PLANNING: What should your first steps be?

Key questions that you should be asking yourself (ves) are:

• Where are we now?
• What is our current level of performance against the vision and mission and operating principles?
• What are our legal requirements in relation to sustainable development?
• Do we comply?
• How do we integrate sustainable development into our management procedures?
• What short-term actions do we need to take?

Who needs to be involved?

Initially it needs to be senior management, champions (if appropriate) and key internal and external stakeholders.

Key activities

• Prepare and scope a baseline review. Suggested resource: SIGMA Performance Review Tool
  
• Communicate the baseline findings to internal and external stakeholders, and elicit feedback. Suggested resource: SIGMA Guide to Stakeholder Engagement
  
• Assess compliance with legal requirements and assign roles and responsibilities to manage and improve these.
• Develop capacity building training programmes. (A suggested resource: PP4SD (Professional Practice for Sustainable Development) (link to their website)
  
• Report actions, impacts and outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.
• Feedback into strategic and tactical action plans.

When do the activities start?

Integrate into the timescales of the existing management and reporting cycle.

Expected outcomes

• Baseline review report.
• Implementation and management plan.
• Stakeholder feedback report.
• Compliance and improvement report.
• Training and development plan.
• Actions, impact and outcome report.
• Identification of strategic priorities and actions.
• Board level consultation and signoff.

At this stage it will be worthwhile revisiting policy statements for adaptation and reissue.

Commit to review strategies after initial implementation. Review the skills, knowledge and competencies of key managers.


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