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Hexagon Diagrams: A Tool for Strategic Planning

Introduction

This review explores how Hexagon diagrams, as a simple, re-usable visual tool have been successfully used and developed by Derwent NDC director & staff.

Problem

Derwent NDC decided to use the hexagon diagram approach to help engage stakeholders in often complex issues. They also wanted to make sure their strategic planning is both visual and engaging as well as being thorough and demonstrable to Government.

Description

The Review explores:

How the technique (Hexagon diagrams) engages residents & professionals in the complex & for some difficult business of strategic planning & staff development.
How the tool ensures that strategic planning sessions contribute to team building, and are enjoyable & easily recordable.
How the approach builds confidence & provides strong visual clues as to how things fit together in a large NDC programme and how very different projects contribute to the same outcome.

Approach

Derwent NDC uses plastic 4”x4” coloured versions which can be written on and stuck onto and easily moved around a magnetic white board.

In a typical strategic planning session in a 20 person theme group to prioritise ‘Future Initiatives’, a magnetic white board is divided into Now, Sooner or Later where later equals low priority.

Every stakeholder is then given a number of hexagons and invited to write on them with their perception of needs, take these to the white board and place them in the time-frame they think best. This then stimulates discussion and movement of the hexagons.

Results

The case study reports the following tips learnt from the exercise:

Don’t hesitate from using visual clues and tools.
Use Hexagon Diagrams and other similar tools to make ongoing key management tasks such as strategic planning, staff development more bearable and dynamic for all stakeholders.
Be prepared for some initial cynicism or shyness when using such tools.
Understand the role of the facilitator in ensuring that the technique is the means to an end rather than an end in itself.
If the technique works in one area of your work, adapt it for another.

Contact info

Regeneration East Midlands
iansmith@easynet.co.uk

Project start date

Links

Visit the Yorkshire Futures website

Download the 'Hexagon Diagrams: A Tool for Strategic Planning' Report (PDF, Eng, 30 KB)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy

Keywords

Social inclusion & integration