ProgrammePlanning

Programme planning is the systematic process of designing and organizing a coherent set of activities, resources, and timelines intended to achieve specific objectives within a defined period. The term is used across sectors, including education, media, public health, community development, and event management. It encompasses defining audience needs, setting goals, determining content or activities, arranging logistics, budgeting, and establishing evaluation criteria.

Key elements of programme planning include needs assessment, audience analysis, and the formulation of objectives that are often SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). It also covers content and activity design, sequencing and scheduling, budgeting and resource allocation, governance and roles, risk management, accessibility and inclusion, quality assurance, and the development of an evaluation plan. Deliverables commonly produced are a programme plan document, a curriculum or content plan, a broadcasting or event schedule, a budget, and an evaluation framework.

The planning process typically follows a cycle of situational analysis, design and development, implementation, monitoring, and review. Outputs are adapted to the sector: in education, to learning outcomes and curricula; in broadcasting, to schedules and audience reach; in public or community programmes, to policy alignment and resource constraints.

Good practice emphasises stakeholder involvement, transparency, evidence-based decisions, and documentation, with a view to ensuring flexibility to adapt to changing needs. Evaluation and feedback mechanisms are integrated to assess impact and inform future iterations. Related concepts include logic modeling, curriculum design, event programming, and project management.