Resident and stakeholder involvement in decisions

There are several stages in decision-making processes where you might want to seek resident or stakeholder involvement. This guide looks at each in turn, but each fits in naturally into a cycle, later steps following naturally (depending on the process) from the former.

Stages of decision-making

  • Framing the question: Agreeing the boundaries of the decision and setting up the discussion
  • Research and information-gathering: Do you need extra information in order to make the decision? Can residents and stakeholders help to contribute this information?
  • Formulating and communicating options: Are the options simple and set (yes/no) or are they more nuanced? Do you actively want contributions from stakeholders and residents to come up with the options?
  • Discussing and deliberating options: You would like residents/stakeholders to understand and discuss the merits of the different options, and/or you would like to gather their informed views to help you make the decision
  • Refining options and deciding: You can involve residents in the final decision by incorporating their feedback and suggestions into the decision, or in some cases letting them determine the final outcome through facilitating the community to decide for themselves

Framing the question

Before you start, be clear on what you want from the process (e.g. a simple yes/no position on a defined question from the community; exploring further options; defining underlying disagreements as basis for further discussions etc.)

It can be helpful to involve diverse participants in agreeing some of the boundaries for the discussion (this issue is up for discussion, this issue is not up for discussion now but will be in the future) and getting agreement for how the process will be carried out. It also can help in raising concerns early on and giving it legitimacy

  • This stage is particularly important for more controversial and complex decisions with larger impact
  • Usually involves smaller group of stakeholders or representative group
  • It is a chance to get key stakeholder support for the process
  • You can use a private conversation, using the information page to give background information, and the forum to host discussions
  • You will commonly want to hold a real meeting to discuss concerns and reach consensus, but this process can be valuably supported online: see supporting an offline meeting

Research and information-gathering

izwe can help with:

  • Using surveys
  • Partners can create, quickly disseminate, gather results as well as analyse and download respondent data through surveys to gather stakeholder information and opinion to help inform decisions
  • Mapping
  • Map the key background issues, disagreements and discussion points before starting your consultation (for instance, use call for ideas to gauge the key positions/disagreements/discussion points on the topic of your decision-making process
  • Hosting documents
  • Share key existing documents on the topic, such as previous planning decisions or meeting minutes, with the community to ensure transparency and access to relevant information.
  • A space for community researchers
  • It can allow people who are passionate about displaying and communicating information to do so. A place for the community to share and link to existing research/opinion data and other information on the topic in question
  • This can reduced your workload and help the debate belong to the community

Formulating and communicating options

You can collect contributions through:

  • A 'call for ideas'
  • The public can submit, discuss and vote for different options, following on from research and information stages
  • Surveys (accompanied/prompted by relevant information, including images, audio and video)
  • Create a survey on a specific topic using a range of different question formats. You can embed external documents or media (video, audio, photos) to either provide background information to help users answer the survey, to explain the questions, or as part of the questions themselves (eg consultation on a specific document). See using surveys
  • Offline workshops combined with online discussion
  • In order to gather wider input, and/or to reach specific sections of the community who may be unable to join the online process, you can use offline community meetings/workshops/focus groups linked to the online tools. It is important to ensure that the same core questions are asked in the offline process in order to make results comparable, even if the offline deliberation goes further than the online responses.
  • Introduce interactivity and involvement by producing simple workshop packs for community groups to think through issues.

Discussing and deliberating options

  • Explanatory surveys/information slides
  • Survey where users are asked to interact with information to consider; providing sufficient background information on the topic and on the pros and cons of each option
  • Discussion Forum
  • Using the forum in a structured or unstructured way to enable conversation online
  • DIY workshops and discussions
  • Increase interactivity and involvement by producing simple workshop packs for community groups to think through issues. This can range from simple questions to discuss through to methods like these ones developed by the New Economics Foundation. Results can be collected, aggregated and displayed online for others to see and continue interacting with.
  • Citizens' jury
  • Focus group
  • Selected group of participants taking place in a private, structured conversation.
  • Community reporters
  • Using the forum and/or blog to allow local residents to act as reporters, sharing information and advocacy for different options. Can be linked to general discussion on the forum, or more specific questions to other users through survey, quick poll, call for ideas.

Refining options and deciding

  • Consultation documents
  • See our guide on how to display and get the most out of them on izwe
  • Calls for ideas
  • Take options forward by asking for people to suggest amendments and improvements
  • Offline stakeholder workshops
  • Voting surveys
  • Design a survey asking people to vote for different options
  • Participatory Budgeting Meetings
  • We're working with the Participatory Budgeting Unit to establish a joint online/offline approach to participatory budgeting. See their guide to the Values, Principles and Standards of PB: http://www.participatorybudgeting.org.uk/documents/PBVPS.pdf
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