Creating a Plan for Implementation – The 5 W’s Activity

Step 5: Final Decision

After considering the technical, financial, organizational, and time feasibility of the solution idea identified by the team, the youth team should make a decision about the solution ’ s overall feasibility for implementation. If it checks all the boxes, you may have a well thought out and realistic solution. While there are extra steps for actually planning out the implementation, the team can move forward knowing it is practical for their abilities and goals as a team.

Below we propose a five-stage model to help the youth team create a plan for implementation of a solution that was selected by the youth team. Using our model, the team will plan for implementation according to the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY of their solution idea. During this stage, the discussion changes from solution ideas to planning a project. Knowing the whole story on this project will help the youth continue their work and keep them motivated and help them write their plan out. In addition, writing a plan that includes the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY will help the team list the important facts about this project.

Leading this Activity

Below the five stages of discussing the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY of a project are described. As the facilitator of the youth team, you can help them work through each of the stages with the end result of a carefully thought-out project.

Stage 1: WHO

The “WHO” refers to who will be involved in the solution the youth team selected and who will be affected by the solution.

When it's time to implement the solution, the team should be fully aware of who will be working with them and who will be receiving the solution or project. Whether it will just be

the youth team members or they will recruit outside volunteers to help with their project, being aware of the team they have will help in delegating assignments. If the youth team knows exactly who will be accomplishing certain tasks, it will make it easier to stick to the schedule and goals and stay organized throughout implementation. Each person involved should know their responsibilities and their role on the team.

The youth team should also determine who will be specifically impacted by the implementation of the solution. Once the team figures this out (also called the target population), the team should involve them in the development and implementation of their plan.

Example: If the team decided to create a buddy program for teenagers and senior citizens, they should find a retirement home to work with and adapt their plan to fit the organization needs of the retirement home.

The solution the youth team pursues is not only about creating a change, but also about positively impacting their community and its members. Therefore, the community members the youth team hopes to help should be fully aware and involved in the process of creating a solution.

Stage 2: WHAT

Discuss "WHAT" the youth team thinks they will accomplish with their project. The team will need to write out detailed steps to their project, what the end goal is, what actions they will take, and what they will need in terms of supplies. Think of any possible questions that begin with “ what” in regards to creating a solution, and answer them.

Here are a few examples of questions:

What supplies do we need? What are the overall steps of the plan? What will take place in each step? (Thorough details of what your team members will each do) What is the end goal? What will the solution entail?

This could also include specific questions such as “What media outlet will we use to advertise our plan?” Make sure to encourage the youth team to cover all their bases and that the team isn ’t making a plan that is to open-ended. A lack of organization and effective planning can lead to projects falling apart.

The team ’ s main question for this step should be,

“ what will we accomplish?” This is the guiding question for how they will carry out a plan and implement a working solution.

Stage 3: WHERE

The logistics of the project plan are important to figure out ahead of time. The youth team should decide "WHERE" their project will be implemented ahead of time so they can be fully prepared. They ’ll need to consider a variety of factors for the location of the project.

There may be certain conditions or requirements the team will have to follow to use a specific location for an event or project.

Example: They may only have access to a space for certain times or have to share it with others (e.g., a park); they may need to get prior approval to secure a space.

Encourage the youth to discuss these questions when creating their plan:

Where will they implement their project? Where is the location? Will this be a permanent or temporary location? Will it be reasonable to access for the youth team and community members? Do they need approval to use a location? Will the use of the location cost money?

Fully consider what the team needs in terms of physical space to carry out their project. Without a location and a place to implement a project, the team might have difficulty making their plan come to life.

Stage 4: WHEN

It can be tricky to plan an entire project out ahead of time, but it’ s important to help the team stay on track, organized, and able to fully implement their plan by the timeline set by the team. Deadlines keep a team moving and progress flowing.

The “WHEN” question focuses on developing a schedule that the team can follow and agree to. This involves other questions such as:

When will the final timeline or deadline be? When will we accomplish each step by? When will we continue to meet? When will we work on specific tasks? (This could be the specific components of your solution)

Example: If the team's project is to create a food pantry, then when would the team hold a food drive to stock the pantry?

Another question to ask the team includes “is your schedule flexible?” In the situation that

issues arise or other time conflicts, will other team members be able to step up, or can dates be adjusted?

Creating a thorough timeline that includes specific tasks and actions with the dates you want to accomplish them by will help create a visual guide for the team to follow. The team can refer back to the timeline to practice time management and staying on top of their work. This can be especially helpful for time-sensitive tasks. If the team's project involves an event, using a specific space, outside involvement/volunteers, or anything that is time-sensitive and requires planning ahead of time, having a schedule is necessary. A physical schedule or timeline is very important in keeping the team on track.

The “WHEN” question is a very important and logistical aspect of the teams ’ plan. Figuring out technical aspects of their plan will help the team in translating it to real life in a practical and reasonable way.

Stage 5: WHY

As the youth team continues to develop a project implementation plan, keeping the “WHY” and purpose of the solution at the forefront of their mind should guide them to serve their community fully. Ultimately, with a CNA the youth are seeking to develop a positive and possibly sustainable resolution. Addressing the “WHY” of the solution may seem difficult, because of its subjective and abstract nature. But really, the team is just being reminded why this solution is the team's solution at all, why it will help, why the community needs it, and why the youth are helping their community.

This involves other questions such as:

Why is this the solution we selected? Why does this solution work for your team? Why does this community issue need to be addressed? (This reiterates the entire purpose of the CNA and the effects of your issue) Why will this solution help the community?

Discuss these questions with the youth team. As the last step, this should wrap up the planning for the team ’ s project. They will have addressed the logistics and motivations and recorded the steps the team will follow. By completing their plan and answering the “WHY” last, they will end on a note of encouragement. The purpose of this phase should be a catalyst for action.