Thematic Committees are specialized working groups that analyze specific proposals related to a particular area or topic. This activity leverages participants’ knowledge and experience, ensuring a detailed, diverse, and well-founded evaluation of proposals. Additionally, it promotes strategic focus and collaboration among experts and stakeholders.
Preparation
- Define the purpose:
- Clarify the objective of the committees: evaluating proposals, prioritizing actions, or generating recommendations for a specific theme.
- Select the topics:
- Identify key areas to be evaluated, such as education, environment, infrastructure, innovation, among others.
- Sort the proposals according to their relevance to these areas.
- Form the committees:
- Group participants based on their expertise, interests, or knowledge in each topic.
- Ensure diversity of perspectives within each committee (e.g., technical experts, beneficiaries, local leaders).
- Prepare materials:
- Clear descriptions of the proposals assigned to each committee.
- Evaluation templates with predefined criteria (e.g., impact, feasibility, cost-benefit analysis).
- Physical or virtual spaces for teamwork.
Step-by-step instructions
- Introduce the purpose
- Explain the role of thematic committees and how their analysis contributes to the overall project or process goal.
- Present the topics and the proposals assigned to each committee.
- Committee distribution
- Divide participants into groups according to the selected topics.
- Assign a facilitator to each committee to moderate discussions and ensure the group stays on task.
- Initial proposal review
- Each committee reviews its assigned proposals, ensuring they understand the objectives, scope, and expected benefits.
- The facilitator encourages questions to clarify doubts or explore details.
- Proposal analysis
- Committees evaluate the proposals using predefined criteria such as:
- Impact: How beneficial will the proposal be?
- Feasibility: Can it be implemented with the available resources?
- Sustainability: How will the results be maintained in the long term?
- Cost-benefit: Is the investment justified compared to the expected impact?
- They use tools such as matrices, rating scales, or checklists to structure their analysis.
- Committees evaluate the proposals using predefined criteria such as:
- Prioritization of proposals
- Each committee selects the most relevant proposals within its topic based on the analysis conducted.
- Optional: Classify proposals as high priority, medium priority, and low priority.
- Presentation of results
- Each committee shares its conclusions and recommendations with the larger group.
- Participants can ask questions or provide additional suggestions.
- Closing and reflection
- Summarize key learnings and decisions made during the activity.
- Document evaluations and prioritizations for future reference.
