Guidelines on Parliamentary Strategic Planning

The Guidelines on Parliamentary Strategic Planning are a practical, peer-informed resource developed through the Inter Pares Programme in partnership with the National Assembly of Zambia. They respond to the growing recognition that strategic planning is essential for parliaments to strengthen effectiveness, accountability, service delivery, and responsiveness to evolving public expectations. Drawing on global practices and, in particular, the rich peer-to-peer exchanges from the 2025 High-level Workshop in Lusaka, the guidelines translate comparative experience into actionable advice.

The document is structured to accompany the full strategic planning cycle, with chapters covering: (1) Baseline Analysis/ Review of Previous Strategic Plan; (2) Establishing the Vision, Mission and Values; (3) Formulation of Strategy; (4) Implementation Planning; (5) Costing, Funding and Engaging Stakeholders; (6) Governance Frameworks; (7) Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL); (8) Adaptation and Continuous Improvement; and (10) Communicating Strategic Objective Results.

Across these chapters, readers will find practical tools, guiding questions, country examples, and lessons learned, making the guidelines relevant both for parliaments beginning their strategic planning journey and for those seeking to refine more mature processes.