People and Their Roles

 

Every meeting is comprised of a variety of people who have distinct roles and responsibilties.

Facilitator

It is important to realise that the facilitator is neutral and is there to concentrate on the process, leaving the client and participants free to concentrate on the content.

He is there to advise as fitness for purpose of the method and to ensure that all participants are fully prepared.

The facilitator controls the workshop ensuring that the agenda is followed and that the objectives of the session are met. He encourages participation, controls the conversation and asks leading analytical questions where necessary. He is there in an objective, independent role to control and guide the session, not to contribute to the content of the discussion. The facilitator's role is to act as a catalyst in focusing opinion and in reaching consensus.

A good facilitator must have the personal qualities of confidence, leadership, diplomacy and control as well as a sufficient understanding of business analysis and the ability to rapidly become familiar with many business areas.

 

Sponsor
The success or failure of a workshop can be determined by the attitude of the Sponsor. He is a key individual and his main responsibility is to demonstrate his commitment to both the subject under discussion and the method, emphasising the importance of the session to the success of the task in hand or project. The Sponsor should be encouraged to be present at the start and end of the workshop and to give a short outline of his perspective and the context of the workshop.

 

Client
The Client ensures that key players from the business community and subject matter, technical or systems specialists have been identified and are available to participate in the workshop. He is responsible for obtaining commitment with the support of the Sponsor where necessary.
He is responsible for organising the workshop in conjunction with the Facilitator and contribute to the creation of the agenda and input documentation. He will participate in the workshop and has a vested interest in ensuring that all the follow-up tasks are completed.

 

Business Representatives
A business representative may be anyone from any organisation involved in the content of the discussion (or workshop) whether private, public or volentary sectors.
The contribution of the business community is vital to any workshop. The business representative must be committed to the method and should be prepared for the session by having a sound knowledge of the business environment. He should have good communication skills and adopt a flexible and open-minded approach, and should have the authority to make decisions. Several business representatives are likely to be involved where different business areas have their own perspective on the same scenario. All relevant business areas should be represented. Representatives should be available for the entire workshop.

 

IT Business Analyst
Where the subject matter is IT related, for example identifying business systems requirements, the analyst will design and build the system. He needs to ensure the technical quality of the output and answer technical questions on issues such as; methodology, detailed knowledge of system being replaced, system interfaces. He assists with completion of the workshop deliverable and contributes to the session by asking pertinent questions. He must have the skills to communicate in business terms and must allow the business requirements to be defined without getting involved in detailed system solutions. He should be available for the entire workshop.

 

Specialist
Advice on issues such as new technology, methodologies or modelling techniques may be required from Specialists who are called in as appropriate. They are not permanent members of the team and it may not be necessary for them to attend the entire session. Additional advice may also be required on specialised business topics from business specialists.

 

Documentor
The documentor is responsible for documentation of the workshop and will be involved in producing an output document afterwards. He should not have a verbal contribution to make. He uses a laptop to record the agreements made by the group and captured by the facilitator on flipcharts and any other information raised in the session which is pertinent. He provides assistance with any visual aids which may be used. The output documentation will only contain decisions made by the whole group.

 

Observer
An Observer may be present simply to observe and is not allowed to contribute. He may be there to learn about the business, or to gain an understanding of the structured facilitative method. He will be asked by the Facilitator to take a seat at the back of the room away from the main table.

All participants must be committed to the successful outcome of the workshop.