Read an Excerpt

The Art and Power of Facilitation

Running Powerful Meetings

Management Concepts Press

To Meet or Not to Meet, That Is the Question

In This Chapter:

• Think Before You Meet

• Meeting Types

The business analyst uses different types of meetings — one-on-one interviews, small-group working sessions, or formal requirements elicitation workshops — and various facilitation techniques to get the job done. The ability to plan and facilitate effective meetings, bring a group to consensus, and drive resolution of issues and conflicts is essential to the successful business analyst. Therefore, meeting planning and facilitation is at the core of the business analyst's skill set. As Ellen Gottesdiener notes in Requirements by Collaboration:

The cost of ineffective meetings is staggering. The average person attends seven to ten meetings a week, half of which are unproductive, and the average meeting involves nine people ... who have as little as two hours' prior notice.

People come together in teams to complete project work, and yet the underlying group meeting process is often poorly managed. The successful business analyst becomes adept at planning and facilitating sessions for groups of people, conscious and respectful of the participants' time. As facilitator, the business analyst is ever mindful that when people work in teams, there are two equally challenging dynamics at play. Being results-oriented by nature, people focus on the purpose of the meeting, so that work is actually accomplished. Frequently this is the only issue team members consider. The second dimension of meetings is the process of the group work itself — the mechanisms by which the group acts as a team and not simply as people who happen to be together in a room.

If due attention is not paid to the meeting process, the value of bringing people together can be diminished. Expert management of the meeting process can enhance the value of the group to many times the sum of the worth of the individuals. It is this synergy that makes project work rewarding. The astute business analyst examines the group process and discovers how to quickly transition a group of people that have come together in a meeting into a highly effective team. The goal is for the group of people at the business analysis meeting to be viewed as an important resource whose time and effort must be managed just like any other corporate asset.

Think Before You Meet

Meeting facilitation and management skills are often overlooked by both project managers and business analysts, the critical project team members who lead multiple kinds of meetings. Because it is clear that meetings are very expensive activities when the cost of labor for the meeting participants and the opportunity cost of spending time on a more effective activity are considered, the professional business analyst takes meeting facilitation and management very seriously.

The first thing to determine is whether a meeting is truly required. For the business analyst, the answer to this question is often a resounding "yes," but let us explore the question a little further. According to Miranda Duncan, there are several reasons to hold a meeting, which are shown in Table 1-1.

Clearly, the business analyst needs to accomplish all the goals in Table 1-1 from time to time. However, it is not always necessary to hold a meeting to accomplish a goal. Sometimes alternatives to holding a meeting just might work as well or even better. Consider the alternatives shown in Table 1-2.

Contemplate the following questions to determine whether a meeting is needed:

* Is sufficient information available at the time of the meeting to present, consider, and decide on a course of action?

* Is the objective of the meeting clearly defined? Is there a specific result to be achieved? Are there actions to be taken?

* Is there a less costly way to achieve the same result?

* Is it clear who must attend to attain the meeting's objectives? Are they able to attend — or to be represented by someone authorized to make decisions on behalf of their group?

* Are there compelling secondary advantages to holding a meeting (e.g., team building, problem solving, brainstorming, information sharing)?

Meeting Types

Once it is clear that a meeting is needed to accomplish your objectives, consider the type of meeting that will best suit the situation. Types of meetings are shown in Table 1-3.

The business analyst typically uses all the meeting types listed in Table 1-3. Workshops, focus groups, and informal working sessions are most effective when conducted by a business analyst who is also a skilled facilitator — one who brings meeting design, process, tools, techniques, and expertise to produce the desired outcome. The greatest challenge for the business analyst is to effectively facilitate the various types of meetings throughout the project. The ultimate goals are to:

* Identify and document the true business need

* Foster a collaborative environment for identifying, analyzing, verifying, and validating the requirements

* Enable stakeholders with differing needs and priorities to make decisions, work out conflicts, and resolve issues

* Foster creativity and innovation to produce the best solution to meet the business need

* Encourage the various stakeholders to make decisions based on value that will be created for the business versus individual groups' needs and wants

Why is facilitating effective meetings so challenging? Table 1-4 lists just a few of the meeting inadequacies and adverse results that we will address in the remaining chapters of this book.

In the following chapters we explore general meeting planning and management techniques and facilitation practices designed to avoid the pitfalls that lead to unproductive meetings. Read Chapter 2 to gain an understanding of the basics of planning, facilitating, and managing effective meetings. Refer to Chapter 2 whenever you are planning meeting agenda items and thinking about facilitation techniques to ensure that you do not skip any critical preparation steps. Chapters 3 and 4 provide you with an understanding of the art and power of facilitation and hopefully will motivate you to seek out other books, classes, and new experiences so that you can become an expert facilitator.

The remaining chapters provide information about meetings that are planned, organized, facilitated, and managed by the business analyst.

Meeting Management Best Practices

In This Chapter:

• Establish the Meeting Foundation

• Design the Meeting to Meet the Objectives

• Determine the Meeting Participants

• Prepare the Meeting Agenda

• Open the Meeting

• Establish Meeting Ground Rules

• Conduct the Meeting Using Appropriate Facilitation Techniques

• Close the Meeting

• Followup after the Meeting

Meeting management skills are often undervalued and underrated in the business environment, even though meetings consume so much valuable time and so many critical resources. Why is so little effort expended to make meetings more effective? Here are a few reasons to consider:

* Business leaders do not recognize the relationship between ineffective meetings and the productivity measures of their organization.

* Mid-level managers do not have the knowledge or the skills needed to plan, conduct, and facilitate an effective meeting and then follow up on decisions.

* Project managers and business analysts do not appreciate the importance of planning a meeting for better results.

* The cost drain from ineffective meetings is not recognized.

* Management does not hold functional managers, business analysts, project managers, or other persons accountable for the impacts of ineffective meetings.

Although the business analyst facilitates multiple types of meetings, following some basic steps results in effective and efficient use of participants' time and a positive outcome for everyone. Note: Although these steps appear to be conducted sequentially, in practice they are likely to be completed iteratively:

1. Establish the meeting foundation.

2. Design the meeting to meet the objectives.

3. Determine the meeting participants.

4. Prepare the meeting agenda.

5. Open the meeting.

6. Establish meeting ground rules.

7. Conduct the meeting using appropriate facilitation techniques.

8. Close the meeting.

9. Follow up after the meeting.

Each step is explained briefly in the sections that follow.

Establish the Meeting Foundation

Before you jump into planning the meeting, determine the objectives and purpose of the meeting by answering the following questions:

* Describe the purpose or goal of the meeting — &Why have you decided to have a meeting?

* Define the meeting objectives — How will the goal be achieved?

* Describe the desired outcome of the meeting — What product or deliverable will be produced or decision made that constitutes meeting success?

* Determine how to measure the effectiveness of the meeting — How will you measure the success of the meeting?

* Clearly understand who needs the meeting deliverables — Who will use the output?

* Determine the use of the meeting deliverables — How will the output be used to add value to the project?

Design the Meeting to Meet the Objectives

Once the meeting's purpose, objectives, and outcomes are well understood, the business analyst determines the most appropriate meeting type from among the alternatives presented in the preceding chapter. Do not hold a formal meeting with a large number of participants when a small, informal working session will accomplish the meeting objectives. Keep in mind the cost of large meetings, the difficulty in reaching consensus when the group is large, and the value of small-group interactions. All the people invited to the meeting will expect ample time to air their viewpoints and participate fully in the discussion and the decisions.

The business analyst designs the meeting on the basis of the objectives and purpose of the session. Preparations for an informal working session are likely to be less rigorous than preparations for a formal requirements elicitation workshop. But no matter how small or informal the meeting, success is directly related to adequate meeting preparation.

Determine the Meeting Participants

Identify the appropriate participants to be invited to the meeting. Ensure that they have been authorized to dedicate time to your effort and that they are empowered not only to represent their organization but also to make decisions and commitments on behalf of it. When selecting meeting participants, consider the experience level, knowledge and skills, and availability of the persons you need to accomplish the meeting objectives.

Ensure that all stakeholders who will be affected by the outcome of the meeting are represented, including members of management, business unit representatives, technical experts, and virtual team members. It is almost always necessary for the business analyst to include technical representatives and the project manager in requirements sessions in which key decisions are to be made. Collaborating with others when building the meeting attendee list is a good practice. As a courtesy, try to speak with participants before they receive your meeting invitation so that they will not be surprised. This small gesture goes a long way in building trust among the team members.

If the meeting requires large participation, it is likely that the meeting must be scheduled far in advance so that key attendees can block out the time in their calendars. Considerations include company, organization, and department calendars, as well as individual commitments and meeting room availability. The organization's meeting culture must also be considered. The business analyst should take into account cultural considerations like:

* Meeting tolerance. Don't expect participants to be taken away from their business unit for meetings too often, such as more than two or three days in a week.

* Political agendas. Conduct several meeting preparation interviews with key members of management and others who are influential within the organization to avoid political hazards. Political mistakes can be devastating to the effort to build a collaborative environment.

* Meeting history. There might be some unwritten rules about meetings. Again, conduct premeeting interviews to learn the meeting norms.

* Team collaboration. Take into account the amount of collaboration and team spirit that you have been able to engender to this point. Schedule less important meetings when the group is just coming together and critical meetings after you have had a chance to work with the group and gain its trust.

* Management structure. Be sure to respect the chain of command when considering the attendees. In addition, make sure you have management approval to use their resources to capture, document, and validate requirements.

Prepare the Meeting Agenda

An agenda is a structured set of activities designed to produce the work products that will achieve the meeting objectives. There are two types of agendas:

* Meeting agenda. An agenda used by meeting participants that includes the meeting topics, activities, presenters, and timelines.

* Facilitator agenda. An extension of the meeting agenda that includes the facilitation approach, tools, and techniques used for each meeting topic to ensure that meeting objectives are met.

Knowing the purpose of the meeting is the first step in structuring the agenda. Having a firm idea of where you want to be by the end of the meeting suggests what must be covered during the meeting. The business analyst uses a very different set of agenda items to develop requirement functions or features than he uses to prioritize predefined requirements. Each step in reaching the desired meeting outcome is thought through carefully to determine the specific activity, how it will be facilitated, and the amount of time needed. Steps include:

* Establish how long the meeting is to last; shorter is better than longer.

* List the agenda items that need to be covered or process steps that need to occur.

* Determine the facilitation technique to be used for each agenda item.

* Build in time for key experts to be heard.

* Estimate how long each item will take, factoring in time for dialogue.

* Leave a minimum of 15 minutes at the end for summary and agreement on what comes next.

If, after completing these steps, the agenda clearly requires more time, revise it accordingly. You might need to adjust the length of the meeting or cut back on what you expect to accomplish. Keep in mind that critical thinking requires more time than what is typically allowed, especially if there is controversy. In addition, as the number of meeting participants increases, you need more generous time allotments so that everyone can participate. Opportunities to voice an opinion, ask questions, and explain reasons behind positions are critical to developing and achieving consensus. Shortcuts at this point could cause looping back or gridlock.

To build a collaborative environment even before the meeting, enlist key participants to assist in developing the agenda, especially the project manager, technical lead, lead business representative, and key subject matter experts. Clearly state the overall outcome to be achieved at the end of the meeting and any preparation the participants are expected to complete before the meeting. Carter McNamara, MBA, Ph.D., of Authenticity Consulting, LLC, offers these tips for designing effective agendas:

* Include something in the agenda for participants to do right away so they come on time and get involved early.

* Next to each major topic, include the type of action needed, the type of output expected (decision, vote, action assigned to someone), and time estimates for addressing each topic.

* Don't overdesign meetings; be willing to change the meeting agenda if members are making progress with certain agenda items.

* Think about how you label an event so people come in with that global-use mind set. It might pay to have a short dialogue around the meeting title to develop a common mind set among attendees, particularly if they include representatives from various cultures.

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Excerpted from The Art and Power of Facilitation by Alice Zavala, Kathleen B. Hass. Copyright © 2008 Management Concepts, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Management Concepts Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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