Managing new projects

The following words from Mr Peter Seah, our trainer in facilitation, shook me: "A facilitator need not be a content expert. The expert knowledge lies within the team members and the facilitator's job is to sieve all that out."
I want be a facilitative leader in the Curriculum Development Unit. However, I realised that neither me nor my team members has the expert knowledge on curriculum design. No wonder I feel inadequate in leading the team.
Upon that reflection, I approached Peter for his advice. To my awe, he is able to find out my challenges and issues that I face by asking me questions. The Power of Questioning!
In short, he summarised that I face 3 issues:
1.  clarity in the project outcomes
2. Project management ( creating the timeline for the project cycle, roles and responsibilities and boundaries and limitations, small trials hence successes)
3. (I cannot remember what he said ...;p)

Anyway, I agreed with him that many KPs are not trained in project management. He volunteered to help me facilitate a few sessions for me (F.O.C.)to help me resolve the above 3 issues. And Mr Chin gave his blessing that we engage Peter's help.

I also have a "selfish" agenda; to learn from Peter the way to facilitate a team to kick a project that is going unchartered path.

So far, this is what i have observed in the 1st session:
The basic process involve:
1.  The use of "Open Space" as a tool to get the team members to warm up to putting down facts and sharing ideas. The topic is putting down the various events on the timeline... is cleverly used to help us see trend in the changes in education along side with changes in society and global issues.
2. Then the use of ORID for the conversation on the open space.
Objective – fact finding
Reflective – emotional reactions (I learnt that projects can fail because of this not voiced up and handled)
Interpretative – meaning & impact
Decisional – identify actions or decisions

Through clever questioning based on the above 4 purpose, he drew out concerns, issues, challenges, limitations from us.

3. During the conversation, he helped us map all our responses on a contextual diagram which he said will be useful in coming up with the project framework and boundaries.

There after, the project timeline / cycle can be created. And this will be carried out next Thursday.

Throughout the whole facilitation process, he asked clarifying and critical questions  in the hope that we clarify our project outcome/ objective. For example, what kind of skills are we looking at? the ones that help pupils to pass O level well? or the ones that can help pupils survive beyond school education?

In some ways, I feel that he has posed his questions in a way that we get to a certain answer that he wants.... probably because he is also a stake holder himself as he is also a parent.

On retrospect, i am aware of the concerns and issues during my previous meeting with my members. But I didn't document it down and work on it to see and set the boundaries. Partly because I do not know how to. And this session gets me to hear more from my other members. I must give credit to Ashley for her candid and honest responses and comments about education, skills and pupils.
I will try and apply these facilitation process when I start other new projects.
Now I am eagerly looking forward to learn from Peter how to ask good questions. He will consolidate his thoughts and share with us and our teachers to help us engage our pupils in their thinking.
I think that will help us in many other areas too, mentoring and coaching etc.