Stage Three : Development Programme Planning & Implementation

Decision Step 5: Align Development Plans and Programs

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Why is the Step Important?Decision Points Main Considerations

Why is decision step five important?

  1. All the considerations in decision steps 1 to 4 must eventually coalesce within development plans and focus area programs.
  2. In the Strategic Development Planning Pathway, a development plan is not separated from a focus area program.
  3. A development plan outlines the broader contextual issues, i.e., the broad public problems, policy and legislative frameworks related to areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture and the environment (see Development Plan Domain). A focus area program emphasizes the core areas within these broad contextual issues (see Development Program Domain).
  4. The integration of the two, i.e., a development plan and focus area program, is referred to as a Development Program Plan.
  5. Development plans and focus area programs promote coherence in collective decision-making within and across the divisions of the Tobago House of Assembly.
  6. Focus area programs are essential for guiding the work of development program managers by providing a clear roadmap that aligns focus area program targets with indicators of progress and success, as well as targeted program actions, budgets, and implementation timelines. 
Who should consider step 5? When to consider step 5?
  • All divisions and agencies of the Tobago House of Assembly.
  • The Development Planning Unit,in the Department of Policy, Plans, Programs and Projects.
  • In the review or preparation of development program plans or strategies.
Selected tools to implement step 5.
  • Planning decision-making hierarchy or order.
  • Scoping reviews and gap analysis of legislation, policies, plans/strategies and programs.
  • Focus area program prescribed format (see 5.10 under the subheading main considerations).
  • Guidance notes for the preparation of Focus Area Programs.
  • SMART targets templates (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time sensitive).

Key Decision Points

Development plans

  1. Define the broad issue under consideration. For example, climate change or crime.
  2. Define the broad problem contexts related to the broad issue. The problem context should be broad enough to encompass several focus areas related to a broad problem.
  3. Identify the suite of policies related to the broad problems, e.g., policies related to climate change or crime.
  4. Identify the legislative/regulatory framework,e., the laws, regulations and codes of practice governing the implementation of policy solutions related to climate change and crime.

  Focus area programs

  1. Identify the program focus areas, e.g., if crime is a broad issue area then juvenile delinquency might be a focus area.
  2. Identify and describe the specific problem/s related to these focus areas, e.g. a specific problem related to juvenile delinquency could be truancy.
  3. Identify the policy solutions related to the specific problem/s.
  4. Ensure the policy solutions align with development agenda priorities and regional development goals.
  5. Ensure, where necessary, the policy solutions align with other goals, e.g., the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs or national goals such as Vision 2030?
  6. Ensure the program targets are connected to the policy solutions outlined in the program.
  7. Ensure the program targets can be measured qualitatively
  8. Ensure the program targets have a time schedule.
  9. Ensure the program targets are designed to achieve clearly defined policy outcomes.
    • As a general rule, a program target should clearly define a policy solution to a problem and the time within which the solution will be achieved.
  10. Ensure the program targets are fundable
  11. Align the program targets with funding categories, such as funding related to physical capital investment and human capital investment.
  12. Define the actions related to the targets.
  13. Ensure the actions can be used to create accurate project budget estimates.

Summary of Main Considerations

Linking development plans with focus area programs.

  1. Currently, issue areas for which divisions have responsibility exist primarily within centralized and comprehensive sector-based plans, such as the Comprehensive Economic Development Plan for Tobago (CEDP) 2.0.
  2. The THA will not disregard the recommendations in the CEDP or other comprehensive development plans.
  3. However, in line with one of the key institutional changes in development planning under the Strategic Development Planning Pathway, all divisions of the Tobago House of Assembly and all THA’s agencies will be directly responsible for establishing Development Programme Plans (DPPs).
  4. A development program plan is an issue area plan for a specific division or agency. For example, a Primary Healthcare Plan for the Division of Health, Wellness, and Social Protection.
  5. A development program plan includes several Focus Area Programs (FAPs), e.g., an Antenatal Care Program will be an area of focus in a Primary Healthcare Plan.
  6. In the SDPP, a Focus Area Program is an alternative name for a Development Program (DP).
  7. A Focus Area Program is a governance arrangement that links specific public problems and issues to policy solutions, development agenda priorities, and regional development goals (see sections below).
  8. A Focus Area Program also outlines the logical steps and processes that support the implementation of program targets, indicators of progress or success and related actions.
  9. Key contextual definitions
    1. A policy is a proposed solution to a public problem.
    2. Generally, policy solutions are found in policy documents that address broader societal problems or issues, e.g., a Climate Change Policy document.
    3. However, directives regarding policy solutions may be established using several policy media, including, but not limited to,
      1. Policy Mandate Letters,
      2. Executive Council Minutes,
      3. Call Circulars,
      4. Policy Memoranda, and
      5. Policy Briefs
    4. A public problem is any issue that affects the people in a society, whether directly or indirectly. Public problems exist across various social dimensions and spatial scales.
    5. An issue area is a broad policy area. For example, primary education is an issue area in education.
  1. Prescribed format for focus area programs
    1. Development agenda priorities and regional development goals:
      1. All focus area programs must align with one or more development agenda priorities (decision step 3) and one or more regional development goals (decision step 4).
      2. This alignment facilitates the integration of work within and across all divisions and agencies and all development planning regions.
    2. Key contextual issues:
      1. All focus area programs must clearly outline:
        • The public problem/issue the program is intended to address and
        • The policy solution related to the problem
    3. Focus Area Program logic matrix, FAPLM:

      All Focus Area Program documents will include an FAPLM in the following format.

      1. Regional or international primary performance benchmarks and indicators
      2. Benchmark country or region
      3. Program targets related to the policy solution
      4. Indicators of success or progress towards achieving the targets
      5. Data requirements and sources
      6. Actions related to the targets
      7. Program budgets
      8. Modalities for implementing the action related to the policy solutions
      9. Limits to the implementation of the program

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Decision Steps : Quick View

Stage One

Step 1: Governance Principles

Stage Two

Step 2: Development Regions

Step 3: Development Priorities

Step 4: Regional Goals

Stage Three

Step 5: Plans and Programs

Step 6: Program Budgets

Step 7: Implement Program

Stage Four

Step 8: Track Targets

Step 9: Evaluate and Report

Step 10: Reengage, Innovate and Revise

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