This tool might help you with Step 2: Create a plan of action with your community
The following is a series of questions you can ask to help you get a clear sense of purpose and direction for your work together.
- Why are we here – what are we here to work on? (our purpose)
- Who are we here to work for and with? (our target groups)
- Who are we? (the lead group members)
- Who do we work closely with? (the key relationships we need to nurture)
- What are we trying to achieve overall? (our vision)
- What important beliefs guide how we go about doing this? (our guiding values)
- How will we know if we have been successful in making our vision come to be? (measures of success)
- What risks might we face that could stop us being successful? (risk analysis – see next page)
- What series of big steps will get us to our vision? (goals)
- What specific action do we have to do to achieve each goal? (tasks)
- Who will do each task, how long will each one take and when will they start and finish? (action plan)
IDENTIFYING AND ANALYSING RISKS
Begin by identifying possible risks you face with your 26TEN Community project. Here are some areas to consider:
- getting the support of key people in the community
- having sufficient resources – people, funds, time, office accommodation
- forging connections with other similar projects in the community
- responding to community concerns about our work
- the extent of our knowledge and skills
- having adequate support for communication and information technology.
Then analyse the risks. Do this by assessing the likelihood of each potential risk happening and the consequences if it does – see the table below. In this way, you can exclude extremely low risk items and avoid wasting time on them, and then just concentrate on the significant ones.
1. Assess each risk
Consider how likely it is that each risk might happen and the impact if it did. Plot your responses on this matrix to work out how significant the risk is, and therefore how intensely you will have to manage it.
| Seriousness or Impact |
|---|
| Likelihood | Low | Medium | High | Extreme |
|---|
| Low | E | D | C | A |
| Medium | D | C | B | A |
| High | C | B | A | A |
Using the grading for each risk – A, B, C, D, E – work out what response to take, as in the following table.
| Grade | Risk Management Mitigation Strategies |
|---|
| A | Identify actions to reduce the likelihood and seriousness and put them into action as soon as the work begins |
| B | Identify actions to reduce the likelihood and seriousness and put them into action at appropriate times as the work proceeds |
| C | Identify actions to reduce the likelihood and seriousness, calculate the cost and put them into action if and when funds permit |
| D, E | Note the risks but no action is needed unless grading increases over time |
2. Identify action to prevent or manage each risk
The table below is an example of one way to document your risk management action. In practice, these actions should then be incorporated into your larger plan as either goals or tasks. An example is included (in italics).
| Risk: | Not gaining the support of key people in the community |
| Likelihood: Medium | Impact: High | Grade: B |
| Strategies: | - Identify all the people and organisations who can help make the project successful.
- Contact them, let them know about the project and discuss ways they might like to be involved.
- Follow up on their ideas about how they would like to be involved.
- Keep in touch with them regularly.
|
| Responsibility: | Project Manager |