A FacIlitated Workshop for DSTL

Purpose of the Meeting:

Senior leaders at Dstl faced the challenge of reassessing their division's priorities due to sudden changes in the UK economy, including budget cuts and a recruitment freeze. These changes rendered some previously agreed resource commitments unachievable. To address this, a workshop was organised where six teams would evaluate their focus areas and propose necessary adjustments. The meeting also aimed to ensure alignment across teams by sharing and receiving feedback on proposed changes. Treehouse was commissioned to design, develop, and deliver the workshop to ensure these objectives were effectively met.

What We Did:

Workshop Design and Development

Treehouse collaborated closely with the problem owner to fully understand the issues and desired outcomes. The meeting was designed to be engaging and interactive, focusing on group work, sharing outputs, and receiving feedback. A major challenge was ensuring that each team had the opportunity to share their proposed changes with the other five teams without relying on lengthy presentations. To achieve this, we developed a "flow" for the workshop, ensuring that each activity connected seamlessly to deliver the desired outcomes. The detailed plan included:

• The outcome each activity would deliver

• The activity and tools used

• Start, end times, and duration

• The format for each activity (breakout, plenary, individual work, etc.)

• Materials needed and logistical requirements

We also worked with the problem owner to understand the attendees, allowing us to plan team compositions for optimal collaboration.

Workshop Delivery

During the workshop, participants were divided into smaller groups to review their focus areas and identify necessary changes. Given that each group had multiple priorities, participants initially worked in pairs before aligning on changes within their groups. This approach was both time-efficient and encouraged greater engagement. To avoid repetitive presentations, we implemented a "round robin" session where pairs of teams presented and received feedback. The fast-paced day involved teams reviewing their areas, identifying required changes, presenting those changes, and adjusting their proposals based on feedback. The session culminated in each team presenting their updated focus areas to senior leaders, who then aligned on the overall priorities.

Outcome

The workshop successfully achieved its objectives, enabling teams to review, adjust, and align their focus areas. Participants appreciated the opportunity to share, listen, and provide feedback across groups. They also recognised the value of careful planning and external, independent facilitation.