SRDC Work Plan Guidance
Overview
This guidance describes what is needed for a single component of the work plan. A Council's full work plan will usually include several components.
To be complete, each component must include two sections. The first section is the
Core Description, which connects the work plan to a Council's strategic plan. The Core Description includes:
- A problem statement;
- A definition of goals and objectives;
- A description of how work on the component helps fulfill the State Rural Development Council Duties*;
- A list of stakeholders to be engaged; and
- Suggestions for action by the National Rural Development Coordinating Committee (NRDCC).
The second section is the Work Plan Table, which describes Council activities and outputs for the year. On the work plan table a Council can outline its planned activities and expected outputs. A Council should identify benchmarks and baselines for its outputs. If a Council chooses, it can also describe the anticipated outcomes of its work. Defined outcomes should be accompanied by performance measures, baselines, and benchmarks.
The Office of Community Development recognizes that Councils are laying out detailed, ambitious plans. Naturally, as time passes and action on these plans begins, Councils may discover better ways to accomplish their goals. Please remember that a work plan can be revised at a later date, should a Council find a more effective way to accomplish its goals. Any significant changes need to be submitted to the Office of Community Development, with a copy sent to the RD State Director and key stakeholders.
Definitions
- Activities are the specific actions a Council will take to produce each output (and thus, contribute to successful completion of the outcome). The activity description should answer the question, "What will the SRDC do to produce a targeted level of output(s)?
- Outputs are the immediate products of activities a Council will undertake to address a specific issue. Outputs are directly controllable by the Council; they are the means to achieve the outcomes. The output description should answer the question, "What product(s) will the Council produce?"
- Outcomes are the anticipated results of a Council's work, and they help to achieve the objectives and goal(s) stated in the Core Description. Outcomes are not necessarily controlled by the Council, but they can be linked to the outputs of a Council's work plan. Outcomes answer the questions, "How will a key policy and/or program be improved?" and "What is the impact of a policy or program that was implemented?"
- Performance Measures are the indexes of success. Performance measures should answer the question, "How will the Council measure its progress toward achieving this outcome?"
- Baseline data indicate the starting point. They answer the question, "What is the current production level of this output or outcome?" Data for baselines are collectible, reliable, and valid.
- Benchmarks indicate the progress a Council hopes to make from the baseline by the end of the work plan period. They answer the question, "What level of success does the Council expect to achieve this year?"
* Defined in 7 U.S.C. 2008m, the United States Code reference number for Section 6021 of the “Farm Security & Rural Investment Act of 2002.”
Work Plan Guidance
The below guidance on work planning is a revised version of guidance distributed in August 2003. It is accompanied by a work plan template that should be more “user-friendly.” The template has space to define benchmarks for outputs, as well as outcomes. We encourage Councils to focus first on defining strong benchmarks for outputs, and if possible for outcomes.
Please note that Office of Community Development will accept SRDC work plans prepared according to the August 2003 guidance or this revised guidance.
Sample work plans are available upon request. Please contact your desk officer for assistance.
