-productive and reduce to either a 'gab-fest' or a 'shark-feed'.
FIND workshops are intentional, intense, interruption-free, investigations of an isolated set of topics by a limited set of selected individuals who have the authority and responsibility to make the necessary decisions.
A good workshop lasts from 4 hours to 2 days. A very intense workshop can go for two weeks. Short sessions of 2 hours are usually one-topic issues. One-hour meetings are normally regular standing meetings and are self-facilitated or use the services of a Human Resources professional for team building.
The maximum number of participants is less than 12 decision makers. If more than 12 are involved, the defined problem scope is excessively loose, too much is being handled in one meeting, or the majority wind up to be merely observers.
What about Self-Directed Work Groups?
Project Action Teams or other Self-Directed Work Groups can designate a team member to the team facilitator. Due to the on-going nature of such teams/groups with regular meetings, I would be unnecessary or an encumbrance. The FIND process is best used for such groups during their initial forming/storming stage and requirements gathering process. After that, you would dismiss me upon successful launch of the team.
What about Object Oriented Development Projects?
The M.G.Rush FAST model uses spiral rapid prototyping development cycle. With object oriented development, I adapted the process to handle definition of OO Use Cases. Use Cases are the best use of my facilitation skills in an OO Project.
Making Arrangements
Arrange for a FIND workshop by contacting me at least four weeks before your need. This includes the mandatory strategy pre-meeting with the point person/coordinator, agenda development, room set-up/tear-down, and the actual workshop itself. It takes two weeks for your staff to re-arrange everyone's calendar to attend the mandatory FIND workshop.
What to Expect at Strategy Planning Meeting
The pre-workshop strategy-planning meeting is absolutely vital. I meet with the project leader and executive sponsor. The purpose is defined, an agenda is developed, and a list of participants is trimmed. The agenda is then mapped against available time and adjusted.
I mercilessly question each aspect. Every agenda item needs a discrete deliverable, usually phrased as "A list of..." or "Agreement to..." I help you move from a squishy dream to a tangible set of deliverables that confirm whether the workshop met its intended goal(s).
There are always people to invite as observers. The strategy meeting determines the rationale for inviting each participant and their unique contribution that makes their attendance mandatory. Participants are defined as those people required to attend with the proper authority to decide the issues raised during the workshop.
Through the pre-workshop Strategy Planning Session, your management team has chosen the right mix of people with the right skills to make the right decisions about the right issues within the right time frame.
My Specialty: Systems Requirements and Consensus among...
Served (Unusual examples):
What is FIND Facilitation?
FIND is a coined acronym whose meaning varies by audience. It is a pre-planned goal-oriented meeting strategy. With the end in mind, the FIND workshop is organized structurally to mercilessly trim excess fluff to reach the stated goal. I raise a common question during the strategy planning process: "Why are you going to cover this issue in this specific meeting?".
When building computer systems, it stands for Facilitated Interactive Development and is based on the M.G.Rush FAST model (FAST meaning: 'speedy'), which is a superior generation tool beyond the earlier ground-breaking IBM JAD model (Joint Application Design).
When reaching tactical or strategic agreements at the management level, FIND stands for Facilitated Institutional Dialogue and is based on the requirements gathering portion of the M.G.Rush FAST model.
How does FIND differ from ordinary meetings?
Many meetings do not efficiently use the expensive time of the often times too many participants. Some meetings are just flat out counter-productive and reduce to either a 'gab-fest' or a 'shark-feed'.
FIND workshops are intentional, intense, interruption-free, investigations of an isolated set of topics by a limited set of selected individuals who have the authority and responsibility to make the necessary decisions.
A good workshop lasts from 4 hours to 2 days. A very intense workshop can go for two weeks. Short sessions of 2 hours are usually one-topic issues. One-hour meetings are normally regular standing meetings and are self-facilitated or use the services of a Human Resources professional for team building.
The maximum number of participants is less than 12 decision makers. If more than 12 are involved, the defined problem scope is excessively loose, too much is being handled in one meeting, or the majority wind up to be merely observers.
What about Self-Directed Work Groups?
Project Action Teams or other Self-Directed Work Groups can designate a team member to the team facilitator. Due to the on-going nature of such teams/groups with regular meetings, I would be unnecessary or an encumbrance. The FIND process is best used for such groups during their initial forming/storming stage and requirements gathering process. After that, you would dismiss me upon successful launch of the team.
What about Object Oriented Development Projects?
The M.G.Rush FAST model uses spiral rapid prototyping development cycle. With object oriented development, I adapted the process to handle definition of OO Use Cases. Use Cases are the best use of my facilitation skills in an OO Project.
Making Arrangements
Arrange for a FIND workshop by contacting me at least four weeks before your need. This includes the mandatory strategy pre-meeting with the point person/coordinator, agenda development, room set-up/tear-down, and the actual workshop itself. It takes two weeks for your staff to re-arrange everyone's calendar to attend the mandatory FIND workshop.
What to Expect at Strategy Planning Meeting
The pre-workshop strategy-planning meeting is absolutely vital. I meet with the project leader and executive sponsor. The purpose is defined, an agenda is developed, and a list of participants is trimmed. The agenda is then mapped against available time and adjusted.
I mercilessly question each aspect. Every agenda item needs a discrete deliverable, usually phrased as "A list of..." or "Agreement to..." I help you move from a squishy dream to a tangible set of deliverables that confirm whether the workshop met its intended goal(s).
There are always people to invite as observers. The strategy meeting determines the rationale for inviting each participant and their unique contribution that makes their attendance mandatory. Participants are defined as those people required to attend with the proper authority to decide the issues raised during the workshop.
Through the pre-workshop Strategy Planning Session, your management team has chosen the right mix of people with the right skills to make the right decisions about the right issues within the right time frame.
My Specialty: Systems Requirements and Consensus among...
- Multiple divisions
- Multiple departments
- Multiple companies (Community Services Consortium)
- Inter-agency (Navajo Govt and DOE and UC)
Served (Unusual examples):
- Administrative Software Projects (various)
- Medical and Hazards Control Projects
- Hazardous Waste Reorganization (Management Level)
- Russian Nuclear Materials Management System (Moscow, AtomInform)
- Stanford Linear Accelerator Budget System (Director and AD level)
- Controller Out-year Strategic Goals (Budget, Finance, Project Acct'g)
- Community Services Consortium Planning (Washington DC)
- Navajo Nation (Navajo President's Office and Ways/Means Chairman)