Professional Workshop Facilitation is a structured meeting in which a facilitator guides participants through a series of predefined steps to arrive at a result that is created, understood, and accepted by all participants. Vantage Point Consulting utilizes Facilitation Workshops as method to support several of our core Consulting Services, including our Process Requirements, Change Management, and Enrollment and Retention solutions. When using Facilitation Workshops as a part of our Consulting Service, we utilize a 4-step facilitation approach to ensure that the Workshop will achieve our Client’s desired outcomes:
- Plan – The process begins by collaborating with the Client to clearly define the goals of the project and determine if a Facilitation Workshop would be an effective technique to achieve project objectives. Alternative approaches are reviewed with the Client and if a Facilitation Workshop approach is agreed upon we work with the Client to:
- Document specific Facilitation Workshop goals
- Determine roles and responsibilities of the Client executive sponsor, project stakeholders, and Workshop participants
- Determine Workshop deliverables, timelines and logistics
- Understand – Prior to the Workshop, we conduct activities to better understand our Client’s organization, strategy, processes and technologies. This ensures that enough background information is compiled and understood to provide a meaningful and efficient Workshop. Common activities during this stage include:
- Reviewing Client collateral such as Strategic Plans, Organizational Charts, Process Flows, Standard Operating Procedures/Manuals and Technical Specifications.
- Conducting interviews with Client stakeholders to further understand existing processes, organizational structures, roles and responsibilities, etc.
- Execute –Workshop content and facilitation techniques are customized according to specific Client and project needs, however several best practices which we adhere to during our Facilitation Workshops include:
- Include project stakeholders from across the organization to foster cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing. Remove organizational boundaries and work to build a shared understanding across functional areas.
- Collaborate with Executive Sponsorship to empower the Workshop participants to voice ideas, issues and concerns. This helps to promote ownership and responsibility for Workshop results, and creates change advocates across the organization.
- Utilize a variety of facilitation techniques (graphical wall mapping exercises, facilitator-led brainstorming discussions, small break-out group tasks, etc.) according to Client/project needs, and to optimize different communication styles for Workshop participants.
- Follow-Up/Implement – Following the Workshop, we will summarize and consolidate all of the Workshop output materials such as process flow documentation, issue / opportunity brainstorming activities, etc. Vantage Point Consulting will also conduct any necessary follow-up activities, which could include:
- Providing process / organizational / technology change recommendations
- Creating “Desired State” process flows
- Preparing an implementation roadmap which outlines specific projects, deliverables, and tasks that need to be completed in order to meet organizational goals
- Collaborating with the Client to lead and implement process, technology, or organizational change projects
Contact Vantage Point for information on how our collaborative Facilitation Approach can be used to support improvements at your Organization.
