Track a public commitment with your community

Write down exactly what was promised

Start from the source: a council resolution, a ministry press release, a budget line, a public statement. Record the policy title, the responsible agency, a one-paragraph description, and the target date. Link the original source or attach a specific version of the document so the group is arguing about the same text.

Break it into milestones

A promise like "repair the market road by December" becomes milestones your group can actually observe: contractor appointed, work started, first section finished, road open. Give each a target date. Progress is reported milestone by milestone, so "is it done?" has a clear answer.

Attach evidence to every update

When a member posts an update, mark whether it comes from an official report or from community observation, and attach the evidence: a photo with a date, a link, a document version. Members can see the basis for each update and decide how much weight to give it.

Review the tracker at your meetings

Put the tracker on the agenda every month. Read the status of each policy, note what changed, and decide what the group will do next: write to the agency, invite an official to a meeting, or publish an update to the community.

Keep the record when people change

Officials change, and so do committee members. Because the record lives in the group rather than in one person's phone, a new member can read the whole history in an afternoon.