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Browse by kind of work: All published topics

Program foundation
Equity Strategic Framework
How does the program organize equity work from assessment through improvement?
Published answer
Equity Strategic Framework
The Equity Strategic Framework is the operational spine of the program. It runs as a continuous cycle: assess, plan, implement, measure, learn, improve. Move to the next stage when the people involved agree, not on a date. Use the published framework for the pillars, measures, tools, and launch package. Download a copy to keep with your work.
Questions this topic covers
- Read the cycle as a workflow, not a calendar.
- Connect the work in front of you to a pillar and a measure.
- Download the framework if you need a copy at a meeting.
Download this framework:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Equity Strategic Framework · Operationalizing equity
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Program foundation
Operationalizing equity
How do I connect equity to an everyday decision, policy, or service?
Published answer
Operationalizing equity
Operationalizing equity means connecting equity to everyday decisions, workplace practices, policies, and services. Use the published questions and application rules. This is a reading and download, not a form to fill in.
Questions this topic covers
- Name the decision, policy, or service in general terms.
- Use the published practice questions before the design is settled.
- Download the page if you need a shared copy.
Download this page:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open operationalizing equity · Equity Strategic Framework
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Measurement
Measurement worksheet
How should we measure whether an equity change is working?
Published answer
Measurement worksheet
Use the published measurement worksheet. It separates leading indicators from outcomes and names early-warning thresholds. Download the worksheet rather than typing notes into this program.
Questions this topic covers
- Choose one leading indicator and one outcome.
- Name who will look at the numbers and when.
- Download the worksheet to use with your team.
Download this worksheet:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the measurement practice · Equity Strategic Framework
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Support
Find the right office
Who should handle this if it is not a learning question?
Published answer
Find the right office
Use the DHS offices and guidance directory for workplace needs, public services, and program responsibilities. This program does not take consultation requests from staff. Download the directory or open Find the right person.
Questions this topic covers
- Match the work to the office that already owns it.
- Do not send names, case details, or complaints here.
- Download the directory if you need a copy for your team.
Download this directory:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Find the right person · DHS offices and guidance
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New program or service concept
New program or service concept
We're planning a new digital application for benefits renewals. What equity questions should we ask before the design is settled?
Published answer
New program or service concept
You have a program idea and want a clear way to consider equity and access before the design is settled. By the end, you will have a completed equity and access checklist for your program, with clear responsibilities and a review date. You can usually complete routine planning without a consultation, use the same approach for future work, and seek another perspective when added judgment would help.
Questions this topic covers
- We're planning a new digital application for benefits renewals. What equity questions should we ask before the design is settled?
- What access assumptions should I consider while the idea is still taking shape?
- Who should be involved before the design is fixed?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the New program or service concept path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Launch equity and access checklist · Journey and burden questions · Partner map
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Form, notice, or letter change
Policy, form, or notice change
We are changing a renewal notice. What access and burden questions should we work through?
Published answer
Policy, form, or notice change
You are preparing a policy, form, notice, or letter and want to make sure it is clear, accessible, and workable for the people who will use it. By the end, you will have a clear record of the change, its effect on people, access needs, sources, follow-up responsibilities, and a review date. You can usually complete routine changes with these resources and seek human guidance for high-stakes questions or conflicting Official sources.
Questions this topic covers
- We are changing a renewal notice. What access and burden questions should we work through?
- Where is the plain language checklist?
- Two guidance documents disagree about a notice requirement. What should I do?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Policy, form, or notice change path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Form, notice, or letter change guide · Plain language and accessible documents · Language access checklist
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Community engagement or co-design
Community engagement or co-design effort
How should we plan a listening session with Somali families in Greater Minnesota without stereotyping?
Published answer
Community engagement or co-design effort
You are planning community engagement and want the work to be respectful, useful, and grounded in what people actually need. By the end, you will have an engagement plan grounded in the relevant Minnesota Communities briefs, with access needs, partners, and assumptions clearly addressed. Review each relevant brief before completing the plan.
Questions this topic covers
- How should we plan a listening session with Somali families in Greater Minnesota without stereotyping?
- What does the partnership spine mean for a co-design effort?
- Who should be involved in a community engagement plan?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Community engagement or co-design effort path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Access checks before a meeting or outreach · Partner map
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Team climate effort
Workplace culture and team climate
People on my team do not speak up in meetings. What practices could change that?
Published answer
Workplace culture and team climate
You have noticed a concern with participation or team climate and want practical ways to improve everyday team practices. By the end, you will have a team climate plan with observable practices, clear responsibilities, and a follow-up date. Complaints, investigations, and discipline continue through the appropriate formal channels.
Questions this topic covers
- People on my team do not speak up in meetings. What practices could change that?
- How do I write team norms that people will actually use?
- Where is the line between a climate plan and an HR matter?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Workplace culture and team climate path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Team climate basics · Team climate action plan template
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Learning or facilitation session
Planning a learning or facilitation session
How do I plan a 60-minute session that produces something participants use?
Published answer
Planning a learning or facilitation session
You have a session to lead and want participants to leave with something they can use in their work. By the end, you will have a reusable session plan with a clear objective, an activity based on real work, something useful participants can take with them, and access arrangements made in advance.
Questions this topic covers
- How do I plan a 60-minute session that produces something participants use?
- What access arrangements should be in place before a session?
- What should participants leave with that they can use in their work?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Planning a learning or facilitation session path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Session plan template · Facilitation that leads to practical use · Access checks before a session
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New program or service concept
Inclusive hiring and selection
We are rewriting a position description. How do we test whether the degree requirement is really job related?
Published answer
Inclusive hiring and selection
You are responsible for a hiring process and want it to find capable people the current process may be screening out. By the end, you will have an inclusive hiring plan for a specific position: job-related requirements with alternatives, accessible outreach, a structured rubric and interviews, accommodation offered to everyone, a bias check built into deliberation, and a plan to review stage-by-stage outcomes with your HR partner.
Questions this topic covers
- We are rewriting a position description. How do we test whether the degree requirement is really job related?
- What should be in our interview rubric so we are not relying on culture fit?
- How do we offer accommodation at every stage without making anyone disclose a disability?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Inclusive hiring and selection path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Inclusive hiring lifecycle · Is this requirement job related? · Accessible and culturally responsive meetings
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Policy or rule change
Equity analysis for a decision
We are changing a program rule that goes to leadership. Does this need an equity scan or a full analysis, and what goes in it?
Published answer
Equity analysis for a decision
You own or shape a decision and want to build equity into it while it can still change, and to know whether an equity scan or a full analysis is required. By the end, you will have an equity analysis record for a specific decision: the decision and its deadline, affected people and who is missing, evidence and its limits, benefits and burdens, alternatives, engagement, implementation owners, and follow-up. It supports the DHS process; the official record lives with the policy owner.
Questions this topic covers
- We are changing a program rule that goes to leadership. Does this need an equity scan or a full analysis, and what goes in it?
- Who benefits and who carries the burden in a budget reduction, and how do we find out?
- What alternatives should we compare before we settle a service change?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Equity analysis for a decision path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Equity scan or full analysis: what goes in · Operational equity review canvas · Minnesota Equity Analysis Toolkit
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Learning or facilitation session
Accessible and culturally responsive meeting
What should I do before, during, and after a team meeting so everyone can actually take part?
Published answer
Accessible and culturally responsive meeting
You are running a meeting and want everyone to be able to take part, contribute, and know what was decided. By the end, you will have a reusable meeting plan: purpose and materials sent ahead, accommodation offered without disclosure, several ways to contribute, attention to positional power, a plan for repair if harm occurs, decisions with owners, and accessible follow-up.
Questions this topic covers
- What should I do before, during, and after a team meeting so everyone can actually take part?
- How do I run a hybrid meeting where the people online are not an afterthought?
- What do I do in the moment when a comment lands badly?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Accessible and culturally responsive meeting path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Accessible and culturally responsive meetings · Access checks before a meeting or outreach
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Form, notice, or letter change
Reviewing a draft for equity, access, and plain language
Can you review this draft notice for plain language, access, and burden?
Published answer
Reviewing a draft for equity, access, and plain language
You have a draft and want a structured way to check it for equity, access, plain language, sources, and burden before release. By the end, you will have a review record for a specific draft: what it asks of people, who may be excluded, access and language findings, source labels, changes made, and what remains for the owner.
Questions this topic covers
- Can you review this draft notice for plain language, access, and burden?
- What questions should I ask about a draft before it goes to all staff?
- How do I tell the author what needs to change without redoing their work?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Reviewing a draft for equity, access, and plain language path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Plain language and accessible documents · Language access checklist · Journey and burden questions
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Procurement or contract
Procurement or contract equity review
We are drafting a request for proposals. Where do equity and accessibility requirements belong?
Published answer
Procurement or contract equity review
You are shaping a contract, grant, or procurement and want equity, accessibility, and language access built into the solicitation, evaluation, terms, and monitoring. By the end, you will have a procurement equity record: who the service reaches, requirements in the solicitation, evaluation criteria, contract reporting and access terms, monitoring by community, and the partners who own the rules.
Questions this topic covers
- We are drafting a request for proposals. Where do equity and accessibility requirements belong?
- How do we evaluate proposals for experience with the communities served without excluding smaller providers?
- What reporting should the contract require so we can see who is served?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Procurement or contract equity review path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Equity in contracts, grants, and procurement · Operational equity review canvas
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New program or service concept
Leadership pathway or sponsorship plan for staff with disabilities
We are redesigning our lead-worker pathway. How do we make it work for staff with disabilities without asking anyone to disclose?
Published answer
Leadership pathway or sponsorship plan for staff with disabilities
You shape how people move into lead and leadership roles and want the pathway to work for staff with disabilities without asking anyone to disclose. By the end, you will have a leadership pathway or sponsorship plan: a transparent pathway map, leadership criteria tested for job-relatedness, sponsors with decision power, an owner for accommodations across every transition, accessible cohort events by default, program-level measures with suppression, and a review date. No one is identified as disabled anywhere in it.
Questions this topic covers
- We are redesigning our lead-worker pathway. How do we make it work for staff with disabilities without asking anyone to disclose?
- Which of our leadership criteria are proxies, and what would replace them?
- How do we make sure accommodations carry across a rotation or a cohort?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Leadership pathway or sponsorship plan for staff with disabilities path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Accessible leadership pathways and sponsorship · Leadership criteria: are they job related? · Accommodations across transitions · Mentoring, sponsorship, and reverse mentoring
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New program or service concept
Equity Pause for a routine decision
I am sending a division-wide meeting invitation. What should I check before it goes out?
Published answer
Equity Pause for a routine decision
You are about to make a routine decision and want a short, honest check of who it affects and what you might change before it goes out. By the end, you will have a short record of the decision: who is affected differently, who can change it, the access needs you checked, what you know and do not know yet, one alternative you considered, and your next step with a review date. You can complete routine decisions on your own and recognize when a fuller analysis applies.
Questions this topic covers
- I am sending a division-wide meeting invitation. What should I check before it goes out?
- Is this small change to our intake schedule something that needs an equity look, or can I go ahead?
- Which routine decisions deserve an equity pause before they go out?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Equity Pause for a routine decision path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Plain language and accessible documents · Language access checklist · Equity Analysis Toolkit companion · Record this pause in the open register (optional)
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Form, notice, or letter change
Checking your own material for access, assumptions, and tone
Can you check this announcement for reading level, acronyms, and tone before I send it?
Published answer
Checking your own material for access, assumptions, and tone
You wrote something and want to check it yourself in three passes before it goes out: whether people can read and reach it, whether it assumes knowledge or norms people may not share, and whether it invites rather than warns. By the end, you will have a three-part check of your material: what you found and changed for access and plain language, for assumed knowledge and representation, and for tone, along with what remains and when you will look again. You can run this check on your own writing routinely, and you know when to ask a colleague to review a draft instead.
Questions this topic covers
- Can you check this announcement for reading level, acronyms, and tone before I send it?
- What am I assuming people already know in my guidance?
- How do I say this so it invites people instead of warning them?
Download this checklist:Word Excel PowerPoint PDF Web page Plain text
Open the Checking your own material for access, assumptions, and tone path · Explore Minnesota Communities · Plain language and accessible documents · Language access checklist · Accessible content and digital learning · Inclusive communication
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Equity Strategic Framework

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Operationalizing equity

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Measurement worksheet

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Find the right office

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

New program or service concept

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Policy, form, or notice change

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Community engagement or co-design effort

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Workplace culture and team climate

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Planning a learning or facilitation session

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Inclusive hiring and selection

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Equity analysis for a decision

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Accessible and culturally responsive meeting

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Reviewing a draft for equity, access, and plain language

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Procurement or contract equity review

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Leadership pathway or sponsorship plan for staff with disabilities

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Equity Pause for a routine decision

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Checking your own material for access, assumptions, and tone

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Ask

Equity Strategic Framework

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Operationalizing equity

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Measurement worksheet

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Find the right office

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

New program or service concept

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Policy, form, or notice change

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Community engagement or co-design effort

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Workplace culture and team climate

Questions this topic covers

If this connects to a change you want to make

Planning a learning or facilitation session

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If this connects to a change you want to make