In November 2001 and monthly from January to May 2002, participants came together in more than 100 work group meetings to sort through the most pressing of the issues reported out of the Regional Forum. The work groups were defined by geography and topical subject matter. The groups gathered monthly at four sites - in northern Cook County, DuPage County, southwestern Cook County, and in downtown Chicago. The number of participants for any given Work Group varied from a handful to nearly 20. Most were civic activists whose jobs or volunteer work touched upon the area under discussion, although several described themselves simply as interested citizens.

At each site, the five topical areas used in the leadership workshops were discussed: economic development, community development, environment and natural resources, transportation and infrastructure, and quality of life. Participants learned from each other and from outside resources. They put the most energy into thinking about the region's strengths and weaknesses, as well as how to seize opportunities and avoid threats facing the region over the next 30 years. Based on that analysis, Work Groups identified issues that ought to be addressed by long-term goals.

In between meetings, Work Group members could communicate with each other, read background documents and post notices through WebCouncil, a discussion site accessible through NIPC's Web page (www.nipc.org). Common Ground also used WebCouncil as a portal for the public to get more information about the process.