The P.A.T.H.*™ Process

One-on-One or Group Sessions

What is P.A.T.H.™?

P.A.T.H. stands for Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope. It was developed by Jack Pearpoint, John O‘Brien and Marsha Forrest.

When you only have a half day to “kick off“ a planning effort, this short and powerful graphic planning process is excellent for individuals or groups about to begin a project or explore a new life/work direction. You will have clear concrete steps and supports articulated to ensure it happens. All in 3 hours! Then you can offer this gift to friends, family, colleagues and groups. A side bonus is building your graphic and visioning skills.

P.A.T.H.™ vs. Strategic Planning

This exercise achieves great motivation and focus for groups and individuals who want to focus only on the next 12-24 months, as opposed to the typical five year strategic planning effort. It does not replace the strategic planning process but can be used to as a "stop" gap measure if your time or budget is limited, or you are focusing on only one specific aspect of your organizational mission. It is excellent as a team building exercise.

It is best with groups of 6 to 30 persons. It also works very well for single individuals, couples or families who are in a transition phase of their life or career.

Benefits of the P.A.T.H.™ Planning Process:

Participants find the following benefits from participating in a P.A.T.H.™ planning process:

Builds common understanding and support for a group or individual
Mediates conflicts for people who desire changing the ways they work
Kick-starts a project or a program
Tangible product which can motivate future actions

Description of the P.A.T.H.™ Process:

The process ideally involves two facilitators for group sessions - one to graphically illustrate the group's thinking; the other to graphically depict the individual’s or group’s thinking on each part of the process.

The facilitators guide the group to explore the vision and short term goals, then identify who will support you in realizing the goals and action steps to achieve the goals. The group or individual receives a visual, colorful record of the ideas that emerge from the process for future reference. This process can be followed up with a more thorough strategic planning process some time later.

Looking for a Group Session?

You provide the space (need long walls or a whiteboard to place sticky walls with painter’s tape; movable tables and chairs), the participants and the refreshments. We supply everything else! Please contact us if you wish to schedule inside your organization.