LLCI Annual Plan
Strong planning is one of the most important tasks anyone or any organisation can undertake to ensure success.
The LLCI askes all Local Coordinators and their hosts to develop, review and implement an annual plan. This annual plan should be developed as a plan for the organisation as well as the individual coordinator.
There are a lot of difference ways an organisation can go about developing a plan, regardless of the process there are a few things every plan should consider:
Clear Vision – the first thing your annual plan should set out is a clear statement of your vision for where you want to be at the end of the planning cycle. This can be done by setting a realistic vision statement and importantly by setting S.M.A.R.T. goals.
Clear and Detailed Actions – Once you have set your goals, you need to breakdown the actions needed to achieve them. Actions are only effective if they are realistic, flexible and have someone’s name next to them. Your plan should consider who will do the work, when they will do it, what they will need to get it done.
For the LLCI plan you should not just plan actions for the coordinator but consider who else they will work with in the organisation.
An action plan is not a wish list! It is a breakdown of tasks that will be your priority – if it is not in your plan you need to ask yourself “should I be doing this?” If the answer is yes – then put it in your plan, allocate a person and the time resources you will need to get it done.
Focus on Improvement – Get yourself in the frame of mind that Improvement is Success! Your plan should give you the ability to check what you have achieved but importantly it should give you the capacity to adapt and to see where there is room to improve.
Don’t just put a “No” in the status column – Put some thinking into why and what else can be improved. This is the core concept of Adaptive Management. Many organisations use a triple loop approach to learning. In short you ask yourself how successful you are being now, will be in the short term and will be in the long term. Don’t get to the end of your plan and say “we should have changed that!”
It is important to remember that it is your plan – change it when you want, make it your primary tool for success. If that means rewriting it, make it happen. There is a famous line “a mistake that took a long time to make is still a mistake”
Check in on Success – Set times to review your plan, a good plan should be on your desk all the time. You should be able to pin point at any time where you are at in the implementation of the plan.
A planning template – There are many formats available for the development of a plan, the LLCI recommends the use of this planning template.
Help – If you need help or guidance in the development of your plan, a series of planning resources as presented at teh Induction workshop can be found on the Induction and Training Workshop March 2016 Tab . Also please contact your RLF, Landcare NSW, or Local Land Services.