Question

Policy development processes lead to actual government action. In this activity, you will seek the policy development that should have gone on before a government's plan of action was drafted.

First, post a brief description of the business plan you and your partner have chosen. Outline the underlying public policy objectives you have identified.

Next, select one point from the policy that particularly interested you, confused you, or angered you. Formulate a question to begin a general discussion. (Note: ensure that your questions elicit an idea, not just a one-word answer. Rather than asking "Do you agree?", formulate a question such as "What do you think about the government's objective of...?"

1. Search the Internet for a provincial or federal government overall OR a department business plan.
2. Examine the plan for underlying public policy objectives. List and describe the objectives.

Answer 1

Developing an action plan can help changemakers turn their visions into reality, and increase efficiency and accountability within an organization. An action plan describes the way your organization will meet its objectives through detailed action steps that describe how and when these steps will be taken. This section provides a guide for developing and utilizing your group's action plan.

WHAT IS AN ACTION PLAN?

In some ways, an action plan is a "heroic" act: it helps us turn our dreams into a reality. 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.

Each action step or change to be sought should include the following information:

• What actions or changes will occur
• Who will carry out these changes
• By when they will take place, and for how long
• What resources (i.e., money, staff) are needed to carry out these changes
• Communication (who should know what?)    

WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR A GOOD ACTION PLAN?

The action plan for your initiative should meet several criteria.

Is the action plan:

• Complete? Does it list all the action steps or changes to be sought in all relevant parts of the community (e.g., schools, business, government, faith community)?
• Clear? Is it apparent who will do what by when?
• Current? Does the action plan reflect the current work? Does it anticipate newly emerging opportunities and barriers.

  WHY SHOULD YOU DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN?

  There is an inspirational adage that says, "People don't plan to fail. Instead they fail to plan." Because you certainly don't want to fail, it makes sense to take all of the steps necessary to ensure success, including developing an action plan.

  There are lots of good reasons to work out the details of your organization's work in an action plan, including:

• To lend credibility to your organization. An action plan shows members of the community (including grantmakers) that your organization is well ordered and dedicated to getting things done.
• To be sure you don't overlook any of the details
• To understand what is and isn't possible for your organization to do
• For efficiency: to save time, energy, and resources in the long run
• For accountability: To increase the chances that people will do what needs to be done.
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• Objectives or the goals of the organization are the ends towards which every activity of the organization is aimed at. Therefore, goals or objectives are the results that the organization tries to achieve. Objectives are considered as a prerequisite for planning. The managers cannot make plans if they have not established the organizational goals first. While the objectives of the enterprise are the basic plans of the firm, it is also possible that various departments of the organization may also have their own objectives. Therefore, even if the objectives of the departments are required to contribute to achieving the objectives of the enterprise, but it is possible that the goals adopted by these two can be totally different.
• Policies can be described as the general statements or understanding that provides guidance to the managers in decision-making. Policies are standing plans that guide the management that is engaged in managerial operations. The policies of the organization also prescribe the boundaries within which the managers have to make decisions and it also ensures that all the decisions made by the managers are directed towards achieving the goals of the organization. At the same time, the policies also help in dealing with the issues before they take the shape of problems.