Facilitation and facilitated workshops Keith Richards Managing Director KRC How to harness the power of agile’s hidden gem

Presentation Structure Introductions The basics of facilitation The benefits of facilitation Facilitation - how and when A look at some techniques Advanced areas – conflict, listening Further information / Next steps Close and questions.

Introductions KRC is a pioneering training and consultancy company Specialising in Agile approaches Focusing on improving Agile capability at scale 15 years experience in PRINCE2 and DSDM Atern DSDM Membership Director (formerly Technical Director) IAF Accredited Facilitator Author of ‘Agile Project Management’ (TSO) Voted ‘Most Valuable Agile Player’ UK Agile Awards 2011.

What is facilitation? “Facilitation is a way of providing leadership without taking the reins. A facilitator’s job is to enable others to assume responsibility and take the lead” – Ingrid Bens “With its focus on asking (instead of telling), listening and building consensus facilitation is the essential skill for anyone working collaboratively with others” – Ingrid Bens

Our definition Creating a creative environment to help (a group of) people to reach a goal efficiently. Facilitated workshops are a subset of facilitation It is important to understand the differences between Facilitated Workshops, Facilitation and ‘being facilitative’.

What does a facilitated workshop looked like? Typically 6 to 12 people in a room for several hours Used for idea generation, e.g. requirements gathering...but it covers much more, perhaps in a dozen standard situations planning reviewing problem solving kick-off meetings risk assessments assessing options many more.

Why do it! Communication is perhaps the single biggest problem Several one-to-one discussions is inefficient Group discussion is much preferred But this has to be managed! When a group is discussing something who is managing:  the process  the dynamics  the content.

What are the benefits? High speed High quality Ownership Creativity... but it has to be done right!

How do you do it well? It is all about preparation, preparation and preparation! Follow this five-step process:  Objective and owner  Attendees  Agenda  Logistics  Pre-reading.

When can you use facilitated workshops? You can use them at any time Not just at the beginning of a project or task Perhaps use them sparingly Remember you can use facilitation all the time.

Some well-known techniques SWOT Ishikawa or Fishbone diagramming Perhaps it is better to keep it simple (KISS) Two columns, four boxes Gap analysis MoSCoW prioritisation...do not let the technique get in the way!

Some simple tips to make big improvements Learn the power of the ‘nod’ Understand the importance of silence Learn and practice key expressions  What does anyone think about that?  What shall I write on a flipchart? Practice stacking - it will make you look really cool.

How do you handle conflict? The most common question asked The answer is somewhat counter intuitive Get it out into the open Allow it to breath You cannot allow it to fester... so you must move quickly.

Advanced areas of facilitation Understanding facilitation can be a long journey The more you learn the less you know You need to understand how groups work You need to let go You need to trust the group How much structure is the key Ironically less is usually more!

Listening and understanding Always remember the Furby! If you are talking; the group isn’t Listening is different to staying silent Manage your team facilitatively This is really powerful stuff.

How to get trained in facilitation Choose your training carefully Avoid dated ‘happy clappy’ facilitation Look for a corporate focus You can only learn by doing You can also learn by receiving No one is a ‘natural’. If you were a flower what would you be?

Further Information / Next Steps KRC offer facilitation services and on-site training in this area Next webinar is on April 27 th, – 12.40pm: “ Modelling in agile environments: a lot simpler and more powerful than you might think!” Reserve your Webinar seat now at: KRC help organisations with their transition to Agile Next AgilePM public course is on April 30 th – May 3 rd in London Maturity assessment (project ‘health check’) Free downloads at Facebook “KRC”; or join The DSDM Group on LinkedIn

Facilitation and facilitated workshops Thank you!