Session facilitation

How to unlock a project at a shared table

When three different companies meet in one consortium, interests rarely go hand in hand. One partner looks at costs, the second at deadlines, and the third at the quality of execution. In 2023, we conducted 14 sessions for groups that could not agree on the division of tasks on site. Our facilitation is not nice talk about vision. It's hard guarding so that emotions do not cover the facts. We are looking for a way out of the impasse that will allow starting work in the field within the next 4-6 business days.

A session usually lasts from 3 to 5 hours in a neutral place. This is enough for each side to show its calculations and specific concerns. In March 2024, we helped resolve a dispute over logistics costs in an infrastructure project near Poznań. Thanks to a 4-hour moderation, the companies set a new delivery plan. They avoided penalties that would have amounted to 12,400 PLN for each week of delay. Fact: without a facilitator, these talks would have ended in court after 3 years of fighting.

During the meeting, we ensure that each company has exactly 15 minutes to present its position without interruption. We use simple methods: a board, live notes, and hard contract data. If someone starts attacking personally, we immediately interrupt the conversation. (Heads-up: a session is not therapy, only the business result counts here). We look for touchpoints because only on them can the architecture of compromise be built.

After each session, we prepare a written note from the findings. We don't make thick reports that no one opens. We provide a list of 4-7 specific tasks with assigned names and completion dates. The document goes to your mailboxes within 24 hours. Our statistics from the last 8 years show that writing down declarations cuts 83% of later arguments about who promised what at the meeting.

Our team consists of 4 specialists who know the realities of the technical and construction industry. We know that time is money, so we do not prolong meetings by force. If after 2 hours we see that the parties do not want to talk, we end the session so as not to generate unnecessary costs. We work on specifics, because facts always win over emotions. We help build agreement where others only see a reason to terminate the contract.