Agree
On Context |
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With funding, authority, and
participants in place, you can now
determine the shape of your actions. |
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Purpose |
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- To identify and define the problem
- To determine the scope and boundaries of the problem-solving
effort
- To agree on the basis for action
- To build consent on what needs to be done and why
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Why?
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If the problem is not significant,
stop the action. There are enough problems in the world
without creating more.
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This step will shape the entire journey toward
a solution. Defining and agreeing on the basis for action builds
the path. Staying on this path will save time and money. This
also becomes a ready-made measure of success
--did you meet this purpose? As new information and players
come to the fore or elements change, the purpose can be refined.
Vague ideas about what needs to be analyzed, who needs to
be involved, and what is being solved simply invite trouble.
Misunderstandings will force you to spend time and resources
fixing problems that have grown larger while they've been ignored
or even to go back and redo analyses or steps to accommodate
what was glossed over at the beginning. Skipping this step will
also needlessly confuse participants. |
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How?
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You may think the problem and what you will
address is already outlined for you--after all, the Congress
and the President have given funds and authorization to solve
a particular problem. But you need to clearly understand what
the problem is, who and what it affects, and how it came to
be. You also need to clearly understand the problemshed
before trying to solve anything.
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Start with the authorization's statement of
purpose as a guide. Determine the process' boundaries by asking:
- Why are people worried about the problem?
What will happen if we don't act
? If no one acts? (This forms the basis for the no
action alternative ) |
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Other
Processes
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Scout the area and ask agencies and participants
to inventory other related actions.
Related studies' have reached conclusions and determined resources,
constraints, and legal boundaries. This information will reduce
duplication and help define what you can and can't accomplish.
Talk to the key people in those actions to determine how
they will affect you. Look also at how they may affect the environment--will
your solution compound those effects? You may not need to coordinate
closely, but you do need to understand how the other activities
relate to your program. Physical Interactions Communicate with
others and look at previous studies on this and similar situations
to begin to get a sense of th physical resources and how they
interact (e.g., hydrologic, biological, and economic). Consider
several levels: large watershed, basin, river reach, point place.
Ask for information from the Internet, academic, and other private
or governmental entities. Find out who has the data already
and who can get it most readily.
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Legal
Framework
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At this point, you need preliminary determination of
legal boundaries on your program. These constraints define your
authority. They may include:
- Court judgments
- Water and land use rights
- Federal, State, local, tribal laws
- Organizational regulations, charters, and guidance
- International laws and agreements
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Determine Priority |
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To further focus what you can address, consider how much
internal and external priority your problem-solving effort has.
Ask who wants what done when. Find out how much authority
you have to request the necessary resources. Also look around
to see what other actions are occurring and how much priority
they have. This context will help determine how much you can
accomplish and when.
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Report
the Context |
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Explain the problems , boundaries,
and authorities to ensure that every
participant has a rough idea of the context. Continue to refine
the context and problem through scoping and communicating with
participants. Understand Everyone's Purpose People usually are
willing to state their positions on issues, but they are often
less willing to state their underlying interests
and expectations--what they hope to accomplish as a result of
these positions (e.g., preserve a rural way of life, recover
endangered species, and promote economic growth). Yet, stating
these underlying expectations is a vital step toward reaching
a solution and compromises.
Most people would agree that if their underlying expectations
can be met, it is perfectly acceptable to make tradeoffs
so that other's underlying
expectations can be met as well. For example, farmers might
be willing to conserve water to preserve their way of life rather
than to use all the water they are entitled to and ultimately
lose that way of life. Talking with
participants to define and write these underlying purposes will
provide a more comprehensive view of the issues and concerns.
Build Consent to Begin Decisionmakers and key players need to
agree on the general purpose at this point or at the very least,
agree not to actively oppose the purpose. You can build this
consent through communication and compromise. A wide variety
of tools can help communicate the diverse purposes and settle
on a basis for action. Keep management informed to maintain
their commitment.
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Document
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Clearly and concisely document what you have
found out in a working file. This will provide a basis for :
Having a file that defines the purpose, why, and how of
a problem early on is the cornerstone in the study foundation.
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Look Forward
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If you don't know where you are going,
you'll never know if you got there. |
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If the context and approach do not fit with
the purpose of the authorizing legislation, determine what you
can and can't address. |
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Go On
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