In the role of facilitator, you will discover a lot of power by using metaphors or analogies to explain your method. Avoid using the content and experience of the subject matter experts. In other words, a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures.
To use “their” content violates neutrality. Use a metaphor or analogy about which you have passion. A metaphor helps you to explain it to your great-grandmother, the test of ultimate clarity. In the following example, we use “Mountain Climbing” to explain one form of a USE CASE, called SIPOC (i.e., Source, Input, Process, Output, and Client/Customer).
Illustrative Analogy (SIPOC): A Metaphor is Worth a Thousand Pictures
Previously completed work that helped to identify some of the “requirements” could have led us to understand that one of the activities required to support the purpose of mountain climbing has been identified as “pack supplies” (note the simple verb-noun pairing). Rather than explain the SIPOC tool orally, we can provide a picture or illustration of the tool by using the metaphor or analogy of mountain climbing.
Right-to-Left Thinking
The phrase “right to left thinking” (similar to “start with the end in mind”) derives from SIPOC. There are five discrete activities, namely:
- Anchor the framework with the activity or process, here previously identified as “Pack Supplies”. Since subject matter experts (aka SMEs) perform similar tasks differently, socialize and document how the activity is or should be performed, allowing for multiple perspectives. Later, take this material and transpose or append it to process flow diagrams or swimlanes.
- Identify the outputs or things that result from the completed activity. A “thing” could be information, a transaction, or a tangible item. Think of a “thing” as a noun such as a person, place, or object about which we need more information to make an informed decision.
- For each discrete output, discuss where it goes or who is the client or customer of the output. Note there could be more than one client for each output. For example, information called “Inventory Depletion” is shared with both the purchasing role so that they can reorder and perhaps the vendor to enable auto-replenishment.
- Working to the left side, identify the things needed to complete the activity.
- Finally, identify the source(s) of each thing, noting again that there could be multiple sources for a single item. The “Pack” for example, might come from the sherpa, supplier, or even the climber.
By using an illustrative analogy you can now explain to your meeting participants where you are in the agenda and how the agenda steps support one another. Using an analogy reinforces that your role remains content-neutral. The analogy makes abstract terms such as “input” concrete or tangible and more easily understood. Remember, a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures.
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Terrence Metz, MBA, CSM, CSPF, PSP01, HTTO1, is the Managing Director of MG RUSH Facilitation Leadership, Training, and Meeting Design, an acknowledged leader in structured facilitation training, and author of “Meetings That Get Results – A Facilitator’s Guide to Building Better Meetings.” His FAST Facilitation Best Practices blog features nearly 300 articles on facilitation skills and tools aimed at helping others lead meetings that produce clear and actionable results. His clients include Agilists, Scrum teams, program and project managers, senior officers, and the business analyst community among numerous private and public companies and global corporations. As an undergraduate of Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and an MBA graduate from NWU’s Kellogg School of Management, his professional experience has focused on process improvement and product development. He continually aspires to make it easier for others to succeed.
