From ParticipatioNZ

Project management is where design hits reality. This section describes how to successfully manage online participation.

Contents 1 Snapshot 1.1 Voices 1.2 Quote 1.3 Key messages 1.4 Highlights 2 Full story 3 Case studies

Snapshot

Voices

"The technology is lovely but where is public participation valued? If we don’t have buy-in from civil servants and MPs we won’t get far." -- Workshop participant

Quote

The time and effort that citizens are willing to invest in being informed or consulted is itself a resource for public policy-making. Governments must therefore make every effort to lower the thresholds for citizens' access to information and participation, employ best practices and account for the use they make of citizens' inputs. OECD (2001), p.22

Key messages

• Choose your tools for online participation on the basis of your objectives and your target group's needs, not the other way round.
• Online participation adds another layer of complexity to an already complex endeavour. Think through the risks beforehand and make contingency plans. You'll be accountable for resources, process and results.
• Communications, reporting and evaluation should be built into project management from the start, not left as an afterthought.

Highlights

• Managing online participation Online participation can supplement and support your regular policy making or service design process. It can be used as the sole channel for participation or as a primer in the run-up to a face-to-face interaction and as a way of keeping the conversation going afterwards.

• Skills Online participation raises a host of new challenges and requires a mix of skills both new and old. Make sure you have a bit of both when you build your dream team.

• Choosing and using an online platform As ever, technical issues are only half the story. The main focus should be on the users.

• Online facilitation and moderation High quality facilitation can encourage people to participate online while competent moderation ensures that the online platform works well and participants comply with its terms and conditions.

• Managing timelines Manage expectations by being clear about project and decision-making timelines. Draw up a detailed project plan with clear milestones. Above all, recognise that you will need time to build trust.

• Securing resources Think beyond the immediate challenge of securing a budget. Seek creative ways of using the knowledge and skills of other public agencies, private sector and civil society organisations who share your objectives.

• Managing risk Senior managers and ministers will need to be reassured that the risks associated with online participation have been examined, limited and mitigated wherever possible. Just as for any traditional participation exercise, you will need to draw on the advice of your legal, finance, communications and IT risk management experts.

• Responding to project setbacks Despite your best efforts to mitigate risks, you may still have to fight some fires. Responding appropriately to participants bent on venting their frustration, hijacking the conversation, or being aggressive requires you to re-focus attention on the original purpose and the need to ensure that everyone's voices can be heard.

• Reporting A short executive summary should be provided to participants, stakeholders and decision makers together with the full report.

• Communications A positive perception of your process will build confidence among senior management, ministers and the general public that online engagement is a worthwhile approach to policy development and service improvement. Make sure you communicate effectively and regularly throughout the process.

Full story

This section provides practical guidance and tips on how to manage and deliver online participation initiatives.

For the full story on how to successfully manage online participation read more here.

Case studies

For concrete examples of the design issues discussed here see the set of case studies in the Resources section.