Appendix 1 – Chapter 13 Additional Detail

[return to Chapter 13]

Step 3 – Solution formation

Chapter 13 contained a description of the democratic solution process, the method through which citizens use a Citizen Governance Website to solve issues collectively. There are four steps in the democratic solution process. Step 1 would gather citizens' perspectives and needs. Step 2 would collect their ideas for solution features to solve the issue. In Step 3, the Federal Council would develop one or more solutions from which participants would select the consensus solution.

Part A. Generate possible solutions

The Federal Council and staff would review the consensus statements and groups from each question in Steps 1 and 2. The council and staff would then use the consensus statements to determine up to 5 possible solutions. These process steps are illustrated in Figure A-1.

Figure A-1

Tasks to develop solutions as shown in Figure A-1

1. Group needs statements from Step 1-C together to determine the important outcomes needed for different groups of participants (including minorities). Use affinity diagraming or a similar tool. An example affinity diagram is shown in Figure A-2.

2. Group features from Step 2-A that could produce each important outcome from task 1 using the same tool.

3. Combine the features from task 2 to form 1 to 5 separate solutions.

4. Match success measurements and side effects measurements from Step 2-B to each solution from task 3. Choose annual target values for the success measurements and side effects measurements.

5. Determine the costs by solution feature and process change and propose one or more funding sources.

6. Describe each solution that was created.

Figure A-2

Describing each proposed solution

The final list of 1 to 5 solutions for the issue would contain the following information for each solution.

• a description of the solution

• a description of each group of citizens who might be affected by it and the needs of those groups that would be met or solved by it

• the outcomes produced by the solution that would meet the needs of those citizens

• the basic features or process that would be used to produce those outcomes

• the scope of the solution (typically the jurisdiction of the organization managed by that Federal Council)

• any limitations of the solution

• how success of the solution would be measured and the proposed annual targets for multiple years

• the major side effects that would be monitored and the threshold at which each side effect would become a problem

• the estimated cost of the solution and the proposed funding source or sources to pay for it

Determining solutions with costs

The issue was listed on the Citizen Governance Website of the Federal Council responsible for the related operations and services. As the council manages the related organization and operations, both it and those in its organization would have the best information, experience, and expertise to understand and do the following.

• determine the outcomes required to meet the consensus of citizens' needs reported from Part 1-C

• determine the process changes needed to produce those outcomes guided by the consensus of solution features from Part 2-A

• understand what solutions were possible and what it would take to implement each one

• estimate the costs associated with each feature of the solution from the budget and historical costs of its organization and operations

• propose the best source of funding for those costs

Determining the best funding sources

There are three possibilities for the costs associated with each solution.

1. Cost negative – The solution would actually save the department money. Where citizens proposed efficiency improvements or elimination of certain services, cost savings could result.

2. Cost neutral ($0) – An issue might not be related to an operation with a cost. Alternatively, a solution might cost the same as an existing process that it replaces resulting in no additional costs. Or, a change that saves money and a change that costs money could be proposed together for a net neutral cost.

3. Cost positive – Any solution that would cost money must list where that money would come from.

If costs were positive, the council could propose that the costs would be paid from one or more of the following four sources. Other sources might be available as well.

1. The current budget – Sometimes smaller amounts could be absorbed into the current budget or the budget might already provide money for the needed service.

2. Fees – The recipients of new services could pay a fee for new services such as licensing fees or park entrance fees.

3. Donations – Citizens who wanted the solution could donate the money to pay for it. For example, suppose the government had a medical research program. It could receive tens of billions of dollars in donations from citizens. In essence, the government could crowd source the money needed for new programs from those who wanted to support them instead of funding them through taxes or debt that affect everyone.

4. Government revenues – Such as taxes, debt through bonds, bills, and notes, and other sources of government funds.

The Federal Council's budget would be reduced by the projected cost savings or increased by the projected cost increase starting when a solution was implemented.

[return to Chapter 13]