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Strategy Skills > Planning Delivery

Designing an implementation plan

> in practice

The change management planning process considers the overall changes required to achieve the desired strategic direction. As part of this, it will be necessary to prepare a detailed implementation plan. This will help to ensure that those responsible for implementation are aware of exactly which activities are required, by whom and by when. It will also assist monitoring and evaluation of progress in implementation.

The aim of the plan is to ensure agreement for each specific recommendation on:

• what needs to happen
• by when
• lead responsibility for delivery
• potential risks to delivery
• who else needs to be involved.

The process for agreeing an implementation plan can help to deliver ownership and buy-in, not only to specific tasks but also to the overall conclusions of the project.

There are a number of ways to approach implementation planning, depending on the overall objectives of the project and the nature of the project outputs. Some projects will contain an implementation plan as an annex to a final report. Others may separately agree an implementation plan with the relevant departments responsible for implementing the recommendations. The nature of the plan may also differ between projects. For example some may contain very specific timed actions while others may create a framework for further action and thinking.

Whatever the context, the following steps should be taken when defining an implementation plan:

• Define structure: an implementation plan can take a number of different forms. The product may depend to a significant extent on what other stakeholders need or want. The more specific a plan can be, the better. As a minimum an implementation plan should be clear about who is responsible for delivering what by when.
  
  
• Define the outputs/recommendations and the tasks required for implementation: clarifying what is required and breaking this down into specific actions. For example any single conclusion from a project may lead to a range of outcomes, a number of specified outputs, and many clear activities and deliverables. The aim should be to define specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed (SMART) tasks.
  
  
• Define the milestones: be clear about the critical outputs and outcomes and the key milestones to achieving them.
  
  
• Define the sequence: some tasks and outputs may be inter-dependent. It is important to map out the inter-dependencies and ensure that tasks and events are properly sequenced.
  
  
• Clarify and agree responsibilities: the process of designing and agreeing an implementation plan can form a key component of the overall objective of securing stakeholder buy-in to a project's conclusions. Ultimately the responsibilities for delivering tasks should be clear and agreed by all key stakeholders.
  
  
• Identify potential risks to delivery: there are likely to be risks to delivery of the strategy. By conducting a risk mapping exercise, to identify the likelihood and impact of potential risks, plans can be put in place to mitigate any high probability, high impact risks.
  
  
• Be clear about the monitoring and evaluation arrangements: part of the implementation planning process should consider what success might look like. A plan might specify success criteria and key issues and mechanisms for monitoring and measuring progress; alternatively a plan could be clear about the need for the lead Department to design a monitoring and evaluation framework within a specified timetable.
  
  
• Document agreements: the process of putting together an implementation plan, and securing agreement from key stakeholders, will be critical in ensuring that conclusions are put in to practice. The outcome of this process should be written up and shared with stakeholders as a document through which further progress can be monitored and chased.

It is important to start thinking about implementation very early in the strategy development process. Working to achieve buy-in from those responsible for implementation during the strategy development process will make actual implementation much easier. Ideally, there would be someone on the project team who will be responsible for implementation and for designing the implementation plan.

Similarly, designing an implementation plan can take time. Sufficient resources should be allocated to do the task properly. Unless it is factored into the project plan, key team members may have left before implementation is considered.

Strengths

• Helps ensure that the project is implemented in an effective and timely manner.
• Connects general conclusions to specific actions.
• Process for agreeing a plan can help achieve stakeholder buy-in.
• Holds stakeholders to account to deliver specific tasks.
• Sets a framework for monitoring and evaluation.

Weaknesses

• Stakeholders can get immersed in the detail to the exclusion of getting to grips with the bigger picture.
• It can be easy and tempting to agree a plan that is too bland to have any real meaning...
• ...But a detailed implementation plan can lead to difficult negotiation. There is a risk that some aspects may be fudged.

References

The Policy to Successful Delivery website within the Office of Government Commerce Successful Delivery Toolkit site provides additional guidance on delivery planning.

The online Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (PMDU) Toolbox also provides information on how the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit works, tried and tested ways of working to help strengthen delivery and communication between PMDU and departments. It includes guidance on the production of delivery plans. This was produced for PSA target owners but it provides information that may prove helpful in the development of implementation plans.

The Risk Support Team at HM Treasury provides guidance on managing risks to the public.

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