Planningillas

Planningillas are modular planning documents or templates designed to decompose complex planning tasks into small, reusable units. Each planningilla concentrates on a single objective or topic and can be combined with others to form a complete plan. They usually include fields like objective, scope, success criteria, timeline, stakeholders, assumptions, risks, and decisions, encouraging lightweight editing and versioning.

Etymology and usage: The term blends planning with planilla, a Spanish word for forms or worksheets, and appears in some planning communities to describe compact, standardized templates. The concept spans domains such as urban planning, project management, product development, and events.

Origins and adoption: Planningillas arose in open planning and participatory governance contexts in the 2010s as a modular, collaborative approach. They are typically stored in digital repositories or collaboration platforms and are designed to be shared, adapted, and linked to support larger, living plans.

Typical structure and types: Common planningillas include Goal, Timeline, Resource, Risk, and Communications planningillas. Each template defines fields for a concise purpose statement, success indicators, inputs, responsible actors, deadlines, and links to related planningillas.

Process and usage: Practitioners select appropriate planningillas, fill the fields, and connect them to reflect dependencies. Plans evolve through iterative cycles, with changes tracked in meetings. Digital repositories enable version control and controlled access.

Advantages and challenges: Planningillas promote modularity, transparency, and rapid iteration, but can fragment plans if governance is weak. Effective use relies on shared vocabulary, clear ownership, and a lightweight governance model.