Risks
As with any policy-making process, consultation carries a number of risks which should be anticipated and managed wherever possible. By thinking carefully about these early on, you will be able to shape your planning so as to mitigate the risks you have identified.
When planning your consultation, consider the following risks:
- That there may be a lack of interest, commitment, or trust in your consultation and, subsequently, a low response rate
- That your respondents may not understand the major issues and/or detail contained in your consultation document
- That some / many of the responses you receive may be lacking in detail, or add little to the debate
- That the responses you receive may represent a narrow range of opinion
- That there may be a very diverse range of opinions represented in the responses you receive, or a lack of consensus about the issues at stake and the solutions / conclusions to be drawn
- That you may need to review and change your policy quite substantially to reflect responses you receive through consultation and will need to allocate adequate time for this.
You should also consider potential risks specific to your own project, as well as those risks which may occur over the course of any project, such as budget overspend missing timetable deadlines.
You can manage many of the risks involved in consultation by:
- Identifying potential risks; evaluating their likely impact and the probability of them occurring; planning appropriate strategies to mitigate the risks you have identified; and regularly reviewing risk as your consultation progresses
- Ensuring that your consultation complies fully with the Code of Practice on Consultation
- Being clear and open about your objectives
- Conducting preliminary consultation to identify stakeholders and plan your consultation effectively
- Engaging effectively with your stakeholders throughout the process, not only for the purposes of receiving responses for your written consultation
- Carrying out informal consultation wherever poss
