Method guide · Work with a structured grid
District Profile Analysis
Use to distinguish comparable district statistics from causal hypotheses and the additional checks needed to test them.
- People
- 4–20
- Base procedure time
- 60 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Reflect and learn.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
Read district aggregate values by separating features, causal hypotheses and additional checks. For each indicator, align source, target period, aggregation unit, denominator, missing data and confidentiality designation. Compare only values under the same conditions. Record differences from the average and increases/decreases as features, but do not put explanations in the facts field. Attach material or an interview contact needed to disconfirm each causal hypothesis. Do not infer individuals from small cells or non-public designations; use a broader aggregation unit. Hand over a district profile that keeps features, hypotheses and additional checks separate, with verification owners and deadlines. Do not run this where numbers alone will be used to determine causality or the community’s value.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Align sources, periods, units and denominators0–10 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Align. Participation: Groups of 4–5.
Shared record
- Read only comparable values10–25 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Read. Participation: Groups of 4–5.
Shared record
- Place causes provisionally as hypotheses25–40 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Place. Participation: Groups of 4–5.
Shared record
- Choose additional checks for disconfirmation40–55 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Choose. Participation: Groups of 4–5.
Shared record
- Hand issues and verification contacts to owners55–60 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Hand. Participation: Groups of 4–5.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 10 minutes, check each indicator’s source, target period, aggregation unit, denominator, missing data and confidentiality designation.
- For 15 minutes, read only values comparable under the same conditions and record features one at a time.
- For 15 minutes, separate possible causes from facts and write them one at a time in the hypothesis field without asserting them.
- For 15 minutes, select additional materials, interview contacts and disconfirmation conditions to test each hypothesis, one at a time.
- For 5 minutes, hand over the record with verification owners and deadlines, keeping features, hypotheses and additional checks separate.
If something changes
If
At least one indicator lacks a source, target period, aggregation unit or denominator.
Then
Exclude it from feature comparison. Retain only the missing fields and verification contact in the district profile.
If
At least one cell has a confidentiality symbol, non-public designation or such a small count that an individual could be inferred.
Then
Do not read the value aloud. Use a broader aggregation unit or put it in a non-public field.
If
At least one statement determines a cause using numbers alone.
Then
Move it to the causal-hypothesis field and record one material or interview contact needed for disconfirmation.
Preparation
Materials
- One blank table per group for indicators, sources, target periods, aggregation units, denominators and missing data
- Verified aggregate materials: one copy per indicator
- Feature, causal-hypothesis and additional-check cards: 3 of each per person
- Blank cards to cover non-public cells: 10 per group
- Broad-tip pens: 2 per group
Room and setup
- Align each indicator’s source, target period, aggregation unit, denominator, missing data and confidentiality designation on one blank table.
Adjust for people and time
Do not run this with fewer than 4 people, because features, causal hypotheses and additional checks are difficult to cross-check from different perspectives. For 4–5 people, gather around one indicator table. For 6–20 people, distribute participants into groups of 4–5 differing by no more than one person, each covering an indicator set. Return features, hypotheses and additional checks separately; do not copy small cells or non-public values into a consolidated table. For 21 or more people, use separate sessions.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Compare only aligned conditions and keep explanations as hypotheses with disconfirmation checks. Do not infer identity from small or non-public cells or read their values aloud. Use wider aggregation or non-public fields and do not copy protected values into consolidated tables. Do not determine causality or a community’s value from numbers alone.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- The 6–20 participant range requires groups of 4–5 with sizes differing by no more than one. Some counts, including 6, 7 and 11, cannot be partitioned into groups of 4–5. No remainder rule is given, and the translation does not add one.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: A Guide to Discussion Using Workshop Methods, p.6 menu 3
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000997425.pdf
PDL-1.0 adaptation; changes made
- Conditions applying to PDL-1.0
https://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_kyotsuu/policy/tyosaku.html
PDL-1.0
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.