8.1.2 Steps in the planning process
When you know a lot about your community, you can begin to make a plan of action. The planning process should follow the six steps outlined in Figure 8.3. We have briefly summarised each step in Box 8.1, and in the rest of this section we will look at each of them in more detail.
Box 8.1 Steps in the health planning process
Step 1 Assess need: identify the problems and clarify the situation you want to improve.
Step 2 Identify and prioritise: select your priorities for action — what are the most important issues to tackle?
Step 3 Set goals and objectives: what is the overall goal of your activities, what are your specific objectives (targets) and in what timescale do you aim to achieve them?
Step 4 Develop strategy: What is your action plan? What activities, resources (people, equipment) and finances will be needed to achieve your objectives? How will you explain your action plan and gain community support for it?
Step 5 Implementation: How will you deliver your plan? Do you have everything you need to make it successful?
Step 6 Monitor and evaluate: What data will you collect and how will you evaluate the impact and outcomes of your activities? How will you measure progress towards meeting your objectives? Notice that in Figure 8.3, the results of Step 6 help you improve the next cycle of planning, beginning at Step 1.
Resource Management at Health Post level is covered in detail in the Health Management, Ethics and Research Module.
8.1.1 Collecting basic information about the community