By the end of the summer (planning) stage, the language plan will include goals, actions and strategies. However, the plan does not yet identify the order of the actions. A year-by-year summary puts the actions in order by year.
There are several factors to consider when putting actions into order:
Priority: Some actions may need to be addressed first. For example, if the number of fluent speakers is few and/or aging, documenting the language with these speakers or creating opportunities for them to teach others might be high priorities.
Workflow: Some actions might be dependent on others. For example, hosting a training session on language documentation needs to come before language documentation can begin.
Capacity: Certain actions might require additional people to help with implementation. It may take longer for these actions to be implemented if new positions need to be developed or people hired.
Funding and resources: Certain actions may require additional funding or resources that must be acquired first.
The following methods can help put the actions into order:
Sticky dot prioritizing: Write a list of all the actions in the plan. Have a different colour sticker for each year in your plan. Put the stickers next to each action to indicate when it should take place. If you are working with a group, you can discuss each action together and decide, or you can let each person place their sticky dots and then discuss the results. You can also use coloured pens instead of stickers to mark up the actions.
Ordering sticky notes on a flip chart: Write each action on a different sticky note. On the wall, put up a flip chart that has a timeline of the plan (for example, Year 1 at the left, Year 5 at the right). Work with the planning team to put all of the stickies in a logical order.
Create the Year-by-Year Summary
Once you have identified the order for the actions in the plan, create a year-by-year summary. A Gantt chart (used in the template below) is a simple planning tool that outlines the order of activities. Put the activities in the left-hand column and shade the year(s) in which they will occur.