October 1 marks the start of FY26. Many agency leaders have invested months in sharpening their strategies, developing their staff, and adjusting upcoming budgets. However, when the new fiscal year begins, the question isn’t: do you have a plan? The real question is: are you ready to execute it?
Too often, strategic plans remain impressive documents that gather dust rather than drive outcomes. Implementation is where the real work begins—and where many agencies struggle. A plan without an execution strategy is just words on paper.
Readying Your Agency’s Implementation Plan
To test the readiness of your agency’s implementation plan, ask yourself:
1. Alignment
Do staff at all levels understand agency priorities, and do metrics cascade into each staffer’s performance plan to ensure accountability? Plans succeed when they become part of day-to-day work, not just leadership agendas.
2. Resources
Are funding, staffing, and technology aligned to support the plan’s goals? A strategy is only as strong as the resources backing it.
3. Metrics & Data
Have you defined success in terms of measurable outcomes, and do you have systems in place for collecting, analyzing, and reporting progress? Data is essential for tracking what’s working and where adjustments are needed.
4. Project Management
Do you have the structures, tools, and practices in place to manage timelines, risks, and dependencies across the organization? Without disciplined project management, even the strongest plans can stall.
5. Accountability
Is there a designated person or team responsible for ensuring the plan stays operational and objectives are achieved? Leadership commitment and ownership are the linchpins of execution.
6. Adaptability
What mechanisms exist to adjust course when conditions, policies, or budgets change? Plans must be flexible enough to remain relevant in shifting environments.
7. Communication
Is there a strategy to keep internal and external stakeholders engaged over the life of the plan? Sustained engagement builds trust, transparency, and momentum.
The Stakes for FY26
This fiscal year brings heightened expectations around transparency, equity, digital transformation, and workforce resilience. Agencies that focus only on producing a plan risk falling short. Agencies that invest in execution readiness position themselves to deliver measurable results and build public trust.
On your mark, get set, go? For government leaders, the “go” depends not on having the plan in hand, but on having the systems, people, and accountability in place to carry it forward.
Rehva D. Jones, is the Chief Operating Officer of PMCS, LLC. With over 30 years of experience in strategic planning and change management, she has led numerous government and nonprofit engagements, aligning plans with performance frameworks and measurable outcomes. For agencies preparing to undertake a strategic planning effort or looking to develop an implementation plan, she offers a complimentary 30-minute consultation. rjones@pmcsllc.com or 202-904-2323.
