1RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Managing for results in FAO

Module II.

Operational Planning

‘Workplanning’

2RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

1. Distribution of staff costs across organizational results

2. Validation of unit results

3. Development of products and services and related activities for each UR and preparation of workplans

4. Adjustment of estimated planned costs for URs

5. Review of financial feasibility of URs

6. Quality assurance

7. Final approval of workplans

Operational Planning Steps in the workplanning process

3RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Step 1 Distribution of staff costs across organizational results

TBA Watch this space!

4RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Step 2 Validation of unit results

• A UR is a significant, measurable output that a sub-regional office, regional office or HQ division is held accountable for achieving through the delivery of a series of individual products and services.

• URs are linked to one only OR, in a logical, technically and

programmatically sound relationship

• URs must be SMART, what the Unit - will achieve, and be accountable for- in contribution to the OR- within the biennium- with developed indicators, at least 1 per UR,- together with data sources, baselines and targets- set out in a performance measurement matrix.

5RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Tips in Reviewing URs

From the Unit’s perspective

• Are the URs logically linked, technically and programmatically sound?

• Do they state clearly what the Unit will achieve and how?

• Can they be consolidated?

• Will the UR indicators work? Valid, reliable, sensitive, simple, practical and useful? Baselines and Targets?

From the OR perspective across Units

• Are the URs logically linked and coherent?

• Are they necessary and sufficient to achieve the OR?

• Any duplication of effort?

• What’s missing? Who will do it?

6RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Step 3 Development of products and services and related activities

for each UR and preparation of workplans

• Define products and services needed to achieve the UR

• Products and services – outputs of an activity or series of activities

• Products are final, tangible things

• Services are on-going, less tangible; typically delivering policy, advice, support, advocacy, guidance

• Each product or service is linked to only one UR

• Consider all the activities needed to deliver a product or service

• Each activity must link with only one product or service

7RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Tips in Defining Products and Services

• In specifying a product or service, define its scope; SMARTly described, manageable with responsibilities assigned, technically and financially feasible within the biennium; in enough detail to allow costing

• All work done by a unit must be reflected in its products and services, so that it can be costed and approved for the whole biennium.

• Work done that contributes to the UR of another unit will be in the workplan of the ‘owning’ unit, not the ‘contributing’ unit.

• Consult across units/offices on collaborative work

8RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

More tips in Defining Products and Services

• Apply the ‘necessity and sufficiency’ test. - Are the activities necessary and sufficient to deliver the products & services?- Are the products & services necessary and sufficient to deliver the UR?

• Carry out a risk analysis, defining your assumptions at each level - the conditions needed to do each activity, to deliver each product & service and to achieve the Unit Result.

• Do a critical path analysis to identify problems in scheduling, possible parallel tasking etc.

9RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Critical Path Analysis

• Write all necessary activities, one per postit• On each postit, write how long it will take• Arrange the postits on flipchart in the sequence in which they have to

be done, linking where they are interdependent; show where parallel tasking is possible

• Determine the critical path, the minimum time it will take to deliver the product or service

• Set key stages as milestones to assess progress• Use the CPA later when you come to estimate costs.

Inception

3 months

Partner planning

2 month

Training

6 months

Policy development

3 months

ProductStart

Study design

2 months

Research study

4 months

Procure

7 months

Install

4 months

Trials

6 months Review

2 months

Critical Path

10RBM Workplanning and Budgeting-

FAO

Groupwork

• Your turn• Steps 1-3 based on

your own unit