Action plans to get it done

Action plans are the roadmaps used by the program or projects to meet goals and achieve objectives.

Action Plans are a detailed set of specific actions that are necessary to achieve a goal. An action plan can also consist of a series of steps that must be followed to successfully complete a given strategy.

In addition, an action program determines what resources are required to achieve the objective (SMART) and how and when they should be used. That means that action plans lead to a more concrete vision or goal for an organization. The advantage is that the various parties working on a strategy are in the same direction and work in coordination.

On many occasions, action plans are a roadmap that can help you achieve your goals and objectives. Given an uncertain and complex environment, it can change as you go along. Just as there are many roads to a destination, a program can take many paths to reach goals, meet objectives and achieve results.

Components of an action plan

It is recommended that each task included in action plans include “what,” “who,” and “when. And they define the steps your program will take to achieve its goals and objectives (the “what”), the people responsible (the “who”), and the dates of accomplishment (the “when”). Above all, action plans highlight the “why” of a program’s goal.

Clear objectives

S – specific M – measurable A – attainable R – relevant T – time-based

Responsible

People who will be in charge of making sure that each task is carried out according to plan.

Tasks / steps

They must be done to achieve the goal.

Deadline / Milestones

When will these tasks be completed?

Resources

People, equipment or money needed to complete the tasks

Measure

Measures to assess progress

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What is a project?

Steps to create an Action Plan

It is more than just organizing the first list of tasks determined by the manager or the project team. Remember that these tasks can be performed directly by company personnel, you can do it in collaboration with experts such as Ecoeffy SAS or you can hire an outsourcing company specialized in project management.

Define what you want to achieve

Writing the objective of an action plan is crucial for motivation and reminds the user that the end result is worthwhile. This could include clearly stating the problem to be solved, as well asThe project’s intermediate objectives and a starting point or baseline for the performance measurement indicator should be formulated.

Collect, analyze and organize data

The data presents the reality of the current situation, both internally and externally. competition, current performance indicators and measurement of potential markets. It may include data sources such as:

Interviews with experts, customers or suppliers.
Quotations
Field visits to inspect and establish quality.
Previous negotiations.
Macroeconomic or sector reports.

Formulating and shortening the list of possible tasks

Preferably in a panel of experts formulate the list of tasks necessary to achieve the objectives, identify prerequisites among the tasks. Tasks can be information search tasks. Evaluate the search for secondary information. This reduces the number of activities and the cost of carrying them out.

Organize and prioritize

Take stock of the actions or projects that have priority. Individual or smaller tasks and actions that are part of a larger whole and may require several people to perform.

It is time to reorganize the list by prioritizing the tasks. You may need to prioritize some steps, as they may block other sub-steps. Add deadlines and make sure they are realistic. Consult with the person responsible for doing it to find out his or her capacity before deciding on deadlines.

Identify the necessary resources

Before starting your project, it is crucial to make sure you have all the necessary resources on hand to complete the tasks. And if they are not currently available, you must first make a plan to acquire them. This should also include your budget. You can assign a column in your action plan to mark the cost of each task.

At this point, the main part of the Action Plan has been completed. Now take the list with the actions to be completed and assign the actions to a person. Consider everyone’s competencies to ensure effective completion. Also consider:

Who is responsible for what (use the Assignment of Responsibilities Matrix for this purpose)
Who and what needs support
Communication methods

Execute the action plan.

Visualize your action plan. P to create something that everyone can understand at a glance and share with everyone. Whether your action plan takes the form of a flowchart, Gantt chart or table, make sure you clearly communicate the elements we have identified so far: tasks, task owners, deadlines, resources, etc. This document should be easily accessible to everyone and should be editable. When giving the starting signal for the Action Plan. Keep in mind the 80-20 rule ( Pareto analysis ): focus on what is important. Also monitor progress, deadlines and milestones. Use the Gantt chart for this purpose.

Monitor, evaluate and update

During the execution of the Action Plan, it is essential to carefully and effectively monitor what happens. When changes or new problems come to light, they should be communicated to everyone to avoid unnecessary work. Ask yourself the following questions:

Are we doing what we agreed?
Are we doing it correctly?
Is what we are doing important to the goal?
Have all individual and group actions been completed?
Has the ultimate goal been achieved?
Are we on budget?

You can mark tasks that were completed as accomplished in this final action plan, drawing attention to how you have progressed toward the goal. This will also highlight tasks that are pending or behind schedule, in which case you should find out why and find appropriate solutions. And then update the action plan accordingly. No less important is the enforcement of cost control.

Recommendations when creating an action plan

Collaborating to get things done on time and to the required specifications is not an easy task. However, it is necessary to take into account some recommendations.

Highlight the ``Why``.

Research encourages us to highlight the ``why`` in planning and inspire others to work together to implement plans and achieve goals.

In Start with Why: How Great Leaders Motivate Action, knowing the why of an activity fosters a greater sense of purpose and initiative in those doing the work.

Evidence of financing

Transparency on the availability of resources, allowing to generate trust and commitment to the task.

Knowing the Sponsor, strengthens the bonds of collaboration and gratitude.

Plan, execute and control

Many people are familiar with the ``plan-do-control`` process. This concept is equally useful for an action plan.

Creating an action plan is a big project and it is tempting to applaud when you complete it and proudly place it on a shelf as a job well done.

Focus on Action

Start each action with a verb. This will remind you that action steps are things you need to do.

Considere qué acciones son secuenciales y cuáles no lo son. Algunas acciones se deben realizar en orden cronológico porque una acción específica se debe completar antes de que se realice la próxima.

You can know about: Tailor-made software

Types of Action Plans

Strategic

Creating an action plan is a clear roadmap for success. It prioritizes objectives, maximizes resources and improves decision making, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of your organization as you execute your strategy.

Commercial

Visualize all commercial actions and help them to verify the results obtained.

Clear goals to be achieved, short, medium and long term.
How much time to spend?
What to sell?
Who to sell it to?
How to sell it?
Details, objectives, human and financial resources to be allocated

Marketing

A marketing strategy includes what campaigns, content, channels, and marketing or CRM software they will use to execute that mission and track their success.

What are the components of an action plan?