*SPARK

Sometimes you need a creative spark! Whether you want to break free of stale thinking, see fresh options, discover breakthrough ideas, or uncover compelling strategies, use *Spark workshops to serve up serious results with a side of fun.

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*SPARK 1  |  Value Planning for Infrastructure Challenges

How can your project deliver the same or better levels of service — at the same or lower costs — while enhancing triple bottom line performance and resilience?

The answer is Value Planning, a  structured, facilitated process for uncovering hidden solutions and building stakeholder buy-in at the same time. It’s “secret sauce” has four main ingredients:

  • Your desire for innovative yet practical solutions
  • Design thinking methodologies
  • My experience as a facilitator with an infrastructure background
  • A diverse group of participants. In addition to your stakeholders, I work with the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure to bring you a cadre of experts that bring novel and stimulating ideas to the workshop.

Value planning is a powerful and cost-effective tool, especially when you face multiple project challenges, have big money at stake, and need to attend to stakeholder concerns. The best time to do it is in the early, conceptual stages of your project, before designers start sketching or engineers boot up their CAD systems.

Contact me to learn how it’s worked brilliantly for the City of Olympia and the City of Stevenson, for example.

Value Planning Fee: Costs are dependent on project size, stakeholder dynamics, and project complexity. You may want a single workshop or a series. Please contact me to talk about your project’s goals and receive a detailed cost proposal.

Did you know? In 2018, I worked with a Washington State Public Works Board team to compile the state’s Introductory Value Planning Guide.

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*SPARK 2  |  The Creative Leader

Creativity ranks as one of the most desirable skills that leaders can have and is an essential companion to strategic thinking and problem-solving. Like any other skill, creativity can be honed and practiced.

In this spicy workshop, participants reflect on the results of a personal creativity assessment, explore the role of creativity in leadership, and experience eight creativity-enhancing methods to use at work.

This course can be customized for your unique group beyond the standard 3-hour module up to a 2-day format that applies new skills to a real group challenge.

Workshop Fee: As a guideline, the 3-hour format (typically 10-15 attendees) costs $3,500, including preparation, materials, and delivery at your facility or online. Add $250/person for groups larger than 15 people. Variable costs such as catering, room rental, significant course customization, and travel-related costs are extra.

CLIENTS SAY

“I really liked the metaphor exercise, because it’s absolutely something I would not have come to on my own, and it seems like a very tangible way to get ‘unstuck’ on a problem or challenge. I also appreciated the concrete framework we got for analyzing our own creativity and how it relates to organizational effectiveness.”

Emily Bancroft, Acting President, VillageReach

“As a big picture thinking approach, the Value Planning process was outstanding. It gave us a deeper understanding of the assets of the corridor and a pathway to develop future opportunities for community and parks. This was a good use of our time. I would recommend the Value Planning process to planners and communities who need an inspired, innovative approach to their complex infrastructure or development projects.”

Rich Hoey, Director of Public Works, City of Olympia

“Andrea did a great job of designing the Value Planning charrette with the team, with good structure and flow. The fast pace kept people energized, and Andrea got us to move fluidly from micro- to macro-ideas. As a result, the solution scenarios that we got suggested specific zoning changes, which affirmed for us that land use and transportation must be integrated. I can highly recommend the Value Planning process to other planning agencies that need better land use and quality of life outcomes from their infrastructure and development projects.”

Sophie Stimson, Senior Planner, City of Olympia

“What I got from this session [Creative Leader] was a structured way to think about creative capacity, and how it spirals out to teams from my leadership. I’ll introduce some of these blockbusting techniques into the team environment.”

Kate Cochran, CEO, Upaya Ventures
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EXPLORE

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