Action planning

There are three tools to aid the Action Planning process: 

The prioritisation chart …
is a tool to help identify the actions that have the most relevance and
impact for your city.  Use this to:

• Locate the actions with respect to their ease of implementation and expected scale of benefits. Note: In the roadmap process, cities may have identified a large number of actions that could be taken forward. This supports prioritisation of actions. 
• Initiate conversations on what benefits/ for whom/ in what timescale, and what factors contribute to ease of implementation (and how these could be improved for various actions).  
• Identify synergies between actions by opening dialogue about which actions support one another, enabling cities to choose a consolidated set of actions that bring more to the hub together than individually.   

The Action Planning canvas …
is a tool for cities to help detail the action in the short, medium and long-term.
Use this to:

• facilitate conversations with key departments and stakeholders. 
• identify the main characteristics of each action in conversation with relevant stakeholders. 
• map key consideration for each action and its steps, including key resources, roles and responsibilities, task and activities, outputs, success measures

The Action Planning template …
is a tool for cities to help to write the Action Plan. Use this to:

• structure your action plan effectively and in line with your strategic roadmap and write up actions
• disseminate the action plan as a report to stakeholders and communities.  

Using the three Action Planning tools to running an effective sessions: 

Actions Prioritisation chart (PDF) 

• Facilitate an open discussion with key stakeholders on which actions you want to take forward. Consider: 
• Potential synergies between actions: Are there any actions that can be combined to have a bigger impact together than they would individually? Consider which actions overlap or work well together. 
• For each action, what factors aid/hinder implementation? Are there complementary actions that help overcome these barriers? 
• Which stakeholders do the actions engage with and benefit? Are these the stakeholders that the city most wants to prioritise? 

Action planning canvas (PDF)  

• One copy of the Action Planning canvas should be filled in for each action developed. It may help to work on post-its so that you can move things around!  

• Work on an A1 printout or a digital version. 

• Steps to using the Action Planning Canvas. 

• Write down a title for the action. It is good practice to start your title with a verb.  
• Fill in the sections on the left panel on duration of action (when it will start/end), where it will be implemented, and why the city has decided to take this action forward (the conversations had for the prioritisation of actions could be useful here). Be specific where possible. 

• Fill in the boxes on what key resources (tangible and intangible) are needed to implement this action. Consider what is needed now and what is needed in the implementation and post-implementation phases. Once again, be specific on which departments, organisations or type of organisation will be involved and in what capacity, i.e., will they be leading this, supporting, or participating. 

Action Planning template (word doc)

• Once you have a draft set of actions, start to fill in the Action Planning template, answering the questions in each section. This will help further develop the actions.  
• Once again, consider how the actions work well together. Can you modify the actions to overcome any gaps? 
• Consider: how will you govern the hub? Complete the questions in the hub governance section. 

• Consider: how will you brand and disseminate the hub? Complete the branding and dissemination section of the Action Planning template. Use work done as part of ‘Branding and communication’ /outreach and engagement to flesh this out. 

See example Action Plans by eight HUB-IN pilot cities here:

See Action Plans from HUB-IN pilot cities – click the city images above or follow the links here: • UTRECHT_AP_Def_low • SLOVENSKA_AP_Def_low • NICOSIA_AP_Def_low • LISBON_AP_Def_low • GRANDANGO_AP_Def_low • GENOVA_AP_Def_low • BRASOV_AP_Def_low • BELFAST_AP_Def_low