WORK PLAN OVERVIEW. PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 1. Work Plan Overview Final 5/13/2013 1

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1 WORK PLAN OVERVIEW The Work Plan is an essential element of a coalition s effort to create positive change in their community. Planning organizes actions that will lead to the fulfillment of a goal or even turning dreams into reality. As noted in The Community Tool Box s section on action planning (see resources), an action plan is a way to make sure your organization's vision is made concrete. It describes the way your group will use its strategies to meet its objectives. An action plan consists of a number of action steps or changes to be brought about in your community. The old saying that "People don't plan to fail. Instead they fail to plan" is based on harsh realities. In order for coalitions and community organizations to achieve their goals they must plan. The Work Plan takes the more global Strategic Plan and breaks it down into bite sized chunks. A Work Plan should cover no more than a 12 month period. There are lots of good reasons to work out the details of a coalition s or organization's work in an action plan. The Community Tool Box describes some of the reasons a coalition should have a Work Plan in place including: To lend credibility to the coalition or organization: A Work Plan shows members of the community (including grantmakers) that the organization is well ordered and dedicated to getting things done; To be sure that no details are overlooked; To understand what is and isn't possible for the coalition or organization to do; For efficiency: to save time, energy, and resources in the long run, and For accountability: To increase the chances that people will do what needs to be done This Work Plan template is designed to support the planning efforts of field staff and community coalitions. It is a useful guide for thinking through the necessary components of a Work Plan in a systematic way. This tool will help the coalition achieve the following: Describe its vision, Identify the problem to be addressed, Outline clear and detailed objectives, and Describe strategies and action steps. The plan will need to be very specific and identify the population or audience chosen for the efforts. The plan will provide the foundation of the coalition s work for the year and will enable it to produce meaningful results in the community. Work Plan Overview Final 5/13/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 1

2 WORK PLAN TEMPLATE Instructions: For assistance in completing this template, refer to the Work Plan Instructions and Definitions of Terms for definitions and guiding questions. Priority Area: Background Information Long Term Vision: Problem or Issue: [Problem Statement] Population Based Change (Measure): Assessment Summary: Current Year Status: (includes major accomplishments, lessons learned, coalition strengths/weaknesses, barriers and opportunities, direction for current year, rationale, etc.) Work Plan Template Revised Final 2/7/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 2

3 Objective 1: WORK PLAN Intended Population Direct: Intended Population Indirect: Objective Tracking Measure(s): Strategy 1: Key Activities/Tasks include paid & earned media Start Timeline End Responsible Member Organization/ Collaborators (include last name of individual assigned) Resources Needed Results Desired/Expected Tracking Measure Work Plan Template Revised Final 2/7/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 3

4 Strategy 2: Key Activities/Tasks include paid & earned media Start Timeline End Responsible Member Organization/ Collaborators (include last name of individual assigned) Resources Needed Results Desired/Expected Tracking Measure Strategy 3: Key Activities/Tasks include paid & earned media Start Timeline End Responsible Member Organization/ Collaborators (include last name of individual assigned) Resources Needed Results Desired/Expected Tracking Measure Work Plan Template Revised Final 2/7/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 4

5 Objective 2: Intended Population Direct: Intended Population Indirect: Objective Tracking Measure(s): Strategy 1: Key Activities/Tasks include paid & earned media Start Timeline End Responsible Member Organization/ Collaborators (include last name of individual assigned) Resources Needed Results Desired/Expected Tracking Measure Work Plan Template Revised Final 2/7/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 5

6 Strategy 2: Key Activities/Tasks include paid & earned media Start Timeline End Responsible Member Organization/ Collaborators (include last name of individual assigned) Resources Needed Results Desired/Expected Tracking Measure Strategy 3: Key Activities/Tasks include paid & earned media Start Timeline End Responsible Member Organization/ Collaborators (include last name of individual assigned) Resources Needed Results Desired/Expected Tracking Measure Work Plan Template Revised Final 2/7/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 6

7 WORK PLAN INSTRUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN TEMPLATE Note: Terms are listed in order of appearance in the Work Plan Template. Also the terms coalition and organization are used interchangeably in these definitions. The intent is that the templates can be used by a wide variety of organizations not just coalitions. Background Information The first page of the Work Plan provides an opportunity to give some background on the coalition or organization and its programs and to highlight the progress that it has made. The Work Plan always needs to be tied to the organization s long term vision for the issue. This portion of the Work Plan captures the history of progress by presenting achievements, obstacles encountered, lessons learned, and opportunities that have emerged. This information is then used to develop objectives and plan activities for the current year s Work Plan. Priority Area Every program area has determined what its priority areas are. For example, each of the three public health programs that have been instrumental in the development of these templates (Physical Activity and Nutrition, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Tobacco Prevention) has identified specific priority areas for its focus. Physical Activity and Nutrition has selected the following five goals as priorities: 1) Improve access to and consumption of healthy, safe, and affordable food and beverages; 2) Reduce access to and consumption of high calorie and low nutrient foods and beverages; 3) Raise awareness about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity to prevent obesity; 4) Encourage physical activity, and 5) Decrease sedentary behavior. Substance Abuse Prevention has determined the following seven areas as its priorities: 1) Underage drinking, 2) Adult binge drinking, 3) Non medical use of prescription drugs, 4) Alcohol use among pregnant women, 5) Inhalant use, 6) Marijuana use, and 7) Methamphetamine use. Comprehensive tobacco control in Oklahoma has the following four priorities as its focus: 1) Eliminate secondhand smoke exposure; 2) Prevent youth initiation; 3) Promote tobacco cessation services, and 4) Reduce tobacco industry influences. Other public health priority areas and issues (such as economic development, child health, mental health, suicide, teen pregnancy, fluoride, dental care, etc.) also establish priority areas as well. To obtain more information about what those priorities are, contact the program area directly. Work Plan Instructions & Definitions Final 12/09/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 7

8 Long Term Vision A long term vision is the coalition s overall view of what they hope to achieve over a specified period of time what the community will look like if the vision is achieved. This view can include systems change in policy, procedure, agreement, etc. (at either the organizational or legislative level), or any other social norms change that is expected. Problem or Issue In this section, describe the problem(s) the coalition attempts to solve or the issue(s) it hopes to address. This is also known as a Problem Statement. A well constructed problem statement serves a reminder why the coalition is doing this work and links back to its Strategic Plan. Population Based Change This is a measure that helps quantify the achievement of the coalition s efforts at the population level. This is frequently referred to as an Indicator. Commonly used measures include the following: Attitudes (ex., do participants have positive feelings about a program or service) Individual behavior (ex., are participants engaging in more healthy activities or engaging in unhealthy activities less) Community norms (ex., is there a change in what the community views as normal about underage drinking or tobacco use) Policies (ex., are there new laws, regulations or company policies that support the changes that the coalition is working towards such as better school lunch programs or a ban on indoor smoking in all public places) Health status (ex., are there improvements in the health outcomes of community members such as lower smoking rate, fewer youth reporting binge drinking, etc.) Assessment Summary In this section, describe what data and information have been collected about the issue in the community either a baseline or ongoing data collection (for continuing programs). The data provided can be collected by the coalition (primary data) or data collected by another organization or agency (secondary data) can be used. Work Plan Instructions & Definitions Final 12/09/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 8

9 Current Year Status This is a description of the program and the community a snapshot. For continuing programs, describe the major accomplishments, lessons learned, coalition strengths and weaknesses, barriers and opportunities in the community. For new programs, describe the community as it is today. Also in this section, discuss how these experiences will be used to strategically develop objectives and activities for next year (in either narrative or bulleted form). Work Plan or Action Plan: An effective Work Plan (also called an Action Plan) contains enough detail to map a clear course of action over a specified period of time. The entire plan provides a picture of how its different elements (objectives, strategies, activities/tasks) fit together in a logical and connected sequence to achieve the strategic goals of the coalition and create change in the community. This Plan also provides sufficient information to provide documentation for external review. Objective An objective is the most direct results or changes of the activities and tasks that will occur within a year. Objectives are the specific, measurable results a coalition plans to accomplish and serve as the basis by which to evaluate the work of the coalition. Objectives outline the aims of an initiative what success would look like in achieving the vision and mission. Each objective should have a timeframe by which it will be accomplished. In the Work Plan, SMART objectives are used: Specific who or what are you focusing on; what are you going to do Measurable quantity Achievable and actionable Realistic Do you have the resources to implement the intervention? Time frame defined time for achieving the goal Here is an example of a SMART objective: "To reduce the percentage of youth in our community who smoke at age 15 from 18.5 percent to 16 percent by 2015." There may be several objectives that the coalition is working to achieve in a given program year. Intended Population Direct This section describes the specific group(s) of people that the prevention activity is explicitly designed to reach or impact. The primary intended population consists of those individuals the program is designed to directly affect. (Intended population is often referred to as target population or focus audience. ) To answer the question Who is your intended population?, the coalition really must answer two questions: 1) who is it trying Work Plan Instructions & Definitions Final 12/09/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 9

10 to reach with its message, and 2) why has it chosen this population? Here is an example of how these questions were answered in a Work Plan focused on underage drinking prevention: Intended Population: Youth, under age 21 in our community. Why? This is the age group for whom it is illegal to purchase and consume alcohol. Intended Population Indirect This section describes the secondary intended population as the group (or groups) that can help reach or influence the primary audience. Here is an example of how this question was answered in a Work Plan focused on underage drinking prevention: Indirect Audience: Alcohol Retailers. Why? These are the businesses that might potentially sell alcohol to underage youth. Objective Tracking Measure(s) This section describes what will be used to measure or provide clear evidence that the stated Objective has been achieved. In essence, how will the coalition be able to track and know that it has accomplished what it set out to accomplish? These measures are frequently called metrics. An example of a tracking measure is Participation rates (ex., how many people attend a training or class, how many people call the quitline). Strategy: A strategy is a way of describing how the coalition or organization is going to get things done "How do we get there from here?" (Take the train? Fly? Walk?) Strategies are broad interventions or activities that are required to achieve an objective. A good strategy will take into account existing barriers and resources (people, money, power, materials, etc.). It will also track with the overall vision, mission, and objectives of the initiative. Often, an initiative will use many different strategies providing information, enhancing support, removing barriers, providing resources, etc. to achieve its goals. Strategies suggest paths to take (and how to move along) on the road to success. That is, strategies help determine how the coalition will realize its vision and objectives through the nitty gritty world of action. Strategies include voluntary policy, legislated policy, tribal policy, enforcement of policies, creation of partnerships, and education/awareness. An example of a strategy is as follows: Establish a partnership with the Area Agency on Aging to support smoking cessation services among seniors in Harmony County. There can be multiple strategies to support a particular objective. Work Plan Instructions & Definitions Final 12/09/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 10

11 Key Activities/Tasks This section describes the series of actions to be completed, using program resources, to achieve the strategies identified in the previous step. Activities or Tasks are the processes, tools, events, technology, and actions that are an intentional part of the program implementation. They are used to bring about the intended program changes or results. As the coalition outlines these activities/tasks, include a clear identification of early activities/tasks and later activities/tasks. Building on the previous example of a Strategy, here are a few examples of activities/tasks that would support that strategy: 1) Contact Executive Director of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to set up meeting; 2) Develop materials for presentation to AAA; 3) Make presentation to AAA Board; 4) Develop letter of commitment between coalition and AAA for program promotion, and 5) Promote partnership through the media. Some of the activities/tasks noted in this section of the Work Plan could also be used in either the Communication Plan or the Logic Model. Timeline This section requires that the coalition thinks about when it will carry out and complete the activities/tasks noted in the previous section of the Work Plan. It is another section where being very specific is extremely important. Sequence the activities/tasks in a logical and linked manner according to when they need to be completed. Many tasks are linked and one needs to be completed before another can begin. Note specific start and end dates for the steps that need to be taken at a minimum, note what quarter the activity/task will begin and end. The annual timeline frequently refers to the state fiscal year (July 1 June 30). Responsible Member Organization or Collaborators This responds to the question: Who will do it? Be specific! List the name of the coalition member organization (and the last name of the individual assigned to a particular task) who will be responsible for each major activity/task. Collaborators are persons who are needed to complete the major activities/tasks, but may not be coalition members. Collaborative partnerships are defined as being formed by diverse groups to create a shared vision and joint strategies to address problems that extend beyond the purview of any one group. Work Plan Instructions & Definitions Final 12/09/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 11

12 Resources Needed This section describes the resources necessary to complete the activity or task. Resources can include people, money or materials. It can include educational materials that will be produced or purchased to be used as a part of carrying out the activities to increase knowledge of the audience on a selected issue (i.e. brochures). Resources can also include promotional materials and incentive items that will be produced or purchased to be used as a part of conducting the activities/tasks (i.e. pharmacy bags, t shirts, magnets, etc.) Results Desired/Expected This section describes what the coalition expects to result from the activities/tasks it undertakes. An example is as follows: Parents who graduate from the program have improved communication and parenting skills or Youth will have less access to tobacco products at convenience stores. Activity/Task Tracking Measures This section will describe how the coalition will track its planned activity or task in order to know that it has been achieved. Tracking measures can include the direct, tangible results or products of your plans what we get as a result of this particular activity/task. Essentially the question being answered is, what amounts of activities or services are being provided? These early work products often serve as documentation of progress. Examples of the types of amounts of activities and services are as follows: number of participants that attend a program, number of hours of community forums, number of brochures distributed, number of monthly newsletters sent, community activities held, etc. Work Plan Instructions & Definitions Final 12/09/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 12

13 Work Plan Resources Communities That Care Curriculum That Care Curriculum/PEP12 CTCPPT Equips communities with information to create a public health prevention approach to target youth problem behaviors such as violence, delinquency, and substance abuse. Includes 50 powerpoint presentations that cover strategic consultation, training, and research based tools. Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) is a community driven strategic planning tool for improving community health that was developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). This tool helps communities apply strategic thinking to prioritize public health issues and identify resources to address them. MAPP is not an agency focused assessment tool; rather, it is an interactive process that can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and ultimately the performance of local public health systems. Using this Web page, users can access the entire MAPP tool, supplemental resources, and technical assistance. Information on preparing for and completing the process is organized by phase, which users can access using the links above. The "related content" toolbar contains links to additional resources such as technical assistance, case studies, related publications, and materials created by experienced MAPP users. Work Plan Resources Final 5/13/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 13

14 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Tool Kit NACCHO's Toolbox is a free, online collection of local public health tools produced by members of the public health community. The Toolbox contains materials and resources public health professionals and other external stakeholders can use to inform and improve their work in the promotion and advancement of public health objectives. Current examples of tools include action plans as well as other items including case examples, presentations, fact sheets, drills, evaluations, protocols, templates, reports, and training materials. Planning Primer: Developing a Theory of Change, Logic Models and Strategic and Action Plans This primer provides clear guidelines for assisting your coalition to develop the products that you need to carry out a comprehensive community plan to reduce substance abuse rates. It also helps you understand the dynamic planning process needed for coalition work. The Community Tool Box: Developing An Action Plan This online resource is focused on community based organizations and coalitions and is very user friendly. It steps the reader through questions to consider in planning as well as essential elements of a successful action plan. Extensive resources are also provided. Work Plan Resources Final 5/13/ PHAO Toolkit - Work Plan Page 14