SPIRAL proposes a methodological framework which consists of eight phases forming a cycle from knowledge to action that is repeated a certain number of times. Three successive cycles are considered at the local level. They gradually widen the circle of stakeholders involved in the process, like a spiral.

Display more information on the phases and cycles

The eight phases

They are part of a process involving all stakeholders/citizens sharing the same territorial or institutional life space; ranging from knowledge to action, its implementation and its evaluation.

Organisation, mobilisation: organisation of the process and mobilisation of stakeholders/citizens concerned.
Co-design of the goals: stakeholders/citizens co-define the objectives of the process they are considering, referring to the societal progress towards the well-being of all through co-responsibility.
Ex-ante co-evaluation: stakeholders/citizens take stock of the current situation in relation to the objectives they have set.
Projection, comparison: reflection, projection on the future with different possible scenarios and hypotheses of action; and comparison of possibilities.
Co-decision, commitment: choices are made and result in commitments and decisions, especially in terms of resource mobilisation and partnerships to implement.
Acting together: implementation of the actions that were co-decided.
Ex-post co-evaluation: stakeholders/citizens evaluate together the results and impacts achieved and draw lessons for the rest of the process.
Revision, preparation of the next cycle: stakeholders /citizens review the process and prepare the next cycle of progress.

The three cycles of progress

Each of the three cycles marks a progress towards co-responsibility for the well-being of all, both in terms of number of stakeholders and citizens involved and clarification and smoothness of the process.

During the first cycle (appropriation), the process is launched together with stakeholders who are already mobilised or can easily be mobilised, in particular those who are taking an active part in the coordination group. This is an opportunity to establish well the process so that the coordination group can fully appropriate it.
The second cycle (mobilisation) aims at progressively widening the circle of persons taking part in the process to all the inhabitants and stakeholders of the territory, especially through the formation of homogenous groups and their multiplication.
The third cycle (consolidation) consists in going beyond the limits in the life space to create links with other territories or life spaces.

SPIRAL methodological framework includes several variants depending on the type of life space where the process is being developed. It can be:

a territory (a village, a municipality, a community of communes, a natural park, a city, a neighbourhood, etc.). It is the most common case (see hereafter).
a collective actor: a school, a hospital, a firm, a public service, etc.

Irrespective of the type of life space (territory or collective actor), the process implies the creation of a coordination group representing the different person or stakeholders who are sharing the same life space: associations of inhabitants (for a neighbourhood or village), multi-stakeholder platform (for a bigger territory: municipality, city, etc.), a group representing different socio-professional categories as well as clients and suppliers for a firm, etc.

For those who do not have a coordination group yet, SPIRAL proposes the Cycle 0: it is located upstream of the creation of the coordination group (cycle 1). It can concern, for instance, a group of citizens or any other group.

Extensive overview of SPIRAL 3 cycles and 8 phases in the case of a territory

The following diagram shows an overview of the three cycles of the SPIRAL methodology in the case of a territory. In the first cycle, the process is carried out together with stakeholders and citizens who are already mobilised within the framework of a multi-stakeholder platform (in red). This first cycle plays an essential role. Indeed, it enables the multi-stakeholder platform to appropriate the objectives and philosophy of the process so it can carry the process out at its level in order to create the institutional, political and economic conditions so that, in cycle 2, all the citizens of the territory (in orange) can in their turn engage in co-responsibility for the well-being of all, regardless of their conditions. Once this mobilisation is reached, it becomes possible to start a third cycle enabling to open up towards other territories (green).

To navigate through the pages of the different steps, you only need to click on the number corresponding to the step!

(The order of the phases and cycles is logical but not prescriptive)

Summary table of the different methodological sheets

	1 – Organisation, mobilisation	2 – Co-design of the goals	3 - Ex-ante co-evaluation	4 – Projection, comparison	5 - Co-decision, commitment	6 – Acting together	7 – Ex- post co-evaluation	8 – Revision and preparation of the next cycle
First cycle: PREPARATION (Creation of local conditions so that co-responsibility for the well-being of all be possible)	T11: Create and organise the multi-stakeholder platform (coordination group)	T12: Appropriate the objectives of the well-being of all by taking into account the future generations	T13: Co-evaluate the local capacity to reach the objective of the well-being of all	T14: Identify pathways that are essential and the ones that are possible to structure co-responsibility	T15:Co-decide on a structuring action plan	T16: Co-implement the structuring action plan	T17:Co-evaluate the impacts and the potential ones	T18: First review in relation to objective of the well-being of all – Prepare the mobilisation of citizens (organisation, communication)
Second cycle: MOBILISATION? (of citizens and other actors who are not mobilised yet)	T21:Create and multiply homogenous groups of citizens	T22a: Define the objective of well-being of all together with citizens+T22b: Criteria processes and syntheses	T23: Familiarisation with and validation of the syntheses, outputs and possibilities by citizens (in homogenous groups)	T24: Identify ideas of actions that can easily be carried out (in homogenous groups)	T25:Move from ideas to actions and an action plan (in Rainbow Groups and action groups)	T26: Co-implement the second action plan (extended to include citizens)	T27:Co-evaluate the progress made and the potential ones	T28: Second review in relation to the well-being of all – Set up and debate on a territorial pact of co-responsibility for the well-being of all
Third cycle: CONSOLIDATION?(systemisation of co-responsibility for the well-being of all)	T31: Widen and consolidate the coordination group (multi-stakeholder and multi-level integration)	T32: Construct indicators of progress (well-being of all and resources)	T33: Individual and collective self-surveys: making, process, consolidation, restitution	T34: Develop and compare various territorial scenarios of co-responsibility for the well-being of all	T35:Co-décider du choix d'un scénario et des politiques à mettre en place	T36: Co-implement the territorial scenario of co-responsibility for the well-being of all	T37: Monitor, evaluate and make adjustments	T38: Third review – Prepare the supra-territorial consolidation processes)