Words we use, in plain English

No jargon police — but a few phrases show up a lot inside the planner. Here's what they mean.

Development experience

A designed event, activity or programme whose purpose is to grow people — leadership, confidence, teamwork, wellbeing or resilience. Not the same as a training course.

Planning cycle

The full sweep from broad intent through detailed planning, approval, delivery and impact review. One project = one planning cycle.

Intent

The plain-English reason the experience exists and the change you want to see. Set this before diving into detail.

Outcome

The observable result you want — e.g. 'team leads self-rate confidence at 7/10' rather than 'people feel better'.

Section

One themed part of the plan (intent, people, risk, budget, logistics, etc.). Each has its own questions and its own RAG status.

RAG

Red / Amber / Green. Red = not started or missing core answers. Amber = in progress or open actions remain. Green = complete and mentor-reviewed where required.

Core section

A section that must be green before approval can be given. Requirements shift depending on activity type.

Conditional section

A section required only when the activity type or answers say so (e.g. safeguarding when under-18s are involved).

Recommended section

Not strictly required, but strongly encouraged for quality planning.

Mentor review

A section is marked mentor-reviewed when your Standby Go mentor has read it and challenged your thinking. Some sections need this to turn green.

Risk register

Structured list of hazards, who's affected, the controls in place, and the residual likelihood and impact once controls are applied.

Residual risk

The risk that remains after controls have been applied. This is what actually matters — the raw risk before controls is only useful for comparison.

Approval / Go

The gate before delivery. Options are Go, Conditional Go (proceed with named provisos) or No-go. Only unlocked when core sections are green.

Impact review

The post-activity reflection: what happened, what worked, what didn't, and what lessons carry forward. Closes the loop.

Planning pack

A printable PDF export of everything in your plan — answers, risks, budget, actions and mentor notes. Useful for showing your boss or sponsor.

Readiness

How many of your core sections are green, as a percentage. Shown on every project card.

Action

A specific task inside a section with an owner, due date and priority. Open critical actions can hold a section at amber.