Brief Description:

This tool is developed for an Internet Community Solutions provider in UK. This tool is an online consultation publishing, management and analysis system for creating and managing the actual online consultation process. System creates, manages and reports on the whole online eConsultation process without any technical knowledge. This tool is easy for consultation coordinators to use and to engage participants. No technical knowledge is needed to create and manage consultations. Because of this very effective consultation process, better results can be obtained more easily, enabling deeper insight into stakeholders’ opinion, experience, preferences and needs. Its flexibility and clarity of process encourages a wider spectrum of stakeholders to participate. This tool can also apply to in-house engagement and interaction. In addition, eConsult supports ‘spatial’ functionality so that users can link to specific areas with tailored maps and data layers and also feedback comments about specific locations.

Tools and Platforms:

Internet Information Server 5.0, SQL Server 2000, Active Server Pages

Key aspects of the online consultation:

Bite-sized consultation texts or chapters:

With this application, what may be a necessarily detailed consultation document is segmented into bite-sized chapters. Key questions are asked within that context, while making it easy for participants to respond. Topics can be printed or emailed to colleagues. Complete consultation documents may still be downloaded for reference.

Meaningful navigation within the consultation itself:

Participants can make contextual responses to all sections of the consultation texts or to particular parts as appropriate. Using the consultation guidance table as a reference point, respondents know where they are (and where they have been). They know they can return, view a specific response, edit if required and continue in another session.

Providing clarity of purpose, process and outcome:

Participation and relationship opportunities are maximized. For example registration is acknowledged (immediately by email), by describing outcomes and by making aims, objectives, timetables and intentions clear. In addition, using the tools of online community interaction - for example discussion forums, newsletters - can maintain on-going stakeholder dialogue and community interaction and leverage the consultation process.

Providing reporting and analysis:

Publishing results and making them available to participants in a meaningful way is clearly important, as is making it clear that these views will inform the debate.