• An issue or opportunity of sufficient importance and urgency to create the general recognition of a need for attention;
• A convener of sufficient stature to help mobilize the necessary resources and the participation of key stakeholders—without an expectation that the process will result in a pre-determined outcome;
• Sufficient time and resources to design and implement a process that allows for background inquiry, careful deliberation, and essential technical analysis;
• Participation by necessary stakeholders to help ensure that agreements reached about strategies will be regarded as legitimate;
• A charter or set of principles developed with the group to reflect agreements about what the group’s mission is, how the group will function, and how decisions will be made;
• A skilled process leader(s) to help design a collaborative process that engenders the full understanding and support of individual participants;
• A carefully crafted process to encourage creativity in the design or re-design of potential strategies to address the issue or opportunity;
• Opportunities to consult constituencies or technical experts who are not participating in the process;
• Credible technical analysis to support the analysis of strategies;
• A group decision that is regarded by the participants as effective, wise, and durable;
• A plan, set of recommendations, or other policy document that summarizes the issue, process, and proposed strategy in sufficient detail to serve as both an action agenda and a reference document for others engaged with the issue.