Regardless if the group decides on alternate agreements or one agreement, a procedure for reconvening and monitoring should be a part of the overall collaborative process. To help you get started a simple framework for joint fact-finding is found in Table 1. Objective Criteria Objective criteria refer to factors that are used to evaluate a decision or possible outcome. Objective criteria will help move the group from joint fact-finding to decision making. People usually support objective criteria during a collaborative process because criteria are not tied to specific positions.
Criteria are best if they are objective and measurable.
Agreement on each criterion and its rating of importance in decision-making requires negotiations. Although all the issues may not get resolved through joint-fact finding, it can reduce many of the problems associated with data, credibility of experts, and advocacy science. The goal of joint-fact finding is to enable all participants in the process to collectively understand the problems well enough to make informed and reasonable decisions. Joint fact-finding is an important tool in a collaborative process that can help to develop credible and supportive agreements. Framework for Joint Fact-Finding Step 1.