A work plan is a description of the sequence of the project activities in time. It is much more detailed than a mere timeline though. It includes information about responsibilities, objectives and sometimes even the budget.
In many cases, the donor gives a format for your work plan that you have to follow. You strictly have to stick to this format if it is given. If that is not the case, it makes sense to display the information in the form of a table.
It always depends on your project what exactly should be included in your work plan. If you apply for a very big grant, your work plan should be more detailed. If you only apply for a small grant, a simple work plan might be sufficient. The budget does not always need to be included although it is a great way to connect line items to activities.
| Activity | Responsibility | Budget | Time/Estimated Completion Date |
| Identify schools for possible cooperation in the district | Project officer | xx $ | 1 month/01.01.2020 |
| Outreach to the schools in the district | Project officer | xx $ | 1 month/01.02.2020 |
| Organize teacher training in cooperation with the concerned government office | Project coordinator | xx $ | 6 weeks/15.03.2020 |
| Implement teacher training in the selected schools | Project coordinator and project officer | xx $ | 1 month/15.04.2020 |
| Evaluation of the training results | External consultant | xx $ | 2 weeks/01.05.2020 |
In the example, you can see that the work plan is divided in several areas. In the first column, you describe the activity. Keep the description short, more detailed explanations should be found in your project description.
In the next column, you specify who is responsible for this activity. This can be a specific project manager or just a department in your organization. Make sure that an outsider can also understand this. Maybe you know that John Mayer is your Project Coordinator, but the donor does not.
In the next column, you can add the budget. This is not always needed but a nice option to give another breakdown of your budget per activity. Some donors like to see this because it can make the budget more accessible. If you have split up your budget by activity already, this is not necessary.
In the last column, you give information about the time you expect the activity to take and the estimated completion date. Both are important, as it tells the donor something about the size of the activity and when results can be expected.
A work plan can be seen as some kind of aggregation of your proposal. It can give the donor a quick idea of your expected workflow and activities. Make sure though that all the information included is explained in detail elsewhere in its proper place.
Eva is based in Germany and has worked for nearly a decade with NGOs on the grassroots level in Nepal in the field of capacity development and promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. Before that, she worked in South America and Europe with different organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in geography and her field of research was sustainability and inclusion in development projects.
Dear Eva
Thank you for this post, short simple and to the point. I was looking for something for students on work plans and provided some useful insights. Will keep you updated. Regards
Dear Ghulaam: I am glad you found this article helpful!
This article is simple and helpful to a beginner like me
Dear Joy: Thank you so much for your kind words.
Good luck with your fundraising!
Very educative and encouraging. Am preparing one work plan for a commerce chamber. It is giving a precise statt
Dear Nabarende: I am glad you found this article helpful!