"What has gone well between the partnering agencies, and what hasn't worked so well? What successes do you hope to replicate, and what failures do you want to avoid?"

Question Three: What can we learn from the past?

Chances are this is not the first time your community or agency has engaged in a project with WSDOT and/or other partners. Whether it was a positive or a negative experience, it is important to take the time to learn from your history.

* What has gone well between the partnering agencies, and what hasn't worked so well?

* What successes do you hope to replicate, and what failures do you want to avoid?

Take the time to clear the air - or remind yourselves of past successful efforts - at this first meeting. Again, by identifying these issues up front you can then develop a plan of action for addressing and working through them as you proceed with your project.

At the end of this first meeting, ask the facilitator to take all of the shared information and create a schedule and plan for the group's interactions together. Obviously you will not deal with all of the issues you have outlined right away; a good facilitator can lay out a schedule, however, that will enable you to address these issues as appropriate throughout your project.