Strategic Plan & Work Plan Guidance
Relation of Strategic Plan, Work Plan, Annual Report
The community development process consists of three phases: strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation. Strategic planning looks at the big picture and helps you decide what is important. During implementation, you do the things that will get you where you want to be. After completing your activities, you evaluate them to see how well they worked.
Corresponding to these phases are three opportunities for formal communication between the Office of Community Development and State Rural Development Councils: submission to OCD of a strategic plan, an annual work plan, and an annual report (guidance forthcoming).
While these are separate documents, they are inherently linked. A Council's annual work plan responds to problems/needs identified during the strategic planning process. The annual work plan also sets targets for the production of outputs and for progress toward outcomes. These targets (or “benchmarks”) are used as standards during the evaluation of Council work. When evaluation results lead to changes in a strategic plan – because new needs or opportunities have been identified – it becomes clear that the strategic plan is a “living document.”
Below are guidance on strategic planning and work planning for State Rural Development Councils:
