When a strategic plan has been successfully written by a group of people or organization, you don’t want it to sit on the shelf unused.  The goal is to establish a time line by which the goals and objectives will be carried out and by whom they will be carried out.  Creating that timeline is critical to the success of the strategic planning process.

The following questions should be asked as the implementation timeline is created for the strategic plan:

1. How will competing goals and objectives be prioritized?
2. Are effective management systems (like coordinating committees) in place to reach the identified goal?
3. Can the physical infrastructure support efforts to meet these goals?
4. What will key decision maker’s or stakeholders think of these goals?
5. Are the goals sustainable over time?
6. Can progress be adequately measured/evaluated?  How?
7. What additional information is needed?

A good timeline for implementation should include identifying the goal, the objective that will help achieve the goal, the action steps necessary to obtain the objective, who will do it and by when.  If possible, also identify how success will be evaluated.

For more information on creating implementation timelines for strategic plans, contact SDSU Extension Community Development programs at 688-4792 or by emailing karla.trautman@sdstate.edu