Scenario

Does this story sound familiar? “At a recent city council meeting, the council directed the city manager to return in 60 days with a staff report on creating an arts commission. As assistant to the city manager, I knew it would become my project, added on top of other urgent council requests. In my typical fashion, I jumped right in the next day and started doing research and outlining the staff report. 

Two weeks in, I realize I missed three key things and now the deadline that seemed pretty reasonable at the outset seems a bit rushed. I now need to involve some other people and gather other information I had not thought of on day one. The other staff hadn’t planned on spending their time on this project and now must drop what they are doing to help me meet the looming deadline. It is not considerate to impose on my colleagues to help me meet my deadline. And I don’t want to have to ask for more time from the city manager because I failed to plan properly.”

Question

What if this assistant to the city manager had taken an hour or two at the very beginning to think through the project and develop a detailed work plan? Maybe if she, together with her colleagues, had identified all the information needed, where she (or others) could get it from, who needed to be involved, what approvals might be required, and what landmines she might encounter? Perhaps then she could have gotten to the finish line with some breath still left in her.

Solution

Taking time to plan is taking time to do it right and to do it efficiently. Time is scarce. We have fewer people doing more work. Expectations are high and we do not want to waste even a minute. So when we don’t take time at the beginning to plan out a project, we are actually wasting time and we put the likelihood of producing a quality work product in jeopardy.

What Is Involved in Developing a Work Plan for a Project?

Understanding that essentially every new assignment is a project. 

It may “sound simple” but if research is required, if a complex staff report is needed, if stakeholders are involved…it is a project.

Being clear about the objective(s) of the project. 

Write it out. Sometimes by doing this, we find that we aren’t actually all that clear as to what is being asked. This gives us an opportunity to seek clarification at the outset—before work on the project begins.

Understanding the challenges involved. 

By naming them, you can figure out ways to overcome them before getting too far down the project path.

Identifying the key steps necessary to complete the project and assigning a date to each one. 

While the steps may seem quite simple, putting dates to them may cause the team to see that some things need to be done before other things. Steps can involve gathering data, engaging outside stakeholders, getting approvals from executive management, writing reports and having them reviewed, going to appointed boards, and more. Time is an essential ingredient in each step.

Designating a lead person and helpful team members. 

Every project needs one person as the coordinator or lead. Otherwise, there is confusion. But most projects need at least one other person to assist, whether that is in a document review capacity or helping with other tasks.

Staying on task. 

This means regular check-ins on the work plan to see what has been done, what needs to be done, and what impediments have emerged that need to be dealt with. In some cases, that could mean planning short check-ins with all members of the project team to make sure the project stays on track.

Feeling more confident! 

By taking time to plan, each individual involved understands their roles, expectations are clear, and the project is one that everyone can be proud of without being overwhelmed.

How Do I Create a Work Plan?

Having a template with the key questions to answer can help. First, assemble the details for your workplan, as shown in Figure 1. 

Then build out your work plan template by task, as shown in Figure 2.

Conclusion

Local government work is dynamic. We are constantly juggling priorities. In some cases, we have to become subject matter experts in a very short time frame. When we fail to take a moment to plan out a project, we can create unintended emergencies for our colleagues, as well as put ourselves in a bind and risk not producing quality results in a timely manner.

A work plan doesn’t guarantee that problems will not occur, but it is a good way of anticipating challenges, being clear on expectations, enlisting colleagues to assist in a way that respects their time, and increasing the likelihood tenfold that the results will be something we are proud of.

As a bonus tip, it is always a good idea to have a colleague with excellent writing skills “peer review” your report and slide deck for your presentation to the governing body. It is true that we cannot proof our own work. If the goal is a high-quality product, then the peer review approach can help get you to that finish line!

Good luck with your work planning.

JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM, is a former city manager of two California cities and currently vice president of Raftelis.

TAMARA LETOURNEAU, ICMA-CM, is city manager of Laguna Niguel, California, USA.