The purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to identify and implement ways to improve magistrate training. Where improvement actions are required, one way to facilitate these actions is to develop an 'action plan'. With an action plan approach it is helpful for one person, say the Justices' Clerk, or group of persons such as the MATC, to accept responsibility for monitoring the progress of the improvement activities contained within the action plan.

Action planning is an integral part of the evaluation process and is directly relevant to Stage 5, Standard 2 of the Framework of Standards for Magistrate Training and Development [400KB]. Additionally, if a further training need is identified, this is directly relevant to Stage 1, Standard 1 of the Framework.

What is an action plan?

There is no great secret to formulating an action plan. It is a way of setting out the steps needed to meet specific objectives for making improvements. It sets out:

• what needs to be done,
• by whom, and
• when.

It can also be used to:

• monitor and check progress against objectives,
• help prepare a business case if,
• additional resources are needed, or
• permission needed to make changes.

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How to action plan

Having identified the improvements to be made, the next steps are to:

• decide what actions to take to achieve the improvements,
• prioritise those actions,
• identify the resources needed to implement the actions.

Identify key areas for action

It is usually quite easy to identify areas for action, however, identifying the specific actions to be taken can be more difficult.
To assist with this, you can use a small group to:

• consider the key improvements to be made arising from the evaluation,
• put their ideas for implementation onto post-it notes, which they can then place onto a large board,
• discuss the suggestions,
• agree actions to be taken - and by whom.

Alternatively, you may wish to:

• consider not only the key points, but possible solutions, and present recommendations to the group (e.g. to MATC) - highlighting alternative solutions and the reasons for opting for a particular course of action.
• ask the group to make a decision, giving them a series of options.

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Prioritising key areas for action

There are a number of issues to consider when prioritising. Some of these are:

• How much time will the action take?
• What is the impact of this action, particularly on other work?
• Do I/we have the skills for implementing the action?
• Who has the authority to agree that I/we can do this?
• Will the action affect other people or parts of the organisation?
• Are there any obstacles/constraints that could prevent me/us from implementing the action?

Risk analysis

It is usual before setting out a course of improvement action to carry out a basic risk analysis to prioritise the actions needed. This is a straightforward process and will enable you and your colleagues to place your action plan in the wider context of the magistrate court business. It will also provide assurance to MATCs and BTDCs that the course of action has been fully assessed before you embark on it.

To make this work each improvement action, or programme of actions, is assessed for:

• The impact that a successful outcome will have on improving magistrate training, and;
• the ease of carrying out the improvement activity.

For example if the improvement activity is concerned with improving the quality of training objectives within a specified set of training materials, the impact of this on improving the training is likely to be HIGH. The ease of doing this, if say the materials are in the development process, is also likely to be HIGH, therefore this would attract a HIGH priority.

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Alternatively, if the improvement action is concerned with redrafting centrally produced training materials, the impact of this could still be HIGH, but because the materials have been extensively used nationally, the ease of doing it could be LOW, therefore the priority attached to it would be medium (MED).

It is possible to use a grid diagram to display the results of such an analysis as shown in the illustration below:

Squares 8, 9 and 6 would indicate the highest priority.

Squares 3,5 and 7 would indicate a lower priority, but still worth considering.

Squares 1,2 and 4 would indicate that the lowest priority be given to these actions.

One other factor to consider is that any high score for impact should result in careful consideration of that activity, even if the case of carrying out the activity is low. Just because something is difficult doesn't mean it's not worthwhile doing.

Action Planning Template [41KB]

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