Phase 4: Plan Together
Before this stage in the community mobilization process, you should have worked with the core group to jointly explore the health issue and set priorities. During this stage in the Community Action Cycle (CAC), the community needs to develop strategies to address the health issue.
STEP 1: Decide the objectives of the planning process
Before beginning to plan, it can be helpful to determine the purposes of the planning process. You may want to think of this in terms of identifying the main planning tasks and specific objectives of this phase. The planning process will also have its own objectives, beyond producing the plan, and it is important to work with your program team and core group members to determine these objectives. Additionally, at the beginning of the joint planning process with the broader community, you should ask participants how they would like the planning process to proceed, so that their expectations are clear.STEP 2: Determine who will be involved in the planning and their roles and responsibilities
Who will participate and how they will participate are critical questions. Equally important is who asks and answers these questions. Often, when groups answer the question, "Who should be involved in planning?" the list grows until the response ends up being everyone. While involving everyone in the planning process may be desirable from a participation perspective, the core group and others involved in determining who should be invited need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of managing a large group versus a smaller, more defined group. Determining who is participating and why will help facilitators better structure the process and will help participants understand their respective roles and responsibilities in the planning process.The CM program team should encourage the core group to take on as much responsibility for the planning session(s) as the members can. CM program team members are then free to work more as advisors than as organizers and facilitators. However, there may be times when it is better to have a more neutral, external facilitator conduct the planning process. The decision about who should facilitate should be discussed with core group members.
STEP 3: Design the planning process
Now it is time to design the planning process itself. You may want to review general facilitation guidelines and experiential learning principles as you develop the planning methodology. You may also find it helpful at this point to observe how community members plan other activities and incorporate important lessons or activities. In designing any participatory group process, you need to first think about planning from the participants' point of view. The core group should also review its findings and priorities from Phase 3 of the CAC to highlight salient information that needs to be incorporated into the planning session.A guide to the planning process
The list that follows presents the most common tasks in designing an action plan-the tasks the planning team will have to complete in Step 4 below. So you will need to design your planning session(s) with these tasks uppermost in your mind.Task 1: Orient participants to the overall goals of the program.The challenge for your team now, before the planning session takes place, is to decide which of these tasks/activities in which sequence the group will need to execute, what tools you will need to complete the tasks, who will be responsible for leading/facilitating which tasks, and what other aspects of this planning session need to be arranged for. You will then need to create a simple agenda for your session.
Task 2: Clarify the specific objectives of the planning process.
Task 3: Consolidate and review relevant information.
Task 4: Develop a consensus on program priorities, objectives, desired results or other indicators of success.
Task 5: Identify resources, opportunities, challenges and constraints.
Task 6: Develop a variety of strategies to achieve desired results.
Task 7: Select strategies with the most potential to improve health.
Task 8: Specify activities, resources needed and how they can be obtained.
Task 9: Assign responsibilities.
Task 10: Determine timelines.
Task 11: Establish or reaffirm coordination mechanisms.
Task 12: Determine how the community will monitor progress.
Task 13: Determine next steps and congratulate the group.
Task 14: Share draft plans with broader community if appropriate.
Task 15: Revise plans if necessary based on feedback.
Task 16: Finalize plans in a formal document.
Step 4: Conduct/facilitate the planning process to create a community action plan
The planning team (core group members and others identified in Step 2 above) will now design a community action plan using the process agreed on in Step 3. Discuss with your team and the core group ahead of time what you will do if any problems arise during the planning session. If you experience difficulties conducting the session, review your assumptions about the participants, the planning process and how the community views health. Often, problems stem from how we have conceived of and developed the planning process.Now that you have developed strategies to address the health issue, you are ready to implement the action plan.
