Participatory Action Planning Guide
Gathering the Action Group
The group may meet together, or use reply-to-all emails to do their action planning
Recruiting Participants
Initially and later, other Lake Hills Liberals members and others should be invited to participate through notices on our website, in our newsletters and through personal contacts
Participatory Action Planning
Through participation of those who will do the actions, participants educate each other to create an action plan which contains everyone’s wisdom. Participants can then enact the plan quickly, since they do not need to be first trained to understand it. Participatory Action Planning can be performed within your workplace, family and other arenas of your life. It is a valuable skill to acquire.
Context
Begin with describing the history of the group’s formation and activities.
Participatory Planning
Plan through brainstorming and organizing the thoughts of all the participants. In sequence, create or identify the Vision, Obstacles, Strategies and Tactics. Express these at an appropriate level of generality, without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail.
Create an Action Planning Report which eloquently communicates the necessary information, without excessively beautifying the report.
Practical Vision
The Practical Vision provides the objectives which the actions are to achieve. Begin with describing the relevant history of our Lake Hills or larger Community. Describe the present situation and trends. These descriptions are an easy beginning point because they are objective. Then imagine that in 3, 2, or 1 years that all that is desired is obtained. What would this be? What already present components should be retained? What new components should be obtained? Rooted in the present, this practical vision is the basis for the rest of the action plan. It expresses the participants’ commitment to this aspect of their community. Do not stop here or everyone will become cynical about great ideas that are not realized.
Identified Obstacles
If the vision was easy to realize, it would have already been realized. What is blocking its implementation? Leadership, cooperation, cultural tradition, opposition, lack of expertise, lack of resources, etc.? Identify the obstacles and then the basic obstacle that must be changed to realize the vision. Identifying the obstacles is painful because it identifies the weakness and failure of the community. These obstacles form the target for the strategies and tactics. Do not stop here or everyone will drown in futility. Don’t let the pain stop the creation of strategies and tactics.
Creative Strategies
Strategies orient to removing or going around the obstacles. For each obstacle and especially the basic ones, create the strategies for dealing with it. How do we obtain leadership, cooperation, expertise, volunteers, funding, etc.? Some strategies may orient to several obstacles. Create basic strategies which if enacted will overcome all the obstacles. Ask “Will these be effective?” The participants begin to feel good as they can visualize the light at the end of the tunnel. But don’t stop here or nothing will be done.
Timelined Tactics, Assignments and Budget
The (what, when, who, how) tactics are the specific actions that will be performed to implement the strategies. The description of each tactic (perhaps on a card) should include What will be done? When will it be done? What individual or existing or new team will do it? How will it be done (procedures and resources)? Some tactics may assist the implementation of several strategies.
The tactics are put on a 2-dimensional timeline, with time along the bottom and the assigned individuals and groups up the side. Their position is adjusted so that some come before others that they enable and so that any one time period doesn’t require more resources than are available. Create a realistic personnel and financial budget through summarizing the participants, funding and other resources that are needed at each time period.
The participants now become nervous as they realize they are committing their own time and energy to realizing the plan. They must realize that their vision cannot be realized without their actions. Without implementation, the obstacles will remain. They will remain mired in the swamp of the present. The group will dissolve. But implementation is made easier because a group is involved. When some people have difficulty, others can step in to help.
Typically, the time line is by week for 3 months and then by month for the rest of a year. Often many of the tactics can be performed quickly during the first few weeks or quarter. After a quarter, the group should adjust their plan to face new realities. They should ask: Which tactics has been done and which not. What are new resources and obstacles have appeared? What is the schedule of tactics for the next quarter.
Effective, Efficient and Educational Meetings
Planning and implementation meetings should be carefully prepared. When first meeting, participants should wear name tags. The meeting space should contain the necessary resources. Through décor and the initial contexting, participants should quickly focus upon their task.
The leader should be primarily a transparent container who through asking carefully prepared questions, elicits the ideas of the participants and then enables the participants to organize the ideas. Brainstorm (butcher) paper, masking tape, markers, cards, etc. are typically needed. A blackboard, overhead projector, videotape player, television, healthy snacks and beverages, etc. may be needed.
Often the meeting proceeds in sequence through the Being, Knowing, Doing, Being activities:
Being: Meetings may start with an appropriate call to begin which may include a gong, song or ritual. If new to each other, participants may quickly introduce themselves and their relevant interest, experience and skills.
Knowing: A context is provided including the history of the group, when the meeting is to end and what is to be achieved by that time. An agenda may be suggested. Limited time may require deferring some achievements to later meetings. Necessary supporting information should have been previously distributed and may be quickly reviewed.
Doing: Do the planning as described above. Or the meeting may be an implementation meeting.
Being: Reflect (maybe 5 minutes) upon the meeting in order that participants learn to improve their skills for conducting meetings and planning.
Objectively, what happened?
Personally, how did you react to what happened?
Interpretatively, what did you learn about the world and actions to affect the world?
Decisionally, what decisions have you made about your participation and your life?
Without reflection, participants are less conscious of their shared learnings and commitments. Much leadership training occurs through reflection. Participate and reflect.
Meetings which include all of these components are more effective, efficient and educational. Participants are focused and involved. Little time is wasted on distractions. Earlier phases enable later phases. Results are creative and relevant.