Even the best planned program or group can go wrong if consideration isn't given to all the implementation issues - particularly the small but vital issues like coffee and toilets and seating. The following are some suggestions of practical things you need to think about when leading. It is certainly not complete, but may give you a bit of guidance in starting out. Add to it as you go, and learn from every situation, and soon you will do your planning and organising without panic.

A Checklist of Things to Consider

You may need to consult or seek help in some areas; use participants where possible, or draw on your network for advice or assistance. Many of the tasks listed can be delegated to others; try and match interests and skills wherever possible.

Don't feel you have to do everything yourself - remember, you are not wonder woman! However, as leader, you do need to ensure all relevant aspects are being handled by someone. So here are is a brief list of implementation issues you might need to consider and plan for.

Workers, paid or voluntary:

skills, weaknesses, experience, commitment, availability, relationships, personal qualities, pay, leave, supervision and support, motivation, teamwork, coordination, communication

The group:

purpose, size, composition, relationships, availability, time-lines and timing, environment, resources, skills, training, supervision and support, planning, motivation, roles, leadership, program, contract, rules, aims, tasks, exercises, recording and reporting, confidentiality, monitoring and evaluation

Children:

child care, children's activities, toys, safety, police checks of carers

Venue:

adequate space, easily located and accessed, disability access, parking, public transport, seating, tables, toilets, kitchen facilities, lighting, particularly night lighting, heating, suitability to group and participants

Equipment:

pens and paper, butchers paper, whiteboard, overhead projector, TV and video, task requirements, name tags, relevant forms, kettle, cups, spoons, toilet paper, tissues, food and beverages

Finances:

equipment hire or purchase, venue hire, staffing costs, stationary, postage, telephone, rental, travel, photocopying, printing, advertising, funding, submissions, fund raising, fees, budget, financial accountability, asset register, audits, annual reports

Information:

availability, legibility, cultural relevance, recording and reporting requirements, job or task descriptions, communication and responsibility lines

Recording and reporting:

registration forms, attendance records, progress reports, data collection, evaluation forms, final reports, interview records, participant records, accounts, financial reports, annual reports, agendas, minutes of meetings, asset registers, submissions

Legal issues:

public liability, insurance, incorporation or legal auspice, constitution, WorkCover, complaints and appeals, staff conditions/awards, equal opportunity, occupational health and safety, security of people and resources, negligence, defamation, confidentiality, funding requirements, recording and reporting, permits and licenses, freedom of information, fund raising, copyright

Burnout:

protection and prevention, time management, workload control, support and supervision, networking (see the next chapter for more details about preventing burnout).

How To Run A Meeting

Meetings can be extremely useful and an excellent avenue for making important decisions, but there can also be too many of them, and they can be a complete waste of time. Therefore, it is vital that you plan and conduct your meetings with care, to ensure that they are both efficient and effective. In brief, this generally involves:

• Preparing for the meeting; setting objectives such as information exchange or problem solving; selecting and inviting participants; planning the agenda and doing any necessary homework on the issues for discussion; organising time and place and resources required.

• Conducting the meeting; reviewing the objectives and agenda of the meeting; allowing initial discussions and focusing in on tasks; defining the meeting and developing rules; encouraging problem solving; keeping the discussion on track; maintaining control; finalising decisions as required; ending the meeting by clarifying what happens next.

• Recording the meeting; taking notes throughout the meeting; writing up minutes or report as soon as possible afterwards; and circulating these to the appropriate people (Robbins 1989:190-199).

To Incorporate Or Not - That Is The Question!

Incorporation is a process whereby a community group and its constitution becomes registered by the Office of Corporate Affairs.

Incorporation is mainly required for protection and accountability purposes. As an incorporated association, if something goes wrong, individual members (who have not been negligent) cannot be sued - only the assets of the incorporated body can be seized. Incorporated groups have to be registered, so the idea is that committee members can't run away with any assets (or not so easily, anyway).

These days you generally have to be incorporated to receive government funds, or be covered by a legal auspice, which is basically an incorporated organisation that agrees to be legally responsible and accountable for your money/group.

If you do have to incorporate, don't panic. There is a kit to follow which gives an outline of the rules and regulations required. It is time consuming, but usually not as bad as it sounds. Contact the Office of Corporate Affairs.

Time Management

The best laid plans of mice and men (and women) can go totally wrong if time is not managed well. Time is precious to us all - it is absolute and not reusable, and there never seems to be enough of it. So, as with money, we must manage time, or rather manage ourselves to ensure we make the best use of the time that is available to us, to best meet our needs.

First, watch out for the time-wasters - personal or organisational factors that take our attention away from the real issues or tasks, ie: interruptions, trying to do too much at once, a lack of prioritising, an inability to say no or delegate, and of course procrastination!

Then try and plan effectively - gather all the information required, set goals and objectives and your plan of action for meeting these, establish time lines, work out ways to overcome the time-wasters, etc. Write all this down to keep yourself in line and on schedule, and also keep an ongoing record so you can figure out where you still need to better manage your time in future.

It sounds strange, but giving some time to time management strategies will actually mean you have more time to give to the real tasks. Give it a try - it really does work.

Organising

As a leader you will need to be a good organiser if your plans are to be well implemented. Somehow you need to pull everything together so that all those involved understand and accept what is going on, know what to do and when, with the whole thing coordinated to achieve the desired goals. Some of the tasks involved in organising include:

• Establishing the lines of communication and responsibility and ensuring that these are understood and acceptable to all.

• Working out the activities and tasks to be carried out, and grouping them where possible.

• Assigning the tasks appropriately.

• Determining and obtaining the resources required.

• Coordinating or supporting the work of others if required.

• Ensuring that people, resources and tasks all come together to form a coordinated and efficient situation that allows strategies to be carried out, and therefore needs are met and goals achieved.

And just a final reminder that the best results are always obtained when those involved/affected participate fully in the planning and decision making. Consult at every stage, discuss ideas and needs and ways to meet them, and you will find there is less confusion and more support and willingness to cooperate, leading to maximum goal attainment. Good luck!!

References and Further Reading:

Robbins, S. (1989) Training in Interpersonal Skills Prentice-Hall, New Jersey