RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
1.3 Developing an action plan
Developing an action plan means turning ideas raised during strategic planning
or evaluation into reality. It means identifying the steps that need to be taken to
achieve the resource centre’s aims. The resource centre officer and their
manager or supervisor should develop the action plan, in consultation with
members of the resource centre advisory committee and/or other users.
It is useful to have action plans for each area of the resource centre’s work,
such as:
• fundraising
• selecting and ordering materials
• organising materials
• computerisation
• providing information services
• promoting the resource centre
• networking and cooperation.
1.3.1 How to develop an action plan
An action plan consists of seven steps: setting objectives, assessing the
objectives, identifying action required to meet the objectives, working out how
to evaluate the activity, agreeing a time-frame for action, identifying resources
(human, financial and technical), finalising the plan, and evaluating the results.
1. Set objectives
You need to identify clear objectives that will guide your work to achieve the
resource centre’s aims. Objectives need to be achievable – do not be over-
ambitious. They need to be measurable (for example, a certain number of
activities carried out within a certain period), so that you can know whether
you have achieved them. Ask yourself:
• What do we want to achieve?
Example of an aim: To disseminate information that will improve local
health workers’ knowledge of local health problems.
Example of an objective: To produce and distribute an information pack
on malaria diagnosis and management to all health clinics in the district
within the next three months.
2. Assess the objectives
Assessment helps to determine whether or not the objective is appropriate. It
may result in confirming the objective, abandoning it or revising it. Ask
yourself:
• Is the objective compatible with the resource centre's aims and objectives?
• Are the necessary resources (funds, equipment, staff) available to reach this
objective? If not, are they obtainable?
• What problems might arise in working to achieve this objective?
SECTION 1: PLANNING A RESOURCE CENTRE
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