The next step in creating your strategic plan is to set the timelines for when each action needs to be achieved.

As with establishing the actions, setting the timelines is critical as they need to be realistic and practical.   This is also why strategic plans usually cover a short, medium and long time frame.  In some organisations this may be 3, 6 and 12 months or in others it might be I, 3 and 5 years.

The important issue is that the timeframe is realistic and practical. Often a mistake that can be made is to put either a timeframe that is too short and virtually impossible to achieve or far too long that means the benefits that could be gained are wasted.  The other important reason for setting the timelines is that is provides a method to prioritise how each action and objective will be achieved.

Furthermore, these timelines are also important as they directly link to other elements of the organisation such as the budget, cash flow, fundraising, human resources, investing activities, grant acquisition just to name a few.

For example, if one of the objectives it to run a series of fundraising events later in the year then a lot of the promotion, marketing and social media activity needs to occur prior to the events taking place.  In addition, if additional expenditure needs to occur then there may be a need to ensure there is adequate cash flow or financial resources available.

A simple yet effective method to work out the timelines is to prepare a timetable or schedule on a calendar as this can make it easier to work out the best times.  In addition, this should also include other key dates such as, for example, school holidays, public holidays or any other dates that relate to activities or events that may support or clash with your organisation.

The next post covers key performance indicators that critical to measure the achievement of the actions and strategic objectives.