The Consultation Process in Borealis provides a structured framework for managing stakeholder consultations, from initial engagement through issue resolution and reporting.
By linking stakeholders, communications, issues, and commitments within a consultation engagement plan, organizations can maintain clear traceability, track follow-up activities, document responses, and generate comprehensive consultation reports.
Key Objectives & Benefits
- Organize consultation activities in a dedicated consultation Engagement Plan.
- Track stakeholders, communications, issues, and commitments in a single workflow.
- Maintain end-to-end traceability throughout the consultation process.
- Capture and assess stakeholder concerns consistently.
- Support consultation reporting and compliance requirements.
- Improve visibility, accountability, and record keeping.
Illustrative Use Cases
Indigenous Community Consultation: A project team consults with Indigenous communities regarding a proposed project. Communications, concerns, follow-up actions, issues, and commitments are tracked within a consultation Engagement Plan to support ongoing engagement and reporting.
Community Engagement Program: An organization conducts consultations with local residents, community groups, and businesses affected by a project. Consultation activities and stakeholder feedback are recorded to demonstrate how community concerns were considered and addressed.
Regulatory Consultation Requirements: A project requires documented stakeholder consultation to meet regulatory obligations. The consultation Engagement Plan provides a centralized record of communications, issues, responses, and commitments for reporting and audit purposes.
Land Access and Rights Discussions: An organization engages landowners and rights holders regarding project activities. Stakeholder concerns, commitments, and resolution outcomes are tracked throughout the consultation process.
Environmental and Social Impact Consultations: Stakeholders are consulted regarding environmental or social impacts associated with a project. Consultation communications, concerns, responses, and mitigation commitments are documented and reported through the consultation process.
Troubleshooting
- If the consultation Engagement Plan report section in engagement plan or the consultation reporting section in communications is missing, verify that the Engagement Plan type has been updated in the data dictionary.
- If a stakeholder does not appear in consultation reports, confirm that they are linked to the Engagement Plan.
- If the issue analysis fields are not available during issue creation, this is expected. These fields become available during the Assess action.
FAQ
Can I use the Consultation process without Issues?
No. The process can be partially configured, but full consultation tracking depends on the Issues module.
Why is a stakeholder missing from the report?
This usually happens when the stakeholder is not linked to the Engagement Plan correctly.
When should I use stakeholder overrides?
Do all communications automatically count toward consultation reporting?
No. A communication must be explicitly linked to the consultation Engagement Plan.
Can consultation fields be hidden?
Yes. Individual consultation fields can be deactivated through field configuration.
ℹ️ Related topic: See How to Configure a Consultation Engagement Plan Type.