Charrette scheduling rules of thumb
Proper charrette scheduling is a very important component of the charrette planning process.
Proper charrette scheduling is a very important component of the charrette planning process. For example, the more complicated a project, the longer the charrette needs to be. Therefore, charrettes that last less than seven days should only be used for simple, low-controversy projects.
The NCI has developed the following list of basic rules of thumb for charrette scheduling:
- Open and close the charrette with major public meetings: This will help to make the process transparent and will also allow for the public meeting attendees to have multiple chances to voice their opinions.
- Schedule at least three feedback loops at major decision-making points: Feedback loops that involve all participants are the most important element of the charrette process. Three loops is the minimum needed to enable transformative community change.
- Allow ideally two days, and a minimum of 24 hours, between feedback loops: 24 hours is the minimum amount of time necessary to execute the revisions of the plans based on the feedback.
- Meet with all key stakeholders by the end of the second day or before the second public meeting: This assures that the plan alternatives reflect the needs of all relevant viewpoints.
- Leave time for production: A fatal flaw of many charrettes is not having enough time to develop the documentation necessary to fully describe the plan and the process by which it was created.