 There's a saying that if you don't have a plan, how will you know when you get there? That's the basis of why we do a plan of work with the NDSU Extension Service. So this will give you an opportunity to understand agent and specialist plans of work and how to do them. The NDSU Extension Service receives funds to develop educational programs that meet the needs of North Dakota citizens in four program areas. Agricultural and Natural Resources, Community Vitality, 4-H Youth Development, and Family Consumer Sciences. Four program leaders coordinate the work of ten program teams. Those ten teams are Community Vitality, Livestock Management, Farm Business Management, Crop Management, Natural Resource Management, Family Economics, 4-H Youth Development, Human Development and Family Science, Nutrition, Food Safety and Health, Horticulture, and Forestry. Each team engages in a process to identify the educational programs that are delivered in the state. The state and area specialists will contribute to or be involved in designing and delivering programs for at least one team's program menu. Each county agent will identify the local needs and identify the programs that they will deliver to best meet those needs, and some county agents will also be involved in the design and delivery of specific programs. Each year, all ten program teams meet at the Fall Conference to finalize their plans for the year. The teams also meet during the year, as directed by their team leaders, to work on their plans. But by December 1st, a final program team menu is posted online for everyone to review. At that point, all staff members are beginning to work on their plans of work. By January 15th, you submit your plan of work. Templates for doing your plan of work are located online. What do I list on my plan of work? You need to consider what are the program team goals. What are your constituents asking for? What are the identified needs in my county? As an area or state specialist, what are the identified needs and priorities within my subject matter area? How will I specifically contribute to the program team goals? And what are the professional development needs? We'll begin with the Extension Specialist Plan of Work. Whether you're an area or a state specialist, you are asked to take a look at the team menu and determine which of the programs are you specifically going to contribute to and what is your role in delivering the program that's listed, whether it's a signature, core program or pilot program. You are also asked to list professional development opportunities that you are planning to attend or you are planning to offer. Once you've completed the plan, you submit it to your program leader. Upon approval, the program leader will send a copy to the chair, head or director of your department for their use. The Extension Agent Plan of Work is very similar, but a little bit more detailed. Each agent needs to ask what are my plans for major programming in the coming year. You don't need to list everything. We ask that you consider four programs for this plan of work. These four programs identified will then be used during your performance review in the following year. One program must be a signature program. One must reflect your 4-H youth development work, and two others are at your discretion. But the point is for all of them, focus on a program where you have a teaching role. Complete your plan of work, identify the teaching role you will have, also list your professional development opportunities. If you are using a signature program, you can attach the action plan that is located online with that signature program in the team menu. If you are using a core or part of a pilot program, you will need to complete a county program action plan. The link to that is also on this page. In summary, the plan of work is due January 15th. Please be brief, but give enough detail to identify specifically what you will do and when. Agents, submit it to your district director. The four identified programs in the plan of work will be used for your performance review in the following year. Specialists submit yours to the program leader, and upon approval a copy will be submitted to the chair, head, director for their use. If your plans change during the program year, please notify your supervisor.