Work Plan and Individual Plan

References:

Scope of Presentation:
Definition
Objectives of a Work Plan
Elements of Work Plan
Steps in Developing Work and Individual Plan

Introduction

All in-scope employees of the government are now expected to prepare a work plan.

Work planning and review is sound organizational practice that allows you to set objectives for
the year, so you and your staff have a good idea of what you hope to achieve. It engages employees,
and helps them understand how their work fits into the larger work of the organization, and of
government.

A work plan contains the objectives that guide an employee’s work. It helps to ensure that the
employee’s work will assist the branch and the organization to meet established goals and priorities.
It is an expectation of the government that all employees will prepare a plan. Through planning,
development and review conversations with employees, you will ensure that work plans are focused,
appropriate, and realistic.

Work-planning defined
Work-planning is the process of determining what an office intends to carry out for the term of a work
cycle (i.e. annual or biennial budget calendar). Work-plans should be constructed within the guidance
and focus of a strategic plan and should contain the operational details that illustrate exactly what
services will be delivered and to what level of quality.

Learning Objectives:
 Know how to establish work plans that include individual performance and professional
development goals.

What is Work Planning?

• The process of setting your own achievable work and learning objectives that aligns with the
organization and work unit’s objectives.
• Opportunity to provide information to employees about how their work fits into the work of the
organization;
• Allows opportunities for employees to provide feedback; and
• Provides a formal method for managers to say thanks/praise employees (by means of commending
them or through commendation and appreciation)
What Is a Work Plan?

First, we’ll discuss what a work plan is. It’s essentially a “road map” that guides your team to
successful completion. It outlines the goals of the organization, the timeline you need to follow, the
tasks everyone needs to complete, and the processes required to complete a task.

Work planning is a vital component of any work task. Having a plan in place provides several
significant benefits, including:

Keeping everyone focused on the organization’s objectives

Ensuring organization by providing a sense of direction
Establishing a basis for teamwork
Providing guidelines for making decisions
Anticipating potential problems and how to manage them
Without a strategic work plan in place, you run the risk of not allocating your resources properly,
which increases the odds of issues and project failure. No plan also means you’re more likely to run
into serious problems such as confusion, frustration, and more.

Why do we need In-Scope Work Planning?

• Well-performing organizations have some form of work planning and review for all employees.
• Leaders need/want improved methods of setting objectives and tracking performance.
• Other stakeholders have asked for a consistent planning program.
• It is connected to our Commitment to Excellence
• It is connected to Public Service Renewal (a refreshed framework with a focus on mindsets and
behaviours which will lead to a growing spirit of innovation and collaboration across the Public
Service driving deeper change in how we work and that will meet the changing expectations of
public/government organizations) So in a broader scope, public Service Renewal involves policy
reforms to improve the quality of Public Services.

What are its benefits?

• Provides employees with the answer to several questions:
o What is expected of them?
o How are they expected to do it?
o How are they doing?
• Assists in setting and prioritizing projects/objectives.
• Provides a basis for them to discuss progress and address barriers with their supervisors.
• Provides them with the opportunity for understanding of organizational direction.

How does it work?

o Initial planning is done through conversation with direct supervisors.
 Work Plan is created
o Conversations occur throughout the year, with the expectation of a mid-year check- in to provide an
opportunity to realign/ adjust work, if necessary.
o Year-end discussion to review progress and achievement of objectives and prepare for the
next year’s planning process.
What’s in a work plan?
• Work objectives, competency requirements and learning and development objectives created by
you and your supervisor to help you and the organization identify how work will get done.
• It also allows employees and you to identify their strengths and areas for development (SWOT
analysis).

The Guide
This guide is intended to be a general reference and a resource for carrying out conversations with
staff to assist with the preparation and review of their work plans. Including the development of their:
• Work objectives,
• Competency Objectives, and
• Learning and Development Objectives

Alignment to Government Direction

Work planning is part of a strategic approach that involves numerous systems and interactions at all
levels within an organization (from bottom to top- from the employee, to the supervisor, to the head of
departments up to the uppermost superiors/commanders) to ensure alignment with overall goals and
direction. The work planning process is not only about the relationship between you (as supervisors)
and your employees; it is part of the government’s overall planning process.

Understanding Your Role (as a supervisor)

As a supervisor, you are responsible for:
• Monitoring organization and department’s priorities, and determining who will be responsible for
meeting those priorities; So, the supervisor must be knowledgeable in the overall work of the
organization so he/she can identify the key persons/person responsible in doing a certain role
• Clarifying and communicating organizational direction and goals on an ongoing basis; Supervisor
must clearly remind his staffs constantly and regularly these organizational goals and direction.
• Carrying out planning, development, and review conversations with each employee to discuss the
organization’s goals and priorities, to develop and review the employee’s work plan, to identify
solutions to challenges encountered, and to recognize progress and achievements;
• Encouraging work and learning planning as a way for employees to understand the government, the
organization, the work unit, and their individual roles within these areas; ensuring their work plans are
in alignment with organizational goals.
• Supporting employees in understanding how to set objectives and develop their own targets.
• Acknowledging the employee’s talents and contributions to the success of the department and
organization;
• Contributing to the ongoing development of a workplace environment that welcomes learning by
encouraging different experiences, perspectives, and opinions, and by supporting the sharing of
accumulated knowledge; and
• Supporting continuous learning by providing opportunities for employees to participate in relevant
development activities for current and future roles, to apply new learning in the workplace and to
share their knowledge and skills with co-workers; then lastly,
• Providing regular feedback, advice and coaching, including mid-year check-in & year- end
discussion.
What is the Role of the Employee?

Employees participate in the process by:

• Taking an active role in developing your work plan.
• Understanding organizational direction.
• Understanding how their role contributes to the work unit and department assigned with.
• Work with their supervisors to set objectives.
• Prepare draft plan.
• Taking personal ownership to ensure progress, conduct continual self-assessment, proactively
provide and seek input
• Identifying obstacles, recommend solutions and support implementation
• Monitoring personal progress and gathering feedback from their supervisors to help determine
progress in achieving their objectives.
• Formalizing their learning objectives based on their learning needs for their current role, and
discussing the appropriate development activities with their supervisor.
• Taking ownership of their individual career aspirations.

Work Plan objectives:

A work plan should outline the primary objectives of the team. Where there is an overall
strategic plan for the office level, the overall objectives should be directly derived from the source –
but only those that apply to the work-planning time period. Objectives that apply to a future time
period should be omitted. The work-plan should clearly articulate what areas of focus are most
important for the upcoming work year or budgetary cycle.
Element 1: How to Determine and Write Organizational Objectives

When organizational objectives are clearly outlined in an existing strategic plan, you carry those
objectives pertinent for the given year directly from the strategic plan to the work-plan.

In other cases, organizational objectives need to be derived from a higher-level relevant work plan,
such as that of the division or larger programme, or region, or project team. In some cases, the
management team or a working group will identify a set of objectives that capture the focus for the
coming year. Whatever the source, the larger objectives need to be translated to concepts and
actions relevant to your target group/unit.

In the UN we use the SMART methodology to write objective statements. SMART stands for:
 Specific – target a specific area or change
 Measurable – quantify or at least suggest an indicator of change or progress
 Achievable – specify goals that are reachable
 Realistic – state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources
 Time-related – specify when the result(s) expect to be achieved

Element 2: Core services

(Major Activities of the department that is align/anchored to the organization’s mission, vision
and objectives)

Your work-plan objectives will clarify the upcoming areas of focus and desired achievement within a
given work cycle. How those objectives will be achieved occurs through the delivery of an
organization’s core services.

The work-plan should then clearly outline the core services offered to clients by an office, specifying
exactly what will be delivered within the core services for the upcoming year or biennial budget cycle.
For each service, articulate the specific focus for the service area.
Example: Coordinate aid workers: improve timeliness of deployed staff.

Two methods: project-based or process-based

Core services are delivered in one of two methods: ‘project-based,’ whereby an office delivers
services via projects with start dates and end dates and with specific deliverables integrated in
the project; or ‘process-based,’ whereby an office delivers services via ongoing work processes
that continually operate.

Project-based services
A project includes a timeline, interim milestones, human resources, budget resources, and specific
deliverables. Projects are managed through timeliness, adherence to budget, and the quality of
outputs.

Within the work-plan, list and describe the key projects and deliverables in the coming budget year. It
is not necessary to list every sub-project; instead focus on those that are most significant, which could
be by strategic alignment, size of resource investment or relevance to the satisfaction of the office’s
mandate or clients.

How to identify and list core projects

The critical details to capture for core projects are as follows:
 Project Name
 Project Description
 Core Service Alignment
 Start Date
 End Date
 Main Milestones/Dates
 Human Resources (who/how many)
 Budget Resources (anticipated)
 Deliverables/Outputs
 Project Beneficiaries/Clients

For each key project, identify the performance measures for how success will be determined.
Ideally, a project performance measure captures the level of quality of the deliverable or satisfaction
of the beneficiary. Other interim performance measures may include whether the project is on-time,
on-budget, and/or on-quality, relative to the original project plan.

Process-based services
Processes are also often called ongoing activities. As it is a continuous set of activities, a process is
best described through identifying the following:
 Suppliers (those who provide inputs of any kind)
 Inputs (what it needs to function or acts on)
 Internal Processes (the steps it goes through)
 Outputs (what it produces)
 Clients (those who receive and use the outputs)

Describe objectives for the key processes of the office in the coming budget year. It is not necessary
to list every task (e.g. making photocopies); instead focus on the most significant core work, which
could be by strategic alignment, size of resource investment, or relevance to the office’s core mission.

How to identify and list core processes

Process performance measures captures success as the level of quality of the ongoing service. This
can be measured, for example, through client satisfaction; whether services are timely; whether
services are delivered within budget; and whether services meet client needs or change criteria.
The critical details to capture for key processes are as follows:
Process Name
 Process Description, or description of the element of the process that is the focus of the objective
 Human Resources (who/how many)
 Budget Resources (anticipated)
 Process Outputs or change indicators
 Process Clients or measures of the satisfaction by the beneficiaries
Element 3: Strategic and internal initiatives

You may also need to identify strategic initiatives that represent special efforts focused on internal
improvement. Initiatives may come directly from a higher-level strategic plan that contains initiatives
owned or under the responsibility of the Department or Office that involve every division, section, unit
and team in some aspect within the coming year or biennial budget cycle.

You may also consider taking up initiatives confined to your management area that are designed to
improve internal operating processes, staff capabilities, knowledge management, and financial
management.

How to document strategic and internal initiatives

The critical details to capture are as follows:
 Initiative Title
 Initiative Description
 Objective Alignment (if strategic plan exists)
 Start Date
 End Date
 Main Milestones/Dates
 Human Resources (who/how many)
 Budget Resources (anticipated)
 Deliverables/Outputs
 Initiative Clients

Element 4: Identifying Work-plan Risks

Risk management is the identification and mitigation of risks that would hamper the execution and/or
expected results of a work-plan.

Work-plan risks are categorized in two ways:

1) Possible/known risks from the external operating environment
 What might happen in the context of the political arena, economics, social issues,
technology, the environment/climate, legalities, security/safety, regulations, or other factors present in
the location?

2) Possible/known risks in the internal environment

 What might happen in the context of funding, human capital, processes, projects, service
quality and service timeliness?

Risks intersect a work-plan in the following two ways:

1) Risks affecting core services
 Which could prevent the successful execution of key projects?
 Which could prevent the successful execution of key processes?
2) Risks affecting strategic or internal initiatives
 Which could prevent the successful execution of initiatives?
How to develop a risk management approach in work-planning

1. Identification: Risks can be identified via surveys, management team brainstorming, the media, or
other sources (e.g. expert sources). Risk identification should be an ongoing activity.
2. Prioritization: Rank the risks according to 1) their likelihood of occurring and 2) the potential
negative impact on the work-plan. The highest scoring risks should then be clearly identified as either
drivers of work-plan objectives, as considerations for key services (projects or processes), or as
threats to initiatives. Not all risks should be included in a risk management plan, as many may not be
likely or impactful. Also, not all risks can be clearly identified, as it is impossible to ‘know what one
does not know.’
3. Mitigation: For the prioritized risks, a mitigation plan outlines either a) what will be done to prevent
or minimize the likelihood, and/or b) what would be done in the future to minimize its impact if the risk
occurs.
4. Monitoring: An annual risk management plan review may be sufficient to both refresh the risks and
to update the mitigation plans. However, many risks are event-dependent. So, it is important to review
a particular risk at the point when it might occur, to ensure the mitigation plan is put into action. This
could involve developing a special calendar that reminds managers or leaders to check on the status
of a particular risk.

Element 5: Manage by the work-plan

The most important step in work-planning is to ensure it is used as a management tool. A good work-
plan and an effective operational review process will drive organizational focus, ensure individual
accountability and drive desired results. Operational meetings represent the most common and
effective practice whereby managers and team members routinely review and discuss the
performance of core projects and/or processes. Ideally, the performance measures should support
the conversations with data and trends.

How to use and manage by a work-plan

 Set the frequency of the operational review meetings.
o This will be dependent on the pace of activity related to the core projects or processes.
Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly frequency may be appropriate.
o Once the frequency is determined, it is helpful to make the meetings ‘standing’, so that they
occur on the same day of the week/month.
 Determine how to structure the operational review meetings.
o Effective review meetings last between 1 to 2 hours.
o The agenda is set based on which projects or processes need to be discussed.
 Properly prepare and provide the needed information, updated and complete prior to each
operational review meeting:
o Overall status of the core project or process
o If a project, status of being on-time, on-budget, and on-quality.
o If a process, status of quality of delivery.
o Available data for performance measures (displayed in a trend chart)
o Requests or suggestions for management to consider or to make a decision.

The above preparation points are important as they ensure consistency in the meeting, a focus on the
operations as defined in the work-plan and a view toward driving results.
Developing a Work Plan: 4 STEPS

1. Identify and understand what expectations exist for that position.

 Formal – Job descriptions, organizational standards, project plans, program goals,
supervision requests
 Informal – Feedback, meetings, discussions, organizational culture

Setting Clear Expectations for Employees

Performance Expectations = Results + Actions & Behaviours

To perform well, employees need to know what is expected of them. The starting point is an
up-to-date job description that describes the essential functions, tasks, and responsibilities of the job.
It also outlines the general areas of knowledge and skills required of the employee an employee to be
successful in the job.

Performance expectations go beyond the job description. When you think about high quality
on-the-job performance, you are really thinking about a range of expected job outcomes, such as

What goods and services should the job produce?

What impact should the work have on the organization?
How do you expect the employee to act with clients, colleagues, and supervisors?
What are the organizational values the employee must demonstrate?
What are the processes, methods, or means the employee is expected to use?

In discussing performance expectations an employee should understand why the job exists, where it
fits in the organization, and how the job's responsibilities link to organization and department
objectives. The range of performance expectations can be broad but can generally be broken into two
categories:

Results (The goods and services produced by an employee often measured by objectives or
standards)
Actions & Behaviors (The methods and means used to make a product and the behaviors and
values demonstrated during the process. Actions and Behaviors can be measured through
performance dimensions.)

Performance expectations serve as a foundation for communicating about performance throughout

the year. They also serve as the basis for reviewing employee performance. When you and an
employee set clear expectations about the results that must be achieved and the methods or
approaches needed to achieve them, you establish a path for success.

Discuss the Employee’s Current Role and Career Aspirations

Before you can help to assess your employees’ development needs, you will need to consider their
current jobs as well as their individual career aspirations.
• Be sure that your conversation includes a discussion about what your employees are working
towards in their own careers.
In some cases, an employee may see herself/himself as close to retirement, in which case you
should ensure that your conversation includes a discussion about the knowledge and skills that you
agree are important to transfer to others within the ministry, and determine the best way to do so.

2. Key Result Areas (KRAs)

Key result areas are the major functions or areas of accountability that the person is responsible for
accomplishing throughout the year. Within each KRA there are a set of specific job duties and tasks
that need to be accomplished to achieve the desired result.

What Are Key Result Areas? The term Key Result Areas (KRAs) refers to a short list of overall goals
that guide how an individual does their job, or general achievement and progress goals for an
organization or one of its divisions.

KRA – outlines the outcome within the position for which the employee is responsible.
What is it? A strategic result that you should aim to achieve
Use: Describes the scope of a job role
Measurability: Qualitative
Structure: A KRA encompasses the entire job description and results needed.
Timeline: KRAs focus on long-term goals.
Basis: KRAs are aligned with your organization’s mission

3. Develop Goals for the Work Plan

Goal are specific achievements or personal development objectives assigned for a given time period
(monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or annually) and, if applicable, given a priority or weight relative to
other assigned tasks.

Goals help every employee in an organization understand what is expected of them to be successful
in their job. The goals that an employee and their manager create are specific objectives relevant to
the job, and are designed to help employees grow in their career. During performance reviews,
employees are evaluated and rated on these goals to determine how successfully they've met
performance expectations.

Goal Examples:
 Secure $30,000 in funding for after-school program this year.
 Enroll at least 250 children in after-school program this year.
 Facilitate one volunteer training each quarter this year.
 Attend conflict resolution seminar by June 1.
 Create a draft work plan for developing new performance evaluation by May 30.
 Create first version of online resource directory by October 1.
 Secure location and at least 3 sponsors for annual event by January 30.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals

SMART goals clarify what and when, not how or why. They clarify roles and responsibilities so
everyone who reads the goals can fully understand the scope and accountability. They identify
accountability for task completion. Every SMART goal should have the following five characteristics.
Specific: A single key result to be accomplished; clarifies what and
S
when
Measureable: The metric and expected performance level/result (e.g.
M
percent increase, completion of project)
Attainable / Achievable: The goal is attainable; can you actually
A
accomplish the goal?
Relevant: Employee has control and the ability to effect; aligned with
R
organizational strategic goals
Time-bound: Expected completion date or when the goal will be
T
achieved

The following goal meets all five criteria:

Within the review period every year, provide every employee with her/his completed correctly
documented performance evaluation that is mutually agreeable to by supervisor, employee and
management team.

Specific A single key result to be accomplished; clarifies what and when

Measurable Every employee, completed, correctly documented.
Attainable Goal can be accomplished.
Realistic and Supervisor and employee must agree this is doable and that employee
Relevant has control and authorization to succeed.
Time-bound Within the review period

1. Specific
Goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Specifics help us to focus
our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do. Specific is the What, Why, and How of the
SMART model:
WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop,
plan, build etc. WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?
HOW are you going to do it?
To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions:
Who: Who is involved?
What: What do I want to accomplish?
Where: Identify a location.
When: Establish a time frame.
Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
2. Measureable
A measurable goal tells the employee exactly what is expected so there is no opportunity for
confusion. Words such as better, excellent, or high-level are not measureable. Your definition of
these words may not be the same as others’. There are two ways to measure whether a goal has
been met: quantity and quality.
Quantity: Quantity indicators include hard figures such as numbers of youth enrolled, or funding in
dollars or percentages. Quantity measurements may be expressed in one of the following ways:
 As a known standard, such as program budget draft due October 1 every year.
 As a comparison, as in “15% increase over previous year,” or “not to exceed 5% over previous
years’ budget.” Be sure to include the comparison indicator with a percentage or ratio (such as
“reduce operating expenses by 15% compared to last year”).
 As a ratio or percent that can be tracked over a given period, such as “less than 5% turnover.”
Quality: These are conditions that indicate a result has been achieved. You can use either a
comparison or a known standard. To decide whether to use a quality measurement, ask how will I
know when it is achieved? An example of a quality measurement is complying with all conditions as
outlined in the organizational employee handbook or treating all clients and staff respectfully and
compassionately as defined by organizational principles.
3. Attainable:
Both the supervisor and the employee must agree that this goal is reasonable and within the
employee’s job description.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that
allows you to carry out those steps.
Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become
attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.
Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won't commit to doing. Although you
may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it's too much for you means your
subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best.
A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from
you. The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.
4. Relevant:
To be relevant a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work.
The goal must be within the employee’s control and ability to influence the outcome.
The goal should be aligned with the organizational strategic goals and the employee should
understand how his/her goal contributes to organizational success.
5. Time-bound:
Time-bound goals include a target date or a specific time period in which to meet the goal. Examples
include:
 By the end of the review period
 By the end of the quarter or year
 Every month
 Every time
 On an ongoing basis
Define the SMART Objectives
Your goals and objectives are the things you want to accomplish throughout the duration of your work
plan. Goals typically focus on the bigger picture of your project, while objectives are much more
specific and tangible. The objectives are the things you can check off or cross out once they’re
completed.
One of the most helpful ways to define your goals and objectives is by using the SMART concept,
where SMART is an acronym with each letter representing different ideas to help you set good goals:
Specific – What are you looking to accomplish? What actions do you need to take to get there?
Measurable – How will you measure your objectives? What data will you use?
Achievable – Are your objectives and goals achievable? Do you have the skills and resources
necessary to complete them?
Relevant – How do the objectives align with the bigger goal of your project? Why are they important?
Time-bound – When will you complete the objectives? What’s your timeframe?
The SMART acronym helps provide clarity for you and everyone on your team. It focuses your
attention and resources on what’s most important so you can be successful in completing those
objectives and goals.

SMART Objectives
It is important that the work objectives and results expected be stated in the most effective possible
form. The SMART model, outlined below, is helpful in developing the content for Work, Competency
or Learning and Development Objectives.

The first step is to sort out the difference between objectives and aims, goals and/or targets before
you start. Aims and goals etc relate to your aspirations; objectives are your battle- plan. Set as many
objectives as you need for success.
SMART stands for:
S Specific: Work objectives are for the purpose of identifying the specific results for which the
individual employee is accountable. Specific, in this case, does not mean detailed. Rather, objectives
need to be clear and concise, as opposed to generalized or ambiguous. Whether a job assignment is
operational or strategic in nature, objectives need to be directed towards the achievement of the
goals of the organization.
M Measurable: The results should be observable, such that they can be assessed as evidence
of reaching the objective. The measure and how it is to be assessed are to be described in the
Achievements and Progress section of the work plan. Four types of measures to consider when
writing a work objective statement:
• Qualitative - how well the result is produced/performed to what standard
• Quantitative - how much/many of the results are produced or performed
• Cost-Based - at what expense the result is produced/performed
• Conditions - what conditions, restrictions or limitations must be met or respected, in the
achievement of the objective

Measurements can be stated as rates (90% accuracy), ranges (+/- 50%), or absolute
quantities (5 projects). Measurements can also be stated to reflect specific requirements; for
example, “to meet written specifications”, “according to project guidelines”, “within the identified
budget”.
A Achievable: Objectives should “stretch” the employee’s performance, but must be achievable
by the individual employee. Limitations of achieving the objective need to be assessed beforehand. It
is important that the manager discuss the employee’s perception of control over the outcomes or
timelines expected. Consider the employee’s authority, requirement to influence others and resources
needed to achieve the desired result.
R Relevant: Objectives are to align with the ministry’s goals and plans. Work objectives are of
greater value to the organization when directly aligned to ministry/work unit goals and plans,
otherwise their value is diminished. All employees should be aware of the organizational planning
documents.
Realistic: Objectives must also be realistic about the human resources, time, money and
opportunity required. The objective must be of sufficient priority to garner the needed resources.
Often another objective needs to be completed beforehand. If this is the case, set multiple objectives
in priority order.
T Time-Bound: Each objective should have a specific time frame or deadline for accomplishing
the objective and/or key progress points. Timeframes can be specific dates (August 14), times of the
year (by the end of June), tied to significant events (before the launch of project XYZ), or ongoing
(daily, weekly).

Don’t necessarily try to use the SMART order, often the best way to write objectives is: M-A/R-S-T.

One strategy to writing quality objectives is to use action verbs, as they are much easier to
measure. Examples include:
to achieve
to administer to allocate
to analyze to assess to assist to build to clarify
to collaborate to communicate to complete
to conduct to confirm to define to deliver to
design
to determine to develop to direct
to distribute to draft
to encourage
to enforce to enhance to ensure to establish to
evaluate to examine to expand to explore to
facilitate to finalize to generate to guide
to identify
to implement to improve
to incorporate to increase
to initiate to inspect to integrate to interpret
to introduce
to investigate to launch
to lead
to maintain to manage to model
to modify to monitor to negotiate to notify
to obtain to operate to organize to oversee
to participate to plan
to prepare to present to prevent to produce to
promote to provide
to record to recruit to register to repair to
report to research to review to revise
to schedule to secure to select
to strengthen to submit
to supervise to support to track
to train to update to utilize
to validate to verify
You will know an objective is specific enough if:
• Everyone who’s involved knows that it includes them specifically
• Everyone involved can understand it
• Your objective is free from jargon
• You’ve defined all your terms
• You’ve used only appropriate language.

Work Objectives “Thought Jogger”

When I think about being successful at work, I should look for opportunities to…..
Do more of the kinds of activities that meet Continue to perform activities that are of benefit
my work goals and objectives, like… to me, my employer and my co-workers/staff
like…
Do less of the activities that waste time or Learn about new ways of doing things or
are unproductive use of my time, like… changes that have occurred like …
Start doing more activities that make better Be willing to accept greater responsibility for
use of my time, like … tasks and projects that help me grow and
develop, like…
Stop doing activities that are not productive What other work related things can I start
or waste my time, like … doing that would make my job easier or help me
develop new skills or abilities…

Professional Development (Competency & Learning Development) Plan

Identify the appropriate area of focus based on individual and organizational needs. Competencies
required by an individual based on the organization’s objectives

Level Area of Focus Required Skills, Knowledge, Experience?

4 Career Planning What should you do now to prepare for your career
5+ years from now?
3 Next Job or Role What should you do now to prepare yourself for a
promotion, increased responsibilities or a different
job?
2 Mastery: Current Job What should you do now to ensure that you are
or Role exceeding expectations and excelling in your
current position?
1 Threshold: Current What should you do now to ensure that you are
Job or Role meeting all expectations of your current position?
Principles for Development: The 70/20/10 Rule

10%

Formal Training Classes

20%
Learning through relationships:
Mentoring, Coaching

On-the-Job Learning & Devel-

opment
70%

Most learning and development doesn’t come from training. Rather, sustainable development comes
from on-the-job learning—actually doing the work while learning how to do the work. Learning from
training, unless applied immediately, is lost shortly after the class is over. Development efforts should
use the following strategies and ratios of effort.

70% On-the-job learning

Create conditions within the organization that support development and growth and hold leaders
accountable for the development of their people.
Some ideas:
 Role conversations: Discuss with people the connections between their work and
developmental needs by revealing learning opportunities in their day-to-day experiences.
 Stretch opportunities: Assigning additional projects, committee work, and new tasks. Think
about upcoming opportunities that provide people a chance to work on “next level” job
responsibilities.
 Shadowing and job rotations: Think about a temporary job or work rotation to provide someone
with a range of experiences. Allow people to job shadow others.

20% Learning through relationships

Ensure that individuals are learning from other people. In addition to staff, leverage board members
and volunteers with specific skills or experience.
Some ideas:
  Develop an internal mentor program and match individuals with board members, staff, donors,
external partners. Develop internal coaches; peer-to-peer or across functional areas and
levels. Provide external leadership coaches.
 Ensure supervision and ongoing feedback as people work on their goals.
 Join affinity groups, networking groups, learning circles.

10% Learning through formal training and education

Some ideas:
 Classes and workshops
 webinars/online learning
 Regular reading of publications, journals, articles
 Attending conferences

A sample work plan that can be used both by supervisor and employee but only for personal reference, this will
not be included in performance rating. This is only serves as guide or a map so it can be enhanced and
developed by an employee.
In-Scope Work Planning and Review Process

The work and learning planning process must be initiated by the supervisor.

• In advance of the planning, development, and review conversations ask the employee to review the objectives and
priorities for the ministry and branch.

o This will provide the basis for the conversation and will inform the content of the employee’s work plan.

• You will meet again, during the year and at the end of the defined planning period,

o To review the work plan,

o To consider if objectives need to be adjusted,

o To recognize progress and achievements, and

o To begin preparing for the next planning cycle

Mid-Year Check-in
• It is appropriate to have continuous conversations throughout the year with your employee.

• The mid-year check-in is a more formalized activity.

The purpose of a Mid-year Check-in is to provide an opportunity for:

• Open and honest dialogue;

• Shared understanding of how changes impact achievement of objectives;

• Realigning the plan to ensure objectives and expectations are on target;

• Commitment from employee to achievement of the objectives; and

• Create commitment from you, the supervisor, to provide support where required.

Year-End Discussion

For the purpose of reflecting, reviewing and recording achievements and shortfalls over the past year
• To know what has been achieved (public accountability)

• To outline accomplishments towards strategic objectives

• To know what needs to be carried forward into next year’s performance plan

• To identify areas for improvement at an individual and organizational level

Preparing for Conversations in All of the Phases

As the supervisor, you will need to clearly understand and be able to effectively communicate government direction,
where the ministry and branch are headed over the next year, and how the employee can contribute to the
achievement of the organizational goals.

Suggested ways to prepare for this discussion are as follows:

1. Review the vision, goals, and priorities of the ministry and branch;

• Explore the ministry website;

• Review the ministry’s Annual Report and the Plan for the coming year;

• Review the work plan for your branch and/or work unit;

• Get feedback from senior management on the priorities for this year; and

• Prepare to communicate this information with your employee.

2. Review the employee’s job duties

• Think about the employee’s strengths in this role, and what you consider to be some of the major
accomplishments by this employee over the past year;

• Understand the critical job duties and responsibilities;

• Think about how the functions carried out by this employee connect to the goals of the organization;

• Identify areas where the organization could benefit further by focusing on the employee’s strengths; and

• Identify areas where the employee could develop further in order to help the branch and ministry meet
established goals.

3. Review the employee’s most recent work plan (if one has already been created)
 CONCLUSION

Planning, Development and Review Process

Planning, Development and Review conversations are discussions between you, as supervisor, and your employee,
about the employee’s progress at work. These conversations should be constructive and used to help focus the work of
your employee, as well as to ensure that his/her efforts will benefit the ministry. Specifically, the objectives of the
conversations are to:

• Share information about the direction of government and the goals and priorities of the ministry and branch;

o Work plans need to align with all of these areas

Cascading Objectives
Cascading goals are a hierarchical framework to structure an organization's goals. At the highest or executive level,
strategic goals are set, and then those goals cascade down throughout the rest of the organization to help guide team
and individual-level goals.

• Discuss the employee’s current role and areas of focus for the planning time period;

• Discuss the employee’s career aspirations.

• Collaborate on the development of the employee’s work plan and objectives;

• Assess the employee’s learning needs and consider development options;

• Regularly review progress and achievements; and

The success of a work plan process includes frequent conversation.

• As a supervisor, you will need to be prepared to give and receive feedback, and use basic coaching skills

• Work plans should be a living document; for instance sometimes the priorities of work areas will change, and this will
cause objectives to change.

Creating the Environment

The purpose of the planning, development, and review conversations is to have a discussion about the work and
learning that is important to the employee’s role in the public service.

• You will want to create an atmosphere that is comfortable, relaxed, and conducive to the open sharing of ideas;

• Choose a location that will be free of interruptions and distractions and give the employee your full attention and help
them think through their work objectives and development needs;

• Also, talk about how you will keep in touch about any changes that may happen over the year and when you will next
meet to discuss progress in general;

• Refer to the Coaching section in this document, as well as the Coaching Tips, and the Tips on Giving and Receiving
Feedback in the APPENDIX; and

• Conclude the conversation by confirming what has been discussed, and make arrangements to finalize the content and
sign off the employee’s work plan.

Discuss the Employee’s Current Role and Career Aspirations

Before you can help to assess your employees’ development needs, you will need to consider their current jobs as well
as their individual career aspirations.
• Be sure that your conversation includes a discussion about what your employees are working towards in their own
careers.

In some cases, an employee may see herself/himself as close to retirement, in which case you should ensure that your
conversation includes a discussion about the knowledge and skills that you agree are important to transfer to others
within the ministry, and determine the best way to do so.

Ensure the Plan is Appropriate, Realistic and Focused

As the supervisor, be sure to review and confirm that the employee’s work plan meets the following criteria:

• Objectives clearly align with the branch/department’s priorities

• Objectives are connected to organization goals

• Objectives are realistic and measurable

• Development activities include both informal and formal learning as appropriate

• Employee understands that development activities are a shared responsibility and are realistic

• Employee’s learning style has been considered

• Timeframes are realistic and are flexible to change as required

• The best ways to determine how your employee is attaining the goals, and work to remove barriers that may be
impeding achievement of the goals has been identified.

The employee’s work plan will identify three types of objectives:

• Work Objectives- the key areas of work on which your employee will focus her/his efforts.

• Competency Objectives – the key behavioural actions and technical skill requirements that support your employee’s
progress toward work objectives.

• Learning and Development Objectives – the learning and development that will help your employee to achieve
her/his work and competency objectives.

The plan also identifies:

• Timeframes - when your employee is expected to achieve each objective

• Measure of progress - how you and your employee will assess her/his progress. The supervisor needs to assist the
employee in developing S.M.A.R.T objectives that are:

• Specific - Spell out expected results.

• Measurable – What does success look like? What results are you trying to achieve?

• Achievable – Realistic; can be achieved but offer employees an opportunity for growth.

• Relevant – Does it align with Ministry and Branch/Work Unit objectives?

• Time-bound – Has a timeframe been set, key milestones, dates or times of year?

Help the Employee to Assess their Work and Learning Needs

Part of your role is to help your employee identify her/his own work, competency and learning needs, which will then
form the basis for the employee’s work plan.

• Concentrate on the knowledge, skills and abilities (competencies), behavioural and technical that are important to the
employee’s current role and the goals of the department and organization over the next year, and then consider the
knowledge, skills and abilities that are important to her/his future career aspirations.

• Consider making use of the tools provided for setting objectives:

o Tips for Creating Work Objectives

o Sample Behavioural Competencies

o Tips for Setting Learning Objectives

o Etc.

• Be prepared to provide the employee with some feedback by giving some thought in advance to what you think
her/his learning needs might include.

Coaching Employees

Coaching is part of your role as a supervisor to assist employees in achieving the objectives in their work plans.

What does a Coach do?

• Clarifies expectations

• Provides tangible and appropriate support

• Provides the ‘big picture’ for employee contribution

• Encourages mutual problem solving

• Helps plan for actions to achieve solutions/change

• Discusses changing priorities or procedures

• Creates a supportive environment

• Listens to employees

The Benefits of Coaching

The Benefits of Coaching Are:

• Sustainable results and engages employees;

• Recognizes strengths;

• Endorses effort and growth;

• Optimizes everyone’s styles and strengths;

• Helps others solve and prevent problems; and

• Assists with collaboration with employees and resolution of problems

Types of Coaching

As a supervisor, you will coach employees in two ways:

1. Positive coaching to assist employees with achieving their objectives. Specifically, you will:

• Clarify your expectations

• Define the behaviours and actions wanted

• Identify steps to develop

• Provide ongoing support to employees.

Positive coaching is used to motivate an employee, help an employee develop or enhance a key skill, or prepare an
employee for a new assignment or project.

• Coaching to solve problems is working with employees to help identify problems and solutions to problems. When
work bogs down or tasks are not on track, the supervisor should work with the employee to address challenges.

 Define the problem

 Explore solutions

 Test feasibility

 Decide

 Implement

 Follow-up

The goal in problem-solving coaching is to have the employee take ownership and responsibility for solving the problem.
The supervisor serves as a resource to identify and work with the employee to remove barriers that may be impacting
the employee’s ability to achieve the goal.

“. . . Balance the needs of the individual employee and the needs of the organization . . .”
Possible obstacles that I have observed in planning are time-management, maintaining
balance, managing yourself like how you would motivate yourself to achieved targets you sets
in the plan. Coping with backlogs especially and how u would maintain your momentum in
doing those activities. Those challenges are inevitable, along the way in the planning cycle, u
will encounter some of those, so we need to think in advance, begin with the end in mind, so
as a supervisor and his/her people as well, you should take down those obstacles/challenges
so to prevent it to happen again next time. So the next time u will encounter those challenges,
you know how to handle it.
In a planning cycle, it requires a combination of leadership, motivation, constant and clear
communication of supervisors among his subordinates, correct delegation, and problem-
solving, decision-making and how to balance the needs of the individual employee and the
needs of the organization. Supervisors as well must set an example to their subordinates to
gain respect to his/her people and they would follow and inspire them to their task.