Community development projects are also small-scale social reform programs, often driven by government funding to implement the development plan. Service implementation often begins with resource inventory or needs surveys, with implementation steps generally aligned with the plan implementation process.
Community empowerment focuses on capacity building. Whether for individual community leaders or teams, capacity-building plans begin with capacity assessments and are then organized around capacity-building themes. When focusing on capacity, a corresponding community development plan is not necessarily required, nor is a capacity-building plan linked to community improvement plans or the services provided to the community.
The process of community capacity-building programs is not aligned with, related to, or similar to community development plans, and is also related to so-called community practice plans. Since the advent of neoliberalism, the United Kingdom and the United States have moved away from implementing comprehensive community development programs at the local level. Instead, they have provided resources through thematic (or sporadic) grants to communities. Control over community development programs has shifted from local governments to community organizations. Furthermore, with major community construction already completed, it is no longer appropriate for community organizations to begin with a community inventory, as was the case in the early stages of community development initiatives. Instead, they can develop independent, professional development programs based on capacity building needs.