The Business Group Process
This is the process we have been going through since we got started at the end of May 2007. It’s a process that is evolving and changing as we move forward. We don’t know yet whether it’s the right process – in terms of whether it will help us create the results we want – but so far it does at least feel right, and it's been fun.
- Attract the right people.
- Get to know each other.
- Agree our purpose and how we work together.
- Develop a list of criteria for selecting projects.
- Brainstorm ideas for projects.
- Choose projects that we are personally interested in.
- Write scoping documents.
- Commit to projects, and to each other and agree how to review progress.
- Do the projects (and review their success).
- Enjoy the results!
Step 1 – Attract the right people. We’ve got a great group of people – currently 8 people in our core team - from a variety of backgrounds. What we all share is an interest in Lewes and how climate change and peak oil might affect us and the Town.
Step 2 – Get to know each other. We invested quite a lot of time in getting to understand each other – not at the level of “I’m this and I’ve done that”. But at a slightly deeper level – about who we are as people. For example, we did this by discussing not our CVs but what brought us to the group.
This is something that has been eased by meeting in a convivial atmosphere (the Lewes Arms) and allowing time to chat and socialise a little. It’s also something we know we need to repeat on an ongoing basis and, of course, each time someone new joins the group.
Step 3 – Agree our purpose and how we work together. We spent at least one session (we are currently meeting weekly for a couple of hours each time) working on what we are trying to achieve overall - our Purpose.
We also developed Principles that describe how we work as a group – and we made sure we had a reasonable level of agreement about this approach. Of course, the issues are complex and many are very technical. Even within our small group there are several distinct points of view. So, in some areas it seemed best to agree to disagree for the time being – while we all learn more about the subject, and each other.
We made sure we wrote down our Purpose and Principles – so that we had something to refer to.
Step 4 – Develop a list of criteria for selecting projects. We then came up with, and again wrote down, a list of criteria by which to select and assess successful projects.
By the way, we pretty much always have an agenda for our meetings, and we document the actions that arise.
Step 5 – Brainstorm some ideas for projects. This was a classic brainstorming session – any ideas welcome, no criticism etc.
Step 6 – Choose projects that we are personally interested in. Each person at the meeting agreed to act as the “contact point” for one project – and to go away and write a “scoping document”. Other people agreed to support the “contact point”. The contact point is not necessarily the leader. Given other commitments, most of us felt it was too much to expect one person to fully commit to delivering the result – especially before the project had been scoped. But the contact point at least owns the project until it is handed over to someone else.
The scoping document is a two page document which describes the project and looks at it from various points of view – what’s involved, who and what are needed, and so on.
Everyone was encouraged to break their project down into manageable chunks. And to look realistically at what might be easy and what might be hard to achieve.
Step 7 – Write the scoping documents (using a simple template). We did this and brought them to the next meeting for discussion.
Step 8 – Commit to each other. A couple of the projects merged at this stage – writing the scope made it clear that there was real overlap. But we ended up with about six projects that made some good sense, seemed achievable, and gave a mix of short-term, medium-term and long-term activity and results. Each person then committed again to taking the project to the next stage. We agreed a simple mechanism for tracking progress and supporting each other – basically we continue to meet and also support each other outside of the meetings.
Step 9 – Do the projects. That’s where we are now. We’ll see how things evolve. We suspect one thing that will make projects successful is a high level of openness about progress (or lack of it!).
Another critical success factor will probably be the general impression we create with businesses and business people around Lewes. To that end, and in parallel with all this we have started to make contact with the significant business groups in town, such as the Chamber of Commerce. We're keen to open up what we are doing to anyone who wants to be involved. (So if you are out there, please get in touch!).
Step 10 – Enjoy the results! Well, we’re not there yet, but clearly at some point there has to be a time for evaluation – to look at the results of the projects, see how this process has worked, and even celebrate the fact we got to wherever we have reached. Our intention is that we will, in some small way, have raised the resilience of Lewes and the surrounding villages, in regard to the issues of climate change and peak oil.
For further information, please contact the group contact point, Peter Burden on 01273 477 836.
{Business Home}{ Purpose}{ Principles}{Projects}{Process}{Contact Us}
Get involved: contact one of the Group contacts on the Groups page
