How Do We Get There?
by Jim Segedy and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy

What's the recipe for successful implementation of your community's plan? That's the focus of this installment of the Segedys' series on preparing the comprehensive plan.

Other articles in this series by the Segedys:

Community Self-Assessment: A Way of Looking at the Whole Picture
PCJ #73, Winter 2009

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Have a specific action plan. ... For each goal, your action plan should specify the steps that will be taken, in what order, by whom, and with what resources. Make the steps small and measurable. You can present these steps in either a list or a table, but make sure to link each item in the action plan to the specific plan goal it is meant to address. We like to include check boxes for each step, so that when they're complete, they can be marked off.

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This concluding article in the series will answer the final question we originally posed: "How do we get there?" In other words, what's the recipe for successful plan implementation. We'll draw on our experience to try to provide you some key ingredients.

1. Prioritize! How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Establish priorities for your plan's goals. Consider using a 1-5 scale for importance, visibility, "do-ability," budget availability, and other criteria. This will cut down on the inertia that can result from the task of plan implementation appearing to be so large that no one knows where to start. We like putting a space for this prioritization right in the plan itself.

We have found that a good role for the planning commission is to facilitate the setting of priorities with input from municipal departments and the public. You can do this through questionnaires or preference surveys, followed by a workshop that allows face-to-face interaction.

This process allows for open discussion of priorities and any obstacles to an item's implementation. Not only will you gain the perspectives of all parties affected by the plan, but you will also build public support and a sense of ownership of the plan that will carry through to elected officials as they set the budget and allocate resources.

... article continues with: 2. Have a specific action plan; 3. Provide for local "adoption" of projects; 4. Find those early success projects and use them to build momentum; 5. Celebrate success; and 6. Have an annual review of the status of your plan's implementation.

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