Projects and operations
Template: documentation from a workshop
A template for capturing the result of a workshop, with what came up, where you agreed, where you did not, and what happens to the result.
DOCUMENTATION: WORKSHOP [topic]
[date], [__.__]–[__.__] | [place]
Facilitator: [name]
PARTICIPANTS
[Name], [role or unit]
[Name], [role or unit]
THE QUESTION WE SET OUT TO ANSWER
[One sentence. The same one that was in the invitation, so that it is
possible to see whether we actually answered it.]
METHOD
[Briefly: how the work was structured, and who took part in what.]
WHAT CAME UP
[Grouped by theme, not by exercise. Write the content, not the
order of the sticky notes.]
Theme 1: [name]
- [Point]
- [Point]
Theme 2: [name]
- [Point]
WHERE WE AGREED
- [Conclusion]
WHERE WE DID NOT AGREE
- [The disagreement, and what it is about. Do not smooth it over: it
comes back if it is not written down.]
DECISIONS
1. [What was decided, if anything]
FURTHER WORK
| # | What | Owner | Due |
|---|------|-------|-----|
| 1 | | | |
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE RESULT
[Who takes it forward, in which forum, and when the participants will
hear from you again.]
Documented by: [name]How to use it
- Group by theme, not by exercise. Nobody benefits from knowing what was on the wall in round two. They want to know what came up about the matter.
- Write the disagreement. A summary that pretends everyone agreed means the same workshop has to be held again in six months.
- Say what happens to the result. People stop turning up because they never heard what became of the last round.
- Send it within 48 hours. Without the context of the room, the keywords become impenetrable, including to those who were there.
Record the plenary parts
The facilitator cannot both lead and take notes. A recording of the plenary parts means the content can be written up afterwards instead of somebody hunching over a keyboard. Announce the recording openly at the start.
Frequently asked questions
Start with the question you set out to answer, render what came up grouped by theme, and end with the conclusions and what happens next. Raw photos of sticky notes are not documentation, because nobody reads them again.
Within 48 hours. Material from a workshop loses meaning fast: without the context of the room, the keywords become impenetrable even to those who were there.
Write that. «We could not converge on X, and the disagreement is about Y» is a useful conclusion. A summary that pretends agreement was reached means the same workshop has to be held again.