3 Steps to Building Plans That Work
ZN Advisory works with First Nations leaders to build vibrant, sustainable, self-sufficient Indigenous communities.
Making good plans is like drawing a map for a journey. They show us how to go from dreaming about a better future to actually making it happen. Plans help everyone in the community to move in the same direction, talk to the right people, grow leaders for tomorrow, build on what's already working, keep everyone informed, and make sure everything is done the way envisioned by the community members.
A good plan will align the broader goals of the Nation with the objectives of individual departments, engage key stakeholders, enhance capacity and succession planning, and improve the consistency of reporting both internally and externally. They will also ensure compliance with the Nation's codes, laws, systems, policies, and procedures. In this article, I’ll describe the process we use to develop plans that work. Let’s dive in.
Plans that lead to action are key because they turn our big dreams into steps we can take.
There are 3 steps to creating actionable plans:
Conduct Discovery
Develop a Community Endorsed Framework
Create Actionable Plans
Step 1: Conduct Discovery
We approach every engagement through a lens of collaboration and engagement. This begins with listening. In the discovery stage, we Identify and engage with key stakeholders. Our goal is to get to know the people and the situation. We gather and review existing community knowledge. Where are we starting? What do we have already. This includes things like:
Comprehensive community plan
Strategic plan
Organizational structure
Financial statements
Other information of interest
The milestone for this phase of the project is to develop a framework for plans that will reflect the community’s needs and aspirations.
Step 2: Develop a Community Endorsed Framework
Next, we take this framework and chat with community members, leaders, managers, and staff to see what they think. If they have ideas for making it better, we listen and change it. Then we show it to them again and ask, "Does this look right now?" We continue this process until the framework has everyone’s approval. This stage is critical. Successful projects rely on having everyone work together. Community buy-in is essential.
Step 3: Create Action Plans
In the third step, we populate the framework by filling in the details for each department. What has to happen at the tactical, operational level? Once the framework is populated, we review the plans with the department managers to get their endorsement. Finally, we install accountability.
Often, people believe that you just create a plan and let it happen on its own. Well, that's not how it works. You need to set up a meeting cadence for your Nation. How often you will meet to check how things are going? This step is about making sure the community's big goals are being worked on every day, in a way that makes sense to everyone.
Sometimes making these plans and keeping them on track is really hard.
For communities to stay strong and move forward, they need these plans to work in real life, not just on paper. But it's a big job to ensure that both the strategy and the daily work match up - checking in and keeping everyone focused.
Community leaders are often busy and under-resourced. This is why it’s helpful to have someone from outside to help them build out these plans and engage the meeting cadence to keep the momentum going. It usually takes about four to six months to get everything rolling, but it's worth it. And that's where we can really help, by working with the community to make sure these plans turn into action. If you're in an Indigenous community and want to see real change, it's time to get started.
Let's work together to build a future that's bright and self-sufficient.