Every organization needs to identify key issues, solve problems, take decisions, develop strategies, or plan how best to meet objectives. People addressing such questions must think quickly and effectively.

Associates in Planning provides process facilitation services to help organizations to think better. We help group members look beyond their own individual perspectives to develop new ideas and insights. We work with associations, unions, businesses, not-for-profit organizations and government agencies  -  anyone who needs to do serious and systematic thinking about the issues they face and how best to resolve them.

Associates in Planning does not come in and prescribe solutions to your issues. We help you to think through those issues yourself, so that you retain ownership and direction. We help you to clarify what you want to achieve, then work with you to design the thinking framework ("process") best suited to your needs and your timetable.

Process facilitation enables people to think more clearly, efficiently and systematically. The objective is to achieve both quality and speed within deadline. Facilitators do this by ensuring clarity of task, a thinking framework ("process") appropriate to that task, effective group leadership ("facilitation"), good time management, and full participation.

Process facilitation is helping, focused on results, reality-based, flexible, visible and clear. It is not manipulative, focused on win/lose, dogmatic or based on a single model.

Since 1989, Associates in Planning has worked with over 200 organizations. Our clients span the Canadian economy  -  from health care, construction, and transportation to environmental services, information technology and culture, from community development, public administration and fisheries, to logistics, architecture and automotive repair. Associates in Planning works with other facilitation firms and independent facilitators across Canada. This network of experienced consultants can be readily brought together for larger facilitation projects. The focus is always on ensuring that clients' needs are met in the most cost-effective way.

For more information on our approach to decision-making in groups, our ideas on how the news is full of "process", and some thoughts on issues in association management, you may enjoy the articles under "Publications".

John Butcher, CPF
President