The purpose of this manual is to support members of nonprofit organizations in the successful development of their annual operating plans, offering practical processes and activities that maximize contributions and ensure their effectiveness.
operational-planning-manual-for-non-profit-organizationsLikewise, it intends to enable certainty so that the annual operating plans conceived are the ones that best suit their present needs and available resources, both in the organization and in its members, while, through the process used, they are organizationally strengthened and I contributed to the achievement of a solid and successful future.
Finally, that as a result of this operational planning process, future opportunities to support the mission and vision of the organization are achieved and, in turn, its integration in the social and economic life of its locality is promoted and, therefore Hence, from your country.
Unit 1
A PLAN BY AND FOR ALL
The organization is essential to empower its members in their struggle to conquer social spaces with equity and without discrimination, so their actions must be aimed at strengthening themselves as a social group. Hence, the participation and commitment of its members become key foundations of its existence and strength, from the conception of its plans to their evaluation, obviously getting involved in their execution process.
The starting point, therefore, is to have concrete and shared ideas of what the organization needs to be able to fully comply and successfully achieve its mission and vision, under a common effort that creates empowerment, commitments and development of group skills in the members.
Consequently, an adequate plan must be made concrete for each manifest moment in the life of the organization, taking into account:
- Involving each and every member, and other key stakeholders, in deciding the priorities of the organization. plan.
- Check the level of commitment and ability of its members to carry out the plan and achieve the expected results in the immediate future.
- Resolve the problems or situations identified, and face the risks of the environment, with the planned plan, so that its success is not affected.
Therefore, it is important to be thorough throughout the planning process, since not only will a solid proposal be achieved, but also an important development goal: organizational strengthening.
For this, it is convenient to take into account the following recommendations to start any planning process:
- Before preparing the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), it must have been identified, in a participatory way with the members of the organization, which are the most urgent common situations or problems that must be overcome or resolved during the year, otherwise You run the risk of drawing up a list of good actions and intentions without any support. Being realistic when formulating the objectives to be achieved for the year to be planned, it must be remembered that some solutions or decisions do not depend on the organization itself, but on Government institutions or other bodies that will not always respond positively or fully to the requests raised It is necessary and essential that the organization establish close coordination and presence with and in the institutions and key bodies present in their locality,in order to collaborate with each other and, thus, obtain resources (or manage agreements or resolutions), necessary for their work, or for the well-being of their members, especially when said resources are difficult to obtain. It is always pertinent to incorporate them into the Plan Annual Operational training and training actions for the base members of the organization, so that there can always be members who can subsequently assume the leadership or conduction of the organization. In this way, everyone learns and has the opportunity to develop in the organization. That is, in an organization, education and training should not be viewed as an action and exclusive right of managers or leaders.necessary for their work, or for the well-being of their members, especially when these resources are difficult to obtain.It is always pertinent to incorporate training and qualification actions for the base members of the organization in the Annual Operating Plan, so that they are always can count on members who can later assume the leadership or conducting work. In this way, everyone learns and has the opportunity to develop in the organization. That is, in an organization, education and training should not be viewed as an action and exclusive right of managers or leaders.necessary for their work, or for the well-being of their members, especially when these resources are difficult to obtain.It is always pertinent to incorporate training and qualification actions for the base members of the organization in the Annual Operating Plan, so that they are always It can count on members who can later assume the leadership or management work of the same. In this way, everyone learns and has the opportunity to develop in the organization. That is, in an organization, education and training should not be viewed as an action and exclusive right of managers or leaders.It is always pertinent to incorporate into the Annual Operational Plan training and qualification actions for the base members of the organization, so that there can always be members who can subsequently take on the leadership or conduct of it. In this way, everyone learns and has the opportunity to develop in the organization. That is, in an organization, education and training should not be viewed as an action and exclusive right of managers or leaders.It is always pertinent to incorporate into the Annual Operational Plan training and qualification actions for the base members of the organization, so that there can always be members who can subsequently take on the leadership or conduct of it. In this way, everyone learns and has the opportunity to develop in the organization. That is, in an organization, education and training should not be viewed as an action and exclusive right of managers or leaders.In an organization, education and training should not be viewed as an action and exclusive right of managers or leaders.In an organization, education and training should not be viewed as an action and exclusive right of managers or leaders.
Unit 2
BUILDING THE PLAN TOGETHER
Every planning process begins by creating a planning team, which can be made up of several members of the organization (no more than 5). You can also invite someone outside the organization whose skills and knowledge are useful for this task. For example, you can invite someone who is proficient in budgeting or who has previously participated in other planning experiences related to the sector.
This planning team must find answers to six big questions:
- Who?… Should participate in the planning process, since the more people get involved, the more its content will be enriched and the more people will want to
see your success. On the other hand, when other non-members of the organization are included, it will be possible to perceive to what extent the plan will receive support for its execution, mainly from the groups of interest to the organization.
- Why?… the annual operating plan needs to be drawn up and what?… is expected to be achieved. Both questions are linked, the first is answered by identifying what is the problem or situation to be solved? and the second thinking about how the problem or situation will be solved, a task that is facilitated with the definition or analysis of the vision and mission of the organization and with the elaboration of its situational diagnosis.
- Where?… Will planning meetings take place; When?… Will the planning activities take place and what are the deadlines, and How?… Will the organization plan be developed. These questions can be answered when creating the work plan for the planning process, which establishes all the activities to be carried out by the team, place of realization, date and responsibilities of each of the people involved and those aspects to be taken in mind necessary for the process.
On the other hand, as in every organization members from different origins are integrated, it must be ensured that a representative of each integrated group is included in the planning process. Likewise, guarantee that women (also girls, boys and young people) are involved in it in equal numbers and opportunities from the beginning.
IMPORTANT REFLECTIONS
Finally, it is worth reflecting on the importance of the good execution of the plan, since its incorrect execution affects everyone in the organization because:
- The members of the organization stop trusting the leaders.
- No experience is obtained and when new challenges arise, they will not be able to be faced.
- It acts in a disorderly manner, which can further complicate the situation in which it is
- If someone does not fulfill the responsibility that falls under the overload of another or another and that limits the performance of other activities that are also important.
- The organization will continue with the same problems for a long, long time and, therefore, its drawbacks.
Another important element is communication, it is possible that you are working very hard and obtaining visible results, but it is always necessary that, in a responsible way, a detailed report of what is being done and how is presented to the members of the organization it does.
The reporting assemblies in an organization serve to:
- Present everything that has been done to guarantee the proposed results
- Present what has not been achieved, the reasons and the measures that have been taken to resolve the obstacles.
- Analyze the main difficulties faced, as well as the elements that facilitate the work
- Show the transparent management of the funds we receive, how we have obtained them, from what sources, how we have invested them and what remains to be raised.
- Receive suggestions, support or even some criticism that will make us improve those things in which we are failing.
UNIT 3
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF OPERATIONAL PLANS
In an organization it is common to find problems, situations or deficiencies that hinder its development and / or development, and, therefore, that of its members. Many of these problems, situations or deficiencies will not have a solution or cannot be overcome if the members of the organization do not assume responsibility for them, that is, "if they do not take action on the matter."
Often you have the will to solve or overcome problems, situations or deficiencies, but you do not know where to start, that is when it is necessary to define concrete actions, where everyone does their part and contribute, in an orderly manner, to propose alternatives and put them into practice, arising, as a consequence, the need to plan, and to plan it is necessary to know how it is done and how everyone can participate.
Planning means foreseeing, thinking about what to do, planning in advance the actions and activities of the members of the organization.
In other words, a plan must make it clear:
- What is going to be done?
- Why and for what is it going to be done?
- When will each activity be done and in what order?
- With what human and material resources will each activity be carried out?
Therefore, operational planning in a social organization is an orderly and consensual process of actions that are selected, organized and presented, in an integrated and coherent way, to achieve one or more objectives that solve one or more problems, situations or deficiencies that are have previously been identified through a diagnosis or meetings with the members of the organization.
Operational planning is short-term, usually one year, and is derived from the vision and mission of the organization, or, in the best of cases, from its strategic plan.
The instrument used to present the information generated from the operational planning is known as the Annual Operational Plan (AOP), which can be divided by quarters or semesters to facilitate its execution and
tracing. 3
The POA also includes, in detail, the budget corresponding to the planned year, according to the different categories of expenses and sources of financing. It is developed in close coordination with the planning of activities.
In other words, operational planning allows projecting the reason for the existence of the organization, as well as the strategies and means for its realization, therefore, it must be carried out with the widest and most representative possible participation of its members, in order to identify your most heartfelt demands and make decisions about those that will be addressed as a priority through the plan.
One element to take into account is that all planning must be continually reviewed, taking into account political changes, the new needs of the beneficiary population, the possible scarcity of resources or as its objectives are achieved.
If, on the one hand, the participation of the members of the organization contributes to identifying existing problems and needs, in addition to discerning the actions and activities that would help to solve those problems, on the other hand it allows defining the strategic steps to follow for the achievement of each objective and determine who will assume the different tasks necessary for the execution of the plan. But, most importantly, it helps to unify and consolidate the organization.
In other words, the planning process is important in the life of an organization because it enables it to:
- Concentrate its resources around its objectives.
- Make your activity sustainable over time.
- Acquire new experiences
- Avoid falling into a disorderly and aimless activism.
- Unify criteria and coordinate the efforts of its members.
- Anticipate the necessary resources and situations that may arise.
- Improve the use of time and organizational energy and avoid interruptions and failures.
- Identify the specific needs of women, young people, adults and older adults and boys and girls, and consider them within the organization's work so that they also benefit from the actions that are carried out.
Finally, operational planning serves as the main guide (not as a straitjacket) for the conduct of activities and the rational use and allocation of resources available to the organization during the planned period.
On the other hand, it establishes what initiatives and changes the organization wants to obtain, with whom and why, while providing elements for the definition of:
- Methods of intervention for the provision of its services in a differentiated way, according to the demands and typology of its members, respecting the principles of gender equity;
- Mechanisms to incorporate other actors in the execution of the plan;
- Mechanisms for strengthening the organizational and administrative capacity of its Board of Directors, as well as its work committees.
The methodological instrument that is used mainly in the design and evaluation stages of the operational plan is the Logical Framework, since it allows the coherent and articulated elaboration of its central components.
Unit 4
MISSION AND VISION OF AN ORGANIZATION
The mission
The mission has been and is traditionally indicated as the most important element of any organization and refers to the rationale behind its social existence.
ELEMENTS OF THE MISSION
The formulation of the mission usually includes three main elements:
a) The purpose of the organization, that is, what does the organization exist for and what is it trying to accomplish? The purpose statement should focus more on the results to be achieved than on the means of achieving them.
b) The key action areas in which the organization is committed to achieve its purpose: what things does it have to do to fulfill the purpose?, which gives it character and difference from other organizations. Sometimes the mission specifies those areas that distinguish and differentiate it as an organization, that is: what things does it know how to do best?
c) The target recipients or groups of the programs or services provided by the organization, that is: Who do we exist for? Who are the beneficiaries of our work? and, sometimes, the problem that the organization tries to solve or the need that it tries to cover, satisfy or respond to.
It must be remembered that what characterizes non-profit organizations is their commitment and values of social transformation.
An example of a mission statement could be:
MISSION:
"Make socially and politically visible (purpose) wings and the _________________ (recipients) of the department of____________, through institutional political advocacy, public disclosure of their rights and support integrates their struggle for social inclusion in equity and without discrimination (areas of action or strategies). We believe in creativity, participation, solidarity and equal opportunities as essential values that inspire our actions, and that will enable them and _________________ to become true protagonists of their future (values). "
Very often the presentation of the mission is approached and developed separating its different elements, through expressions such as:
- WHO ARE WE ?: in the answer to this question sometimes the values are usually included: “We are an entity without the intention of profit of a plural, non-political nature,… ”.
- SOCIAL PURPOSES OR OBJECTIVES: "Our main objectives are…"
- WHAT DO WE DO ?: services that the organization provides, areas of specialization, main activities, etc.
- WHO ARE WE GOING TO? Recipients, beneficiaries or users of the organization's work.
Although the important thing is that all this information is presented in a transparent way and is known by the members of the organization and the main stakeholders, it is highly recommended to have a single, concise mission statement, which allows, on the one hand, to identify clearly to the organization in front of the others and, on the other hand, to exert a motivating and guiding influence of the action.
Everything that the organization does must be subject to its mission and whatever its activity, it must be analyzed and justified in the light of its coherence and contribution to the fulfillment of the mission. For this reason, the mission is the fundamental basis for the formulation of objectives and goals of the organization.
The vision
The vision of an organization tries to describe the ideal image that you want to have of the organization in the future, it is a guiding image of the success of the organization. In this sense, the vision reflects a set of aspirations, dreams or hopes of the organization in the long, medium or short term.
The vision statement must be consistent with the organization's values and culture, challenge the organization, and be ambitious and engaging enough to motivate the organization's staff in their daily work. But at the same time, it must be realistic enough, easily understandable, known and shared by all the people in the organization.
It is also usually considered appropriate, even more so in the field of non-governmental organizations, that the vision expresses the contribution that the organization makes to society.
To formulate the vision of the organization, thinking about a specific time scenario, an answer will be given on:
- What do we aspire to? What do we want our organization to be in the next few years or a year from now?
- How do we want the living conditions to change for the sector we represent? How different do we want it to be?
- What role do we want our organization to play in the geographical area in which we interact?
- How would we like others to see the organization?
The ideas that arise from the group discussion are noted and ranked in order of importance and, from there, proceed to write it. The result must be submitted to the discussion of the members of the organization to agree on it and, if pertinent, introduce the appropriate corrections until it is definitively approved.
An example of a vision could be written as follows:
VISION:
“Our organization is widely recognized among the population and the institutions involved in the fulfillment of the rights of its members, for its active leadership and in the provision of services aimed at ensuring that members have real and equal opportunities to enter society and fully exercise their rights to citizenship".
UNIT 5
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE PRESENT SITUATION: THE DIAGNOSIS
The process of formulating the operational plan consists, ultimately, in answering and establishing the relationship between these three questions:
- What does the plan seek (its objectives)? Why does it pursue those objectives (the justification of the plan)? What is the problem to be solved?
This process can be separated into two parts, both aimed at answering the aforementioned questions:
- The first consists in defining, in a convincing way, the logical relationship between the problem to be solved and the plan to follow for its solution, being fundamental that the problem is define from an objective and exhaustive analysis of the current situation and the social and political environment in which the organization operates with the most representative members of the organization.
- The second demand that the problem to be solved with the plan be raised from the observation and careful analysis of reality by the members of the organization, without external intervention, since if it is defined "from the outside" run the risk of doing
an incorrect identification (totally or partially) that would vitiate the entire life cycle of the plan.
The foregoing denotes that the diagnosis, far from being a simple preliminary analysis of the current reality, is an essential tool in any planning process to establish what problem or problems the plan's objective (s) will face, and to start the entire cycle life of the same.
When asking what is the most "correct" diagnosis, and, therefore, what is the "correct" definition of the problem and, therefore, of the plan, the vital importance of the participation of the most representative members of the the organization in the elaboration of the diagnosis and the identification of the problem. In effect, a bad diagnosis will lead to an erroneous identification of the main problems, even if the problem identification techniques are applied correctly. Likewise, a poor formulation of the plan will prevent it from reaching the desired objectives and it will be useless to execute and evaluate it efficiently and with all the "planning rules".
Despite the obvious fact that every operational plan must be clearly linked to one or more problems to be solved, in practice many leaders or managers of organizations do not question the objective reality in which the organization and its members find themselves, or about their surrounding environment, rather they launch themselves in an adventurous way to identify and define objectives, goals and actions of the plan based on their own experiences, perceptions and / or speculations, without stopping to wonder about their relevance with respect to or the real problems that the members perceive, and they take for granted that the plan thus conceived and formulated is correct, that it satisfies the requirements of the organizational task and reflects an "obvious" and "effective" development alternative for the organization.
In the worst case, they take planning as a requirement to be fulfilled by donor agencies or support institutions, and formulate the plan as a brainstorming that in the background is dissociated from the objective needs for strengthening and development of the organization and do not point (many times they are not even related) to specific objectives of the same, it is simply a plan because it is a plan.
Therefore, the main objective of the diagnosis should be to develop an interpretation of the change process necessary for the organization, as a basis for defining, as a whole, systematic actions aimed at developing its membership and, therefore, the organization itself, increasing benefits for target groups and ensure the sustainability of the organization. That is, it must provide adequate and timely information to:
- Establish what is the main problem or problems currently facing the organization and its members, focusing in particular on the relationships between the situation at the organizational level and the situation of the local environment in which interacts.
- Establish the causes and effects of the problems identified, to direct the analysis towards those causes that can be solved through feasible solutions.
- Identify the optimal measures to address the present and / or prevailing situation, that is, in what way it can be improved or overcome.
- Project the current situation without the plan, in order to foresee what would happen if it is not done (how would it affect the organization if the plan were not carried out?), Which will allow identifying the benefits and costs specifically attributable to plan.
Additionally, the diagnosis allows identifying the reliability margins of the plan, the poorer the diagnosis (due to lack of data, technical difficulties, etc.), the more limited the plan will be. Consequently, a good diagnosis is the fundamental basis for the correct definition and formulation of any operational plan.
When the organization already has experience in preparing an operational plan, that is, it is not formulated for the first time, the evaluation of the previous plan should be incorporated as pertinent information for the diagnosis of the current plan, but the exhaustive and objective assessment should never be dispensed with. of the real situation in which it is going to be formulated and executed.
Although it is true an operational plan can give continuity to unfinished actions from the previous period, or those that require extension over time due to their importance, these must be adapted to the context and conditions in which the new plan is formulated.
Unit 6
THE SWOT METHOD
SWOT is an analysis method that analyzes different data of the organization, its context and environment and allows to diagnose its situation, its position in the context, its internal state and then define and plan its role and action in the environment.
Based on the knowledge obtained with a SWOT, decisions can be made, reformulating the organization's mission and its strategies and objectives.
The application of this method is very simple. It is about analyzing in a frame, internally, the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, and externally, the opportunities and threats of the context (government institutions, donors, other social actors, etc.).
OF THE ORGANIZATION
Internal Strengths (F) Weaknesses (D)
FROM THE CONTEXT
External Opportunities (O) Threats (A)
Identification of strengths and weaknesses
Organizations are made up of people and material resources of different types that have been integrated to carry out actions of a different nature, in order to fulfill a specific mission. Consequently, it can be determined that there is no perfect organization, all have strengths and weaknesses (strengths and weaknesses; positive and negative aspects).n Strengths are constituted by the situations, attributes, qualities and resources of the organization, which are positive and whose action is favorable. They are driving forces, remarkable capacities of their own that contribute positively to the organizational mission.
The weaknesses, on the other hand, are those situations, resources or other factors that account for the difficulties within the organization; problems that affect or limit their perspectives, impede the adequate performance of management.
Doing an analysis of these forces in the organization allows to identify the strengths to promote them and the weaknesses to eliminate or correct them.
This information constitutes a valuable source for the construction of any plan for the organization, particularly for the formulation of the objectives to be followed and the strategies to be implemented.
The strengths and weaknesses of the organization can be analyzed for each of the dimensions proposed in the organizational analysis.
It is necessary to order and rank the strengths and weaknesses according to the assessment of their impact on organizational management.
Although an organization may be considered relatively small, the analysis of its internal strengths and weaknesses must be thorough.
To carry out an evaluation as complete as possible, it will be necessary to ask how well the organization works in relation to the different aspects that concern its social and political life. For the analysis of these aspects, the application of the internal evaluation table can be considered.
Social responsability
To apply the internal evaluation chart, the following steps can be followed:
- Select the factors to evaluate. The internal factors used by our organization are taken and the order in which they will be analyzed is established. Evaluation of the factors. For the evaluation of each factor, we proceed to discuss what each of the members who participate in the planning thinks about it. When drawing conclusions, each factor is assigned a shared rating, which allows determining its impact Identification of opportunities and risks. At this point, attention is placed on the scenarios in which the organization operates, in order to identify the main processes that occur in it and how these could positively or negatively affect it.
What are opportunities? Opportunities are favorable factors that we find in the context and that must be addressed to make them useful.
What are risk-threats? Risks-threats are factors that are adverse to the environment, which impact, affect and / or endanger the life of the organization.
The analysis of the environment should be done as deeply and accurately as possible, systematically identifying the factors of greatest potential importance to the organization. The greater and better the evaluation carried out, the greater the possibility of successfully facing the turbulent changes that are taking place in the environment.
For the study of the environment or scenario of the organization we must put the accent on diagnosing what is and will be the behavior, among others, of the following actors:
- the State, the media, the beneficiaries or members, the donors, the centers of attention, and other like-minded Organizations (this could mean a competition, a possible strategic alliance, or ground for negotiation).
Then it corresponds to analyze the set of situations or factors generated by the different actors mentioned above in their interaction with the context of the organization.
For each actor (State, media, beneficiary, etc.), it would be necessary to study the behavior of different factors with which a new evaluation table is built, but this time "external". Social-cultural
external evaluation table
What relationships are established, what language is used, what values are promoted, etc.
Political - public administration What administrative procedures must be followed, who to contact, where the power resides and the knowledge of what interests us.
Economic How they perform economically, what price standards are used, etc.
Demographic How many are they, what is their growth perspective.
Technological What tools and knowledge are applied or required, etc.
Legal What are the current regulations.
Competence What level of participation and capacity do other actors have in fields that interest us.
Ecology What desired and unwanted effects are produced in the environment.
The steps to follow are similar to those of the internal evaluation matrix.
Analysis of the results of the internal and external evaluation
Once the internal and external evaluation have been made, they are analyzed together, relating the characteristics or selected aspects that are to be observed in the two evaluations and are then placed in a table like the ones presented below:
From the crossing of the variables, the formulation of the strategies to follow arises, which can be presented in four possible situations:
- Strengths Opportunities: In this field the ideal situation occurs, the strengths of the organization are related to the opportunities of the environment Weaknesses Opportunities: Here the weaknesses of the organization join, which must be very attentive and try to correct, with the opportunities of the environment, which we must try to make the most of. Strengths Threats: In this situation the risks of the context are related to the strengths of the organization. Here, the strength of the organization must be used to the maximum to overcome the risks posed by the environment. Weaknesses Threats: It is the worst of situations, because the weaknesses of the organization are combined with the risks of the environment. The chances of success are minimized,But we must appeal to creativity in the formulation of strategies that allow changing the initial conditions and facing these situations.
In conclusion, the SWOT analysis allows not only to advance in the analysis of the internal and external situation of the organization, but also opens the way to decision-making and strategy planning. This usually leads to a reformulation of the mission-vision. All this process culminates and is reflected in an explicit product: the formulation of programs.
Unit 7
DETERMINATION OF OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
Setting objectives
Based on the analysis carried out and the set of issues identified in the diagnosis, it is possible to establish which are the strategic priorities that will guide the organization in the next 12 months, or in other words, define and select the objectives around to whom the process of change desired for it is going to be articulated.
The objectives express what we want to achieve and, therefore, will subsequently determine the strategies or means to achieve them.
Based on the vision and mission, the objectives are broken down into strategic or general objectives, specific or intermediate objectives, and operational or results objectives.
At the base of the objectives are the different activities that the organization will carry out and the resources or inputs necessary for their execution.
It is necessary to order the objectives according to their importance, from the most strategic objectives, located at the higher levels, to the more operational objectives, which are located at the lower levels.
The objectives indicate what we want to achieve, how, when, for what and for whom. Therefore, each objective is in itself an end, but also a means to the achievement of higher-level objectives.
All objectives must be subordinate to the mission and be consistent with it, which gives the organization a clear direction in its actions and avoids falling into an unreflective activism that in most cases it is not clear where it leads.
Each of the identified problems can be converted into a goal, where cause-effect relationships are transformed into means-ends relationships.
Whenever possible, the objectives and strategies must respond to a basic consensus in the organization and be clearly known and understood by each and every member of the organization.
It is common, however, that this consensus becomes more complicated as the objectives are specified or as the number of people involved with different interests in relation to them increases.
In part and for this reason, many organizations do not manage to define their objectives well or their statement is too general, confusing or ambiguous, which makes it difficult to establish appropriate strategies or to set variables and indicators that objectively allow assessing the achievement of the same.
There are a series of general guidelines designed to facilitate the formulation of effective objectives, among them the following should be highlighted:
- The objectives must generally be derived from the critical points identified in the diagnosis, that is, an objective arises from the reconversion of a problem or negative situation to an objective or positive situation.
- The objectives must always reflect specific purposes for the actions to be carried out and represent the effects or results of the action, rather than the activities carried out to achieve them.
- They should be stated clearly, brief, simple and understandable.
- They must be clearly aligned with the mission and with the objectives set at the strategic level.
- They must be realistic and, at the same time, they must pose a challenge that stimulates their achievement.
- They must be evaluable and measurable, so that it is possible to assign quantitative indicators through which the level of achievement or organizational performance is verified.
- They must reflect a key result to be obtained in the area or program or service in which they are established.
- Each team or responsible person must be committed to setting and achieving their own goals.
In general, strategic priorities should represent the most important challenges that the organization faces in relation to its position in the environment, and refer both to the organization as a whole and to different relevant areas to adequately fulfill its mission (services to clients). users, social support, financing, etc.).
Formulation of strategies
After selecting the objectives of the plan, we proceed to analyze and assess the necessary, possible and most convenient strategies to achieve them, and they are defined as the possible and necessary paths, ways or approaches to achieve the objectives. In other words, the strategies answer the question HOW TO DO?
The same ranking of the objectives already offers an idea of the possible strategies for their achievement. However, once the objectives have been determined, it will be necessary to contemplate all the possible strategies for each of them, evaluating the different intervention alternatives and often proceeding to a prioritization exercise among them.
Various criteria can be used to prioritize possible strategies, but, as a general criterion, it is recommended to focus on those strategies that enhance the internal strengths of the organization and serve to overcome its main weaknesses, as well as to position itself appropriately in the environment in which it operates. interacts, reducing the risks or threats it presents and taking advantage of the opportunities it offers.
It must be taken into account that every organization operates in an increasingly competitive environment, both in attracting resources (financial, human, etc.), as well as in the provision of services, therefore, when selecting strategies it is important be based on what our organization has a clear advantage or can “distinguish” in relation to other organizations in the sector (providing differentiated services, specializing in a certain segment of users, establishing innovative procedures and methodologies, etc.).
There are no valid answers or universal recipes to face the permanent dilemmas that many organizations usually face when selecting the different strategies to follow. These dilemmas, generally, tend to be complex and difficult to solve, often lending themselves to responses of a symbolic nature that, without attacking the specific causes of the problems, are aimed at alleviating their most obvious effects.
In general, as relevant criteria for the selection of intervention strategies we can point out: the adequacy to the mission, the cost, the time period for achieving the objectives, the impact on the quality of life of the recipients, the risks that strategy involves, etc.
Finally, it is recommended that each of the strategies be formulated in detail indicating the means and times (breakdown of activities and tasks, schedule, managers, resources and budget, etc.) necessary to carry them out, since this will allow carrying out the strategic approaches to an operational dimension.
Unit 8
SPECIFYING ACTIVITIES
This step seeks to detail the activities necessary for the success of the plan and to execute the defined strategies. In general, each activity must be framed within the following categories:
- Research tasks.
- Activities to strengthen the group.
- Activities that help persuade decision-makers and key actors.
When planning it is important to fill the existing information gaps, since the management of objective and accurate information is a key element to define effective and realistic strategies.
It is worth remembering that for any plan, information is needed on the problem to be solved and its causes, on the functioning of decision-making spaces, on the key actors, and on the capacities of the organization itself.
The information is also key to elaborate the arguments in favor of the plan, since it is useful that these include objective elements that point to the feasibility and effectiveness of the plan, which will allow responding to any opposition that may arise, especially if it comes from influential opponents within the organization.
Although not all the membership can be actively involved in each planning stage, the plan must have the support of each and every member of the organization, or at least the vast majority, in order to avoid generating internal confrontational problems. and antagonism, and turn the plan into a matter of little legitimacy and little organizational support.
Therefore and in order to enrich and achieve ownership of the plan, it is important to consult and validate the plan among all the people (or the most representative), to ensure that the social base has had the opportunity to contribute and have an opinion. Everyone must be aware of the process to ensure that the plan is consistent with their interests, mission and priorities and that the main planning decisions have full organizational support.
It is obvious that, in order to carry out the plan, it is necessary to have financial resources, since many of its key actions (time of the members, technical studies, advice, photocopies, mobilizations, office equipment, etc.) are translated in economic expenses, the details of which can be presented in a matrix that specifies the following:
Item or Expense
What will be purchased or contracted? Amount
How much to invest? Source
Where do the funds come from? Comment
What to keep in mind?
Therefore, the plan should set out the activities specifically and relate them to their respective strategy. Once the activities within each strategy have been selected, they must be presented in a coherent order in a written plan. This must specify for each activity the expected result with its corresponding measurement indicators, date or execution period, person responsible for it and necessary resources. In this step, the conjunctural and political analysis takes on special importance to define:
- Which activities should go first and which ones later.
- With which key actors should be approached.
- If they are taking advantage of the strengths of the organization and the opportunities of the social and political environment.
There are many ways to design a plan and the organization must adapt the outline that is most convenient for it in operational terms. An example of a functional design would be the following:
Table of contents of a POA document
1. Introduction
2. Executive summary
3. Description of the plan
Includes a summary of objectives, strategic principles, components, organization, users, execution period and plan budget.
4. Evaluation of the POA of the previous year
Includes achievements, execution problems, aspects to expand and others to strengthen.
5. Strategic and operational guidelines for the corresponding year Describes the strategic and operational guidelines for the execution of the POA.
6. Content of the POA of the corresponding year It
breaks down for each objective the activities, the goals of the year and the necessary resources, including the strategies that will be used to achieve them. The POA should explicitly address the following questions:
- What is being done and how much (planned activities and their goals in relation to the plan's objectives)?
- For whom? (Beneficiaries (as) / users (as) by activity and area)
- Who does them (those responsible for the activities and with whom is it coordinated)?
- When are they done (lead time)?
- How much they cost?
- How to measure the main activities (monitoring indicators)?
- How to do them (operational strategy)?
This information is usually presented in tables.
7. Budget
8. Mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the AWP
9. Mechanisms for disseminating the AWP
10. Annexes
Other suggestions to consider when specifying the activities of the plan would be:
- The team in charge of the planning process should be small but representative of the members integrated into the organization.
- Define quantitative and qualitative indicators to measure the expected results of each activity, in order to facilitate the evaluation of its impact.
- Create work commissions with defined functions, although in the activity plan it is important and preferable to designate specific people as responsible. More than one responsible person is none.
- It is necessary to ensure that the dates of the activities have a logical sequence.
- It is important to ensure that the plan is consistent with the rest of the organization's work.
- It is better that people of high level or representativeness of the organization participate in the planning, in order to ensure their support.
- You should think about activities that achieve impact results and, as far as possible, that do not generate too much dependence on external sources of financing.
Finally, two matrices frequently used in the specification of the activities of the POA are presented below:
Matrix 1:
Matrix 2:
General Objective:
Area or Commission Specific Objective Activities Dates Resources Responsible Parties
That is, every process of elaboration of a good operational plan must give and interpret the answers to the following questions:
0. Background:
0.1 What are the basic problems for the development of the organization? Is the proposed plan relevant to face this context?
0.2 What are the problems of the sector in particular?
1. Stakeholder analysis
1.1 What institutions, organizations, social groups and residents can influence / or be influenced by the plan, directly or indirectly? Define their roles in relation to each other.
1.2 Describe the target group (sex, age, income, employment status, etc.) and analyze the effects of the target group on the plan.
1.3 How does the target group participate in planning, implementing and monitoring the plan? To what degree is the target group the owner of the plan?
1.4 How will the results of the plan help or limit the members of the organization?
1.5 How are women members of the organization affected by the plan?
1.6 Which group of the organization's sector of influence could be adversely affected by the plan?
2. Problem analysis
2.1 What is the problem (or problems) that you want to solve? Why is a plan needed? (The problem or problems must be defined considering the target group proposed by the plan and not defined at the macro level).
2.2 What are the causes and effects (or consequences) of the main problem identified by stakeholders?
2.3 Why is it not possible for the target group to solve the problem? What is the support required for your solution?
2.4 Are there any previous experiences that have addressed the problem?
3. Analysis of objectives
The objectives must be concrete, achievable, relevant, realistic, limited in time and, preferably, measurable.
3.1 What are the sector development goals that the plan will help to achieve?
3.2 What, in concrete terms, is the overall objective of the plan? (The objective of the plan should eliminate the causes of the main problem identified)
3.3 What are the expected results of the plan in relation to its objectives? Why is the proposed plan important to the target group and the location?
3.4 What are the relationships of the plan with other efforts carried out by the organization by and for its members?
3.5 What concrete results will the activities produce?
3.6 Will the sum of the results of the plan lead to the fulfillment of the general objective of the plan?
4. Internal and external risk factors
4.1 What factors, or conflicts of interest - both internal and external, can prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of the plan?
4.2 What can be done about it?
4.3 Are there one or more decisive factors that are a mandatory condition for the success of the plan? How can you deal with such factors?
4.4 What negative side effects can the plan cause?
4.5 Have alternative strategies been considered to achieve the overall objective of the proposed plan?
5th. Organization and implementation of the plan
5.1 What resources (human, financial and material) have been made available at the activity level to guarantee that the plan can be executed?
5.2 What is the situation with respect to the organizational capacity of the organization, including administrative and leadership skills and abilities?
5.3 Have the division of roles and responsibilities among the members been clearly defined?
5.4 Will the target group be trained to operate and manage the activities of the plan?
5.5 What other plans in the same sector will be implemented by the government, non-governmental organizations or other donors? Is there a risk of duplication of effort or conflict of interest?
5b. Calendar
5.6 Have specific dates been set for the start and end of each activity?
5.7 Is there a specific date for the presentation of the final results of the plan?
5c. Budget and financing
5.8 Is the budget for the plan and its activities realistic and comprehensive?
Does it include local costs? Is it clear who pays for what?
5.9 How is the participation of the municipal government or donors in financing the plan? Are there other donors who could fund the plan?
5.10 What measures are planned to finance the organization's O&M costs when donor financial assistance has ended?
6. Analysis and preconditions for a healthy and economically sustainable development of the organization
6.1 Is there a policy and legislation by the local authorities to support the plan?
6.2 Are there sufficient management, staff and organizational capacity, as well as sources of funding to maintain the organization's activity in the long term?
6.3 Is the technical and technological level adapted to the prevailing conditions in the locality and the country?
6.4 Have studies or proposals been made for the organization's self-sustainability?
Unit 9
EXECUTION AND MONITORING OF THE POA
It consists of the execution of the approved activities and with the assigned resources. During the execution of the plan, a continuous monitoring of activities and resources must be carried out, to verify whether the expected results are being achieved efficiently and effectively and to propose corrective measures, if necessary.
The monitoring of the POA and its budget seeks to know how the defined activities are being carried out and if the defined goals are being met within the foreseen deadlines and with the assigned resources. This is a participatory process, and it is used to adjust the POA and the budget.
For its realization it is necessary that the corresponding indicators of results and processes have been defined and the different instruments for the collection and analysis of the information have been formulated.
Monitoring the POA entails carrying out the following activities:
- Analysis of different regulations that affect the normal execution of the POA, such as government guidelines through specific laws (taxes, social security, withholdings, etc.).
- Analysis of external factors (assumptions and risks) that affect the execution of the plan.
- Continuous review of progress in activities, according
to monitoring mechanisms that the organization has. For example: weekly or monthly meetings, field visits, etc.
- Preparation of execution, supervision, accountability reports, studies and evaluations on specific topics, etc.
- Discussion of the results of the implementation of the POA and the budget and dissemination to the members of the organization on a regular basis.
- Rethinking activities, goals and strategies, resource allocation and global budget.
During the execution and monitoring of the plan, it is necessary to take into account a series of relevant actions that are executed by other actors who participate, directly or indirectly, in its execution. In this case they should not be designated as sequential activities, as they do not follow a pre-established order.
The monitoring of financial execution must be compared with the physical execution of each activity, and constitutes an administrative instrument of management analysis that is extremely useful for the direction and coordination of the same.
Monitoring is the responsibility of all the actors involved with the plan, therefore, information on the level of execution of the POA should be presented to them periodically, establishing the relationship of the evaluated period with the other periods and with the global goals.
On the other hand, it is not convenient to establish a follow-up that requires an overly sophisticated information system, so it is necessary to try to select those basic indicators for the most relevant results and objectives of the plan. It is also essential to have a simple measurement system, avoiding investing a lot of time and resources in collecting and systematizing the information, so it should not be too exhaustive or plagued with irrelevant and useless data for decision-making in the organization.
Likewise, the frequency of measurement of the results and objectives must be determined, so this does not imply an exaggerated consumption of time and resources, specifying at the same time who will be responsible for said evaluations in each case.
The operating plan must, therefore, incorporate into its own design how it is expected to monitor the objectives and strategies proposed therein, taking into account that for this it will be necessary to have an appropriate structure and information system, as well as with a set of basic indicators, so the more sophisticated the procedure, the more sophisticated the relevant structure.
Unit 10
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Evaluation is a periodic task that must be applied to any operational plan, since in this way it can be observed if the objectives are being achieved or if new situations arise that complicate the outlook and on which new decisions must be made. It also allows you to take action when things are failing or when more has been achieved than previously thought.
It must be evaluated on:
- The activities that have been carried out: verify the level of involvement in them and if it was not positive, find out what the reasons were, if the expected results could be achieved and if not why, that is, if everything It came out as planned.
- The operation of the commissions or work teams: to verify if everyone is getting involved enough. It is possible that some or some have problems with the established schedules, so they must be modified; Others or others may have been demotivated halfway, so it will be necessary to visit them or visit them to find out the reasons and see if there is a solution and if not, estimate how their absence will be compensated.
- In the case of women, it must be considered that they are a rather special case, since, in addition to organizational work, they carry out tasks at home, so it is necessary to check if meetings or activities can be held at times that facilitate their participation. It would even be necessary to analyze whether any awareness campaign is necessary towards men so that they collaborate with the participation of women in their homes.
- The results that are being achieved: it is measured if what was planned was really achieved.
- The organization as a whole: it may be that one committee or team achieves its objectives, but another does not, which directly and negatively influences the achievement of the general objective. It may also be that the Board of Directors is failing or that situations outside the organization have simply arisen that greatly hinder their work or that made them dedicate themselves to other tasks.
It is important to view evaluation as a natural and positive work process and include it as part of the organization's activities in your work plan. Many are afraid of it because it has traditionally served to make destructive criticisms that end up disintegrating the organization. If the appropriate value is given to the evaluation, it will always serve to improve, as people and as an organization.
Below is a UN compilation of some of the most common, but misguided, excuses not to evaluate:
- Our plan is different. It will cost too much. We don't have time. The organization is too small. It was not in the execution plan. We have never done it. Members will not understand. Everything is pure theory. Not our problem. Why What are we going to change if everything goes well? We are not ready yet. It is not included in the budget. So far we have never done it and everything is going well. There must be some other reason. Do you want to show me my work? That can work anywhere Another organization, but in our case it would be useless. I am not convinced it will be useful. It cannot be done objectively. It will be too difficult to change. We have done what we were told to do. The execution has been done as what was planned. We have already been evaluated. We have no problem. There have been changes in the Board of Directors.The financial crisis has delayed us. They just did an audit. We can't find the original work plan. I wasn't there yet when the plan started. Everyone is satisfied with the organization. The plan is not "assessable". We don't count With the data to do it The design of the plan is too vague We are partying in the locality We are all the time evaluating ourselves with the work It is the rainy season We have a good monitoring system.It is the rainy season We have a good monitoring system.It is the rainy season We have a good monitoring system.
All evaluation process occurs in three stages: the one carried out before the preparation of the plan or ex-ante evaluation (the diagnosis); the one that occurs during the execution or monitoring stage, and the one carried out at the end of the ex-post evaluation plan (the feedback).
Through the monitoring or evaluation of the execution process, the tasks and the management of the plan are monitored by controlling the fulfillment of the goals, the adjustment of the tasks in their programming and the financial disbursement. On the other hand, it also enables the identification of design mismatches that may be affecting the implementation of the plan.
A monitoring system aims to ensure that the plan, in addition to being successful, achieves the planned objectives and is sustainable over time. On the other hand, it is sought that those responsible for its execution have an instrument that helps them in making decisions and favors the development of the management capacity of the plan and the organization.
The information obtained in the monitoring process constitutes an important support to be able to identify the evolution of the problems and make decisions about the most important strategies, the corrective measures and the revisions of the plans and the allocation of resources for the activities in question.
In summary, monitoring tries to ensure quality in the execution stage, provide information for decision-making and generate analytical capacity to achieve an adequate methodological development.
Adequate monitoring can serve to detect signs or indications of problems that are developing as well as successful aspects that have not yet been fully manifested, as well as to improve the understanding of the environment in which the plan is executed, since, with the information obtained, it is possible to act on the adequate modification of the plan and transform the teaching obtained into new performance criteria. This learning from monitoring should be integrated into the results of the ex-post evaluation as a source of teaching for future plans.
The basis for monitoring is found in the objectives of the plan, the information on which the analysis of the problems was structured and the established goals. All these elements are the basis on which the indicators that will allow to establish monitoring are selected.
Every plan requires, first of all, the definition of objective and verifiable indicators, the frequency of their evaluation and the responsibility for their application. These factors must be defined based on the availability of data (the sources and methods of collection or generation of information.), The capacities of the members of the organization and the type of level at which the monitoring will be carried out. Monitoring should not be rigid, its process should be constant, dynamic and consistent with the vision and mission of the organization.
The first condition for establishing the indicators, which will allow monitoring, is related to the characteristics of the objective defined for the plan. If you want to establish an evaluation of the process, it must be carried out from the fulfillment of the objectives. In this case the indicators are nothing more than the relationship between the objectives and the results (goals); This implies that the definition of unclear and specific objectives will lead to the failure to define adequate indicators. The result will be that an adequate evaluation cannot be achieved and therefore adjustments to the plan cannot be made either.
You must be aware that not all activities must necessarily be monitored. The monitoring process should be considered as an autonomous process in itself, and consequently the decision to be carried out will depend on its profitability.
The ex-post evaluation constitutes the last stage of analysis of the plan and attempts to measure the final results of the plan after its completion.
The ex-post evaluation tries to measure the real impact of the plan in relation to its initial situation, so a new evaluation of the organization's situation is carried out, in which the results obtained are compared with those diagnosed.
Is ex-post analysis important for the organization? In reality, what is done is done and therefore for the organization the ex-post analysis has a formal character. However, this analysis is extremely important, since it constitutes, together with monitoring, one of the main training instruments, through the feedback mechanism, for the preparation of future operational plans.
ANNEXED
ELABORATION OF THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK MATRIX
The Logical Framework is a working tool with which the performance of a plan in all its stages can be evaluated.
At the same time that it allows the objectives of a program and their causal relationships to be presented in a systematic and logical way, it also serves to assess whether they have been achieved or not and to define the factors external to the plan that influence their achievement.
The Logical Framework Matrix reflects what the program is currently based on the following matrix:
The input boxes of the matrix are as follows:
End of the Plan: It is the description of how the plan contributes over time to the solution of the problem or satisfaction of a need that has been diagnosed.
It does not imply that the plan, by itself, is sufficient to achieve the End, so it can also be complemented with other actions that contribute to its achievement.
Purpose of the Plan: It is the direct result to be achieved as a consequence of the use of the components (goods and / or services) of the plan. It is a hypothesis about the benefit that you want to achieve. It is the specific contribution to the solution of the diagnosed problem (or problems).
Components or Products of the Plan: These are the goods and / or services that the plan produces or delivers to fulfill its purpose. They must be expressed in actions or finished work (systems installed, trained population, graduated students, etc.). The set of components allows the achievement of the purpose.
A component is a good and / or service directed to the final beneficiary or, in some cases, directed to intermediate beneficiaries. It is not a stage in the component production process.
Plan Activities: These are the main tasks that must be fulfilled to achieve each of the plan components. It corresponds to a list of activities in chronological order for each component.
The activities must be presented grouped by component.
Indicators: Indicators are a tool that provides quantitative information regarding the level of achievement achieved by a plan, being able to cover quantitative or qualitative aspects of it. It is an expression that establishes a relationship between two or more variables, which, compared with previous periods, similar products (goods or services) or a goal or commitment, allows performance to be evaluated.
The dimensions that are feasible and relevant to measure through an indicator are effectiveness, quality, efficiency and economy.
Statement: It is the conceptual (written) expression of what you want to measure through an indicator.
Calculation formula: It is the mathematical expression that allows quantifying the level or magnitude that the indicator reaches in a certain period of time, considering variables that are properly related for this purpose.
In the event that the plan does not handle indicators or is not in a position to prepare them, the information or statistics used to monitor the achievement of objectives must be included, explaining their evolution in recent years.
- Verification Means: indicate the sources of information for the indicators. They include published material, visual inspection, surveys, information records, statistical reports, etc. Assumptions: These are external factors, which are beyond the control of the organization responsible for the plan, that affect its success or failure.
They correspond to external events, conditions or decisions that have to occur in order for the various levels of plan objectives to be achieved.
The objective is not to record every conceivable eventuality, but to identify those assumptions that have a reasonable probability of occurrence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- CAMARA LOPEZ, LUIS (2005); Strategic planning; CIDEAL-ATD; Madrid, Spain.CUBIAS, AURORA (¿?); Operational Planning; Social Initiative for Democracy.DIPRES (2004), Methodology for the elaboration of the logical framework matrix, Management Control Division, Colombia.FRICKE, YUTA (2003); Planning for Success; ABILIS Foundation; Lima, Peru LEON, JORGE; MEZA, RONALD; MORALES; CARMEN E. (2003); Operational Planning; RUTA Publications Series; San José, Costa Rica. SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR CITIZEN INITIATIVES (?); Participatory Planning; IRD-CIRD-USAID; Asuncion, Paraguay.
