Worksheet3 Pulling it together
Pulling it together | 3.5
the second core group meeting: part two
By this point in the meeting it should be possible to pull together a first list of possible areas for the cluster’s work. The aim now is to boil this down to a short list of things that the group can realistically take forward to the next stage, given that most if not all of the legwork will need to be carried out by members of the group or their staff.
It is worth taking time to go through the long list asking yourselves the following questions about each:
- Are we likely to be able to make an impact in this area?
- What would it look like?
- What would be needed to make it happen?
- Could we do it from within our own existing resources?
- If we need to get resources before we can start, what opportunities could we tap into, and what levers and contacts could we muster?
- How long would it take? (Be realistic – bear in mind that, as one of the Collaborate pilot groups said “Things always take longer than you think they’re going to.)”
This might help you to eliminate some of the ideas which would take too long or require unfeasible amounts of input or luck.
If you’ve got more ideas left than you can feasibly manage, you could either simply discuss it until you reach a shortlist, or you could try something like the voting exercise (below) to help focus the process.
the collaborate shortlisting tool
On a piece of flipchart paper, write all the options and all the cluster members on a grid, as shown below;
- Everyone has 10 votes; they have to allocate them all, but they cannot vote for more than three options;
- They also have one red spot (veto); they don’t have to use this, but they can use it to block any of the ideas which will be of no benefit to their organisation;
- Red spots vote first. Put a line through any options which have been vetoed;
- Vote. Add the votes for each option and eliminate the one which has the least;
- Do the same again;
- Keep going until you have at least one option that everyone has voted for;
This is not a decision tool – it’s simply an exercise to get you thinking – discuss the outcome. The aim is to come up with not more than three ideas that everyone feels comfortable with, and which you all feel you can feasibly pursue. As part of this process of discussion, you can reconsider any of the options which have been eliminated as long as everyone agrees to do so.
At the end of the process, the areas you decide to take on to the next stage may not have been anyone’s first choice – the acid test is: “If it happened, would we all benefit?”. As one of the Collaborate pilot groups put it, the choice comes down to “a blend of priority, opportunity and achievability”.
look for the quick wins
One last piece of advice from the Collaborate pilot groups is to look for at least one thing that’s achievable within a fairly short time frame: “Quick wins build motivation, momentum and profile”.
When in doubt, “Start small and succeed” is a good motto.