Before a committee proposes new work, it should know what already exists. In a large agency, equity-related activity is often scattered: a program team running an equity analysis on a policy change, a communications unit testing plain-language notices, a data team disaggregating results, a training cohort, a county partnership, an interpreter access project. An activity inventory lists these in one place with a few fields each: what the activity is, who owns it, which population or process it affects, what change it aims for, its status, and any evidence of results. The inventory is not an audit of anyone's performance. It is a map.
The inventory reveals three things. First, duplication: two units separately building the same resource. Second, gaps: a process with known disparities that no one is working on. Third, orphaned work: good efforts that lost their owner when someone changed jobs. Compare the inventory with the agency's equity plan and division priorities. The State of Minnesota Equity Analysis Toolkit emphasizes defining intended outcomes, the people affected, resources and accountability, and those same headings work well for sorting what you find.
Then write action plans, and keep them short. A committee that adopts twenty actions will finish very few. Choose a small number of actions that are within the group's decision rights or that a named leader has agreed to own. Each action should state the specific change (not the topic), the owner, the partners who must be involved, the resources and time needed, the first milestone, how you will know whether it worked, and when you will review it. The GARE toolkit cautions that implementation must be realistic and adequately resourced; an unfunded action is a wish.
Include the people affected. If an action changes how people receive services, plan how self-advocates, families, county and Tribal staff or community partners will be engaged before the design is fixed, and how you will report back to them. If an action touches Tribal Nations, involve the DHS Tribal liaison and follow the agency's consultation policy; Minnesota law requires DHS and other listed agencies to consult with Tribal governments on matters with Tribal implications. The committee's role is to coordinate and advise, not to substitute for that government-to-government relationship.
