Situation Analysis Understanding the Context for Strategy Development

Key Points to Introduce This Step Situation analysis is intended to help develop more robust conservation strategies… Articulate and test the logic of our thinking Evaluate the strategic importance of factors that cause threats or impair key attributes Identify key constituencies Focus on your key objectives -- to abate critical threats or enhance target viability Probe for opportunities, not just causes

Key Points to Introduce This Step There is no one right way… Some teams use box & arrow diagrams Others use probing questions Situation diagramming is a way of capturing a situation analysis

Critical Questions Does the analysis focus on key objectives that address a critical threat or impaired viability? Have all relevant types of factors been considered? (e.g., economic, political, cultural) Have inconsequential, irrelevant or redundant factors been excluded? Have key constituencies been identified, and the major factors that motivate them? Who are the key decision makers Who stands to gain Who stands to lose

Common Issues & Recommendations How much time to invest in this step Enough time to probe key issues for strategy development, but don’t overshadow time allotted to any other CAP elements Is a situation diagram the same as a “conceptual model” Some teams use conceptual models to understand how a target functions ecologically; a situation diagram is a conceptual model used to help develop strategies What’s the different between situation analysis & stakeholder analysis Analyzing the stakeholders is a component of analyzing the situation as a whole.

Common Issues & Recommendations Many issues about situation analysis remain to be resolved… How can it be best conducted to ensure focus and foster good strategic thinking? Under what circumstances are particular tools best suited? Can or should there be a standard approach? Meanwhile... Facilitators and project teams should feel free to innovate -- use the approach that works best for them. Coaches let’s glean lessons learned & share results

Helpful Hints Boxes & arrow diagrams Level of detail a matter of judgement Tools: sticky tarp and cards give flexibility Capture results with photograph and transfer to document. E.g. Off-the-shelf software (e.g. Visio) Appendix E of Practitioners handbook provides a set of probing questions However you capture the discussion during the workshop, displaying the connections with a situation diagram can also be a useful outreach/communication tool Find common ground with stakeholders Explore stakeholders’ understanding of a situation Communicate our understanding of a situation and how we expect strategies to improve it

Example of Situation Diagram

Consumnes River The starting point for this situation analysis (on the right-hand side) is the natural system–Consumnes River Biodiversity and the specific conservation targets representing that biodiversity. Coming in from the left are casual chains that are considered important. Pink boxes represent direct and indirect threats. It’s likely that only direct threats would show up in a 5S workbook. But you can see that in this project only two direct threats are objects of strategies, while three indirect threats are objects of strategies.

Example of Probing Questions

Does achieving the objective require influencing a key decision-maker or decision-making body? What key decision maker or decision-making body will/can determine or influence the outcome? What legal standing, authority or other influence do they have? What constituencies might be adversely impacted by the threat? Can they influence the decision-maker? What constituencies stand to gain from the threat? Can they be neutralized? Are there other key players who could influence the decision or action? What motivates each of the key constituencies? e.g. $$$, ease, peers, recognition What information about the threat or possible alternatives is essential to influence the key players?