Introduction

This sheet will help you to determine whether a certain course of action is the best option for the operation you are working on, or whether it may not be as effective as you thought it would be. It is important that you take the time to fill in this sheet, and don't rush it - in many situations, there's no rush at all in organizing an operation. It's also a good idea to read the tips section first.

1 Tips for setting up an operation

2 Defining the main goals of your operation

Important: When defining the goal or goals of your operation, you should not take into account the ideas you have to carry out the operation! Doing so anyway will result in the common human habit of putting the cart before the horse (also known as 'reversed reasoning'), which will cause your operation to be less efficient than it could have been. In short: start from a blank canvas.

2.1 The cause of your operation

  1. What 'undesired circumstance' caused you to set up this operation? Examples: the extradition of someone, the closing down of a website, arrests of activists, etc.
  2. Who is responsible for this undesired circumstance? This can be a person or an organization.
    1. If an organization was responsible, were there any specific employees or members of that organization that coordinated the decision? If yes, are they responsible for it or were they in a situation where they had no real choice?
  3. Are there any further consequences of this undesired circumstance that will not go away, even if the undesired circumstance itself is gone?

2.2 The solution for your cause

  1. What has to happen for the undesired circumstance to go away? Examples: the dismissal of a court case, the denying of an extradition request, etc.
    1. If there were any further consequences that would not go away, even if the undesired circumstance itself would be gone, what would have to happen for these consequences to go away?

3 Defining possible solutions and courses of action

Take some time to think of ways to achieve what you mentioned in question 2.2.1. You should answer the following questions for each of the possible solutions you came up with. Try to avoid all solutions that have been attempted before by other operations, and only use those solutions as a last resort. Ideally, your solution should be original and tailor-made for this operation.

3.1 Basic details for the solution

  1. What does the solution consist of?
  2. Who can take part in the activities for this solution?
  3. How long does it take to carry out this solution? A rough estimate is good enough.
  4. What organizational structure is needed to carry out this solution? Examples: no hierarchy, a central leader, democratic voting, etc.
  5. What communication channels do you need for this solution? Examples: a forum, a Twitter feed, an IRC channel, etc.

3.2 Consequences of the solution

  1. What will happen if you carry out this solution successfully?
  2. What will happen if the solution is attempted, but fails in some way?
  3. What are the risks for participants? Be honest here, don't try to romanticize your solution.
  4. Compare the answer to 3.2.1 with the answer you gave to 2.2.1. Do the answers match?
    1. If the answers do not match, this solution will not be optimal and it is likely you've put the cart before the horse, which is likely to make your operation fail. Try again with a different solution.

4 Summary of your operation

You can fill in this part to make it clear to participants what they are getting involved in, what the goals are, how they can help, and what they should watch out for.
  1. What will participants be doing?
  2. What are the risks of participating?
  3. What is the intended goal?
  4. How does your solution reach the goal?
  5. Is there a backup plan?
  6. Where can participants go to communicatie? Examples: the IRC channel, Twitter feed, forum, etc.
Good luck with your operation!