How much planning and preparation time do you find you need?

[Partnow, Susan]

(Oh my -- I am new to the list and asking for yet more help.  I am so moved
and appreciative of all the help members generously offer.  THANK YOU THANK
YOU)

I am preparing a proposal -- and of course they are asking for a budget.
Please help me estimate the before and after amounts of meeting time and
activity...  This proposal involves a large and very complex system -- across
a number of state agencies with multiple partners that must coordinate their
responsibility for operating a program.  Presently they are experiencing
inconsistent delivery of information, especially to line staff and thus to
clients.  This OS would be convened to help them improve communication to
more effectively achieve the program goals.  I am imagining about 7 to 9 days
of my time --- I have no idea if this is at all realistic!  Also, would you
find it necessary for me to add a partner = have two facilitators for such a
large project (though this of course brings all the costs up)?  --I am hoping
if this OS happens, they will find it so useful they will want to launch a
whole series to involve more and more of their myriad stakeholders. Here is
what I have sketched out:

1. Half day initial meeting to identify appropriate representational diagonal
slice of stakeholders to form a planning group  (NOTE:  experience with how
large such a group can be yet work simply and effectively? )

2. Four x half day meetings with the planning group to - shape the focus
question, compose the invitation, identify the stakeholders to invite, plan
logistics, etc.

3. Then there is the OS itself - hopefully 2.5 days, but knowing state
budgets 1 day may be all they can/will devote:  I will clearly state the
caveat that 1 day would only allow for the exploration and identification of
challenges with limited opportunity for prioritizing and action planning.  I
imagine this could be quite a large group - perhaps 100 to 150 (there are 4
agencies, one of which is comprised of 34 community colleges, plus many
contracted service providers and several huge state agencies)

4. Follow-up includes - 1 day for publication of the data; two half day
meetings with planning group to debrief and identify follow-up actions; a
later half day to check in on how/what actions were spawned.

Anything else?

Appreciatively,
Susan

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Susan Partnow
Partnow Communications
4425 Baker NW
Seattle, WA 98107
voice 206-789-8697
fax    206-782-7786
Susan4ps at aol.com

"If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace."  --Thicht
Nhat Hanh

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