Introduction to planning participation Too often, discussion of participation begins and ends with identifying methods. One-off events or individual methods are an important element of…
Scope The purpose of defining the scope of a participatory exercise is to clarify exactly what the boundaries to the exercise are – what can really be…
Purpose Establishing a clear purpose and getting agreement on it within the commissioning body is the single most important stage of any engagement process…
Outputs (activities and tangible products) It is important to distinguish between the outputs and outcomes of a process. We define outputs as the tangible products of a process, such as…
Outcomes (overall results and impacts) Outcomes are the fundamental difference that a process makes, its overall results and impacts. Outcomes are more specific than ‘purpose’ and are the…
Context A good participatory process must be well embedded within its context. A useful way to consider the context is as the landscape you are operating…
Who to involve It is important to consider who to involve in a participation process. Specific questions can help to make sure no important sectors are forgotten if…
Final design When all the key issues have been broadly considered a detailed design will be needed for the whole participatory process. It is at this stage that…
Institutional response An institutional response can be the most significant change that occurs following a participation process. It might be a policy change (e.g. we…
Review of the process Participation is an emerging field, so evaluation and review of practice is very important. Indeed, formal evaluation is emerging as an integral part…
