Annual Implementation Plan

Introduction

An annual implementation plan is a plan which outlines exactly how you will be reaching your goals for the year, and who in your team is responsible for that outcomes. It links strategic goals and objectives to tactical goals and objectives. It describes milestones, conditions of success and explains how or what portion of a strategic plan will be put into operation during a given operational period. It also includes budgetting.

Why

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This toolkit is relevant for you when your organisation:

• has a strategic plan for the next few years and needs to break it down into a detailed quarterly plan for the next year.
• needs to plan for the next year and set clear goals to be achieved.
• needs to budget for activities planned.

What you can expect

In eight steps this toolkit will assist you in creating an annual implementation plan (with budget) for your organisation in a simple and easy way. Here you’ll find a step-by-step guide, tools, examples and other resources for making this plan.

Step 1: Induction and Review

• Review the organisation’s current strategies and goals, possibly from your strategic or multi-annual plan. Leaders and team members should work together on the annual implementation plan to promote ownership and collaboration.
• Consider:
  • Problems and opportunities
  • What has been done last year that should continue this year
  • New objectives for the year
  • New opportunities that have come up 
• To get an idea of what an annual implementation plan might contain, watch this illustrative example of the annual plan of Maliksi Elementary School (Philippines):

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Step 2: Vision Statement

• Define a vision statement of goals for the organisation for the coming financial year.
• Refer to your organisation’s overall mission and vision as a guide.
• Create goals for each priority area, for example:
  • Quality and Efficiency (Programs)
  • External Recognition (Marketing)
  • Financial (Fundraising & Budget)
  • Successful Outcomes (Monitoring & Evaluation)
  • Talent and Partner Acquisition and Retention (HR and Programs)

Step 3: Define Goals and Activities

• Define one to three goals in each priority area to meet in order to reach the vision.
• For each goal, identify one to four activities that need to be implemented to reach the goal.
• List the activities out chronologically by every quarter of a year.
• Activies should be specific, realistic, with measurable targets with a clear relation to the goal (e.g. if goal is “get four new partners” then activity could be “reach out to ten possible parteners” each quarter).

Step 4: Allocation of Resources

• Identify the (financial and human) resources needed for each activity in the pursuit of the different goals.
• Fundraising targets are also part of of an annual implementation plan.
• Allocate responsibilities to different staff members or teams.

Step 5: Cash Flow Creation

• Refer to the annual implementation plan to create the cash flow for the year.
• Cash flow will be based on the financial resources allocated for different activities.
• The cash flow will have a strong link with the budget for the year.

Step 6: Distribution

• Present the annual implementation plan to your teams for feedback. It is important to have commitment from every staff member in order to achieve the goals. 
• Present the plan to your board for approval.
• Distribute it to all staff members. Make sure everyone feels a collective responsibility for meeting targets.
• One method is to hold an intensive workshop to roll out the plan and get inputs from all the staff members.

Step 7: Identify Critical Areas

• Identify the most critical areas for the organisation. These are the areas that take most priority and/or require the most resources.
• This will allow managers to allocate people and time to support the activities in those areas during the year.
• Which critical areas are vulnerable? Think of alternative strategies or activities that could support (risk mitigation).

Step 8: Follow-up and Review

• Set a timeframe for internal reviews (monthly or quarterly) with the entire team to follow up on the status of key activities and progress towards the goals.
• Make adjustments when required and communicate these with the stakeholders.

Key To Success

• Ownership of leaders and staff is necessary to make the annual implementation plan work. 
• Goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound).
• The annual implementation plan should be used flexibly: when necessary, you might have to shift activities due to changes in your communities or sector.

Challenges

• Expectations and output can be too ambitious or unrealistic, leading to dissatisfaction of staff and donors.