View source for Process and Planning

==Focus==
It was decided by [http://www.waterwaysireland.org Waterways Ireland] that the consultation would concentrate on:
* [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/topic-a.php The Internal Screening Process]
* [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/topic-b.php Policies for the Equality Impact Assessment]

==Plan: Traditional and Technological Mix==
The consultation organisers wanted to include e-consultation elements in an overall consultation process that ran along traditional lines.  The traditional element allowed respondents to send in written submissions or request a meeting with the consulters. The organisers were experienced in running traditional consultations; however, it was the [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/consultation.php electronic communications component] that was new to them.

After a number of meetings between the research group and [http://www.waterwaysireland.org Waterways Ireland], it was decided that the team would design a [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/consultation.php web site].

==Process==
Potential respondents could browse the [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/online-doc.php consultation documents], then join a [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/forum/index.php discussion forum] where they could leave comments on the issues that interested them.

There then followed a short process of negotiation in relation to the design of the site. The research team took the [http://www.waterwaysireland.org Waterways Ireland] [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/online-doc.php consultation document], converted it to HTML and put it on-line. 

Our developers set up a [http://waterways.e-consultation.org/forum/index.php discussion forum], and showed the consultation organisers how to enter the first questions to start off the discussion.

==Review==
Every part of the site was reviewed by [http://www.waterwaysireland.org Waterways Ireland] and amended in accordance with their suggestions. The result, for better or worse, was a site that mirrored their off-line consultation.