One of the best ways to ensure effective board committees is
through use of a committee work plan. The plan specifies goals
for the committee, strategies to meet the goals and timelines
for completion of the goals. The goals of the committee should
be closely aligned with achieving the strategic goals determined
during strategic planning. Essentially, the work plans specify
the operational goals of the committee for the year.
A work plan is the plan that each Board committee and relevant
staff members reference to guide completion of their portion of
the organization’s strategic plan, e.g., the Finance Committee
works from Finance work plan, Marketing Committee from a Marketing
work plan, etc. The plan references the related goal(s) from the
strategic plan. Work plans include objectives that, in total,
implement the respective strategy. For example, the following
work plan describes two strategies, 3.1 and 3.2, which, together,
meet Goal 3 from the strategic plan. Each of the two strategies
has five objectives, including 1.1 to 1.5. (See Strategic
Planning.)
The following sample represents one example of the format and
content of a work plan. This sample should be customized to the
particular culture and purpose of the organization.
Year 2011 Actions
