When being questioned “Why this project”? most people answer, for example: ‘production will raise’ …, or ‘improving the efficiency’…., or ‘raised professionalism’ …., etc., etc..
And if you are creative you may come up with endless of such arguments in a brainstorming session.
All these answers are expectations or opportunities and might indeed materialize in future. Although that ‘day-dreaming’ is considered interesting and energizing by the participants, it does not actually require knowledge on the actual current situation. And you can question whether those ‘arguments’ form a sufficient justification to support the project. On the contrary!
A moderator of a Logical Framework Analysis workshop however tries to avoid this kind of brainstorming in particular. While applying the anonymity principle, he or she tries to bring the realities to the table, the pain and frustrations as felt and experienced by the different involved stakeholders. The project should address those issues in particular and when asked “why the project” those real existing problems should be mentioned instead, justifying the project.
In this context it is interesting to emphasise that in order to get those issues to the table (written on cards) you actually would not need a creative brainstorming process. Instead you would especially need the right stakeholders in the workshop who have knowledge on the problematic situation. The moderator will facilitate a safe environment and an effective working procedure to allow for ‘brain tapping’ to make them share and discuss those realities.
Sharing and discussing those real existing problems relieves them finally from their internal frustrations and provides their commitment to support the project that is felt by them as being relevant. The ‘negative energy’ is turned into a ‘positive energy’.
Published in Dutch in the “Coaching Kalender 2015” (10 May)
mgtbk.nl/1j8m70