“An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.” ―Arnold Glasow
We all want to be successful in our lives. Everyone has ideas on how to improve their personal or professional lives and live in a way that will bring them the most amount of prosperity and happiness.
However, without actually acting upon that vision, your ideas will remain just that- ideas.
Taking action at the right time is crucial to realizing your dreams and turning them into reality. However, taking action without a plan is recipe for disaster.
Only when you have laid down a concrete plan, weighing down all the pros and cons, and prepared yourself for challenges, can you go ahead and execute your vision.
This is where an action plan comes in. An action plan helps you realize your dreams and provides you with a clear path toward success.
Let us understand briefly what an action plan really is, why is it important to create an action plan, and lastly, how to create an action plan easily and quickly. Read on…
What is an Action Plan? (Definition)
An action plan is defined as a document or a checklist outlining the steps or tasks one needs to complete in order to achieve the goals they have set.
As part of strategic planning, an action plan plays a crucial role in project management as it helps teams collaborate and communicate effectively and finish a project from start to finish.
Apart from the business world, an action plan is equally useful for individuals looking to achieve personal goals as well.
A great action plan outlines all the required steps to achieve the goal and helps you reach it efficiently within a timeframe. You can create an action plan for a single or multiple goals, depending upon your needs.
Some key elements of an action plan include
- A succinct summary of the goal to be achieved
- Steps or tasks one needs to achieve to reach the goal
- Assigning responsibilities to each team member
- Resources (manpower, time, money, etc) are needed to complete the tasks within a timeframe.
- KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) or measures to evaluate success.
An action plan ensures that everything you need to achieve your goal(s) is written down in place, making it easier to track progress and delegate responsibilities.
Having said that, an action plan can be flexible, meaning that you and your team can always go back and move things around in case some new information surfaces.
Read more: Process Improvement Plan: What, Why, and How to Make It?
Why Do You Need an Action Plan?
According to research by KPMG, an unbelievable 70% of organizations have suffered at least one project failure in the prior 12 months. While there can be many reasons behind project failure, one of the most common ones is the lack of proper planning.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
By not spending much time on planning and creating an action plan, you set yourself up for costly mistakes.
Planning in advance gives you much-needed clarity on the path to take, technologies to deploy, responsibilities to assign, and obstacles to tackle.
An efficient action plan can boost your productivity multifold and keep you and your team focused. Here are some key benefits of creating an effective action plan:
1. Effective communication
An action plan allows your team to be on top of your tasks and coordinate and communicate requirements to all stakeholders.
Deliverables, timetables, responsibilities, task ownership, budget- all are key elements of any project that should be communicated properly for the successful execution of the project. An action plan helps you do just that and more.
2. Acts as a guide
When managers make an action plan, it starts the product development process, helping the team follow instructions.
By assigning the team roles and responsibilities, everyone knows exactly what to do, giving them a sense of direction and a roadmap to adhere to.
3. Prioritize tasks
Since an action plan involves writing down all necessary tasks, it will give you a complete overview of what needs to be done.
This will also help you set priorities for the tasks based on their level of complexity or skill required to complete them and will further simplify your workflow.
4. Improves accountability
During the planning phase, managers often assign tasks and responsibilities to every team member, which radically improves accountability.
An action plan removes all ambiguity as to who’s doing what and makes sure everyone knows what is expected of them.
5. Allocation of resources
When a project fails, it not only results in a tremendous waste of time but is often very costly to an organization.
According to a recent report from the Project Management Institute, due to poor project performance, global organizations waste an average of $122 million for every $1 billion spent on projects. That’s a heck of a lot of money!
This is why an action plan is necessary as it allows teams to consider all the challenges and resource allocation prior to the commencement of the project.
It’s the perfect time to brainstorm ideas and allocate resources to ensure smooth project execution.
6. Forecasts Challenges
Planning for failure is equally important as planning for success. An action plan allows you to anticipate challenges, limitations, possible roadblocks, etc related to the project.
Not everything is going to go according to plan and that’s ok.
You just need to be prepared for any possible challenges and have a contingency plan in place regarding how you are going to tackle them.
7. Sets deadlines
It’s much easier to start off new projects than finish one.
Having a set deadline in place ensures that you are always moving forward and are motivated to reach the end goal rather than leaving it midway.
When teams have a well-defined endpoint and can visualize what success would look like, they are more likely to follow through.
8. Track progress
Since an action plan allows you to list down tasks and steps you need to complete, your project becomes easily trackable.
You can easily track progress and see where you are in the project development process and how much time will it take to complete it.
Read more: Implementation Plan: What is it & How to Create it?
How to Write an Action Plan? (Step by Step)
Step 1: Define Your SMART Goal
The first step to creating a successful action plan is setting a SMART goal. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. This catchy acronym ensures your goal is clear, well-defined, and achievable within a specific timeframe.
Here’s why each element of a SMART goal matters:
- Specific: A vague goal like “get in shape” isn’t specific enough. Instead, aim for something concrete, like “run a 5K race in six months.”
- Measurable: How will you know you’ve achieved your goal? Include quantifiable elements. In the 5K example, you can measure progress by tracking your running distance each week.
- Achievable: Be realistic! While you should challenge yourself, aim for a goal that feels attainable with hard work and dedication.
- Relevant: Make sure your goal aligns with your bigger picture. Is this 5K a stepping stone to a marathon dream, or a way to improve overall health?
- Time-Bound: Set a deadline for achieving your goal. This creates a sense of urgency and helps you track progress along the way.
Step 2: Break Down Your Goal into Action Steps
Now it’s time to take that big picture and turn it into a roadmap. This step involves breaking your goal down into smaller, actionable steps. Here’s how to break down your goal:
- List everything you need to do to achieve your goal. Don’t hold back at this stage. Write down every single thing that comes to mind, no matter how big or small.
- Sequence the steps. Once you have a list, put the steps in order. What needs to happen first, second, and so on?
- Refine and chunk further. Look at your list. Can any of the steps be broken down even further into smaller, more manageable tasks? This will make them less daunting and easier to track.
For example, if your goal is to “Run a 5K race in 6 months,” your action steps might include:
- Sign up for a 5K race 2 months from now (to give yourself training time).
- Find a training plan for beginners and schedule your runs each week.
- Invest in good running shoes.
- Start gradually increasing your running distance each week.
- Research healthy pre- and post-run meals.
Step 3: Identify and Prioritize Tasks
Now that you’ve broken down your big goal into smaller, achievable steps, it’s time to get even more specific. This step is like creating a to-do list for each action step. Brainstorm all the individual tasks you need to complete to achieve each step. Don’t worry about order yet – just get everything down on paper (or digitally, if you prefer).
Once you have a list for each step, it’s time to prioritize! Here’s where those SMART goals come in handy. Think about the following factors when deciding which tasks to tackle first:
- Urgency: Are there any tasks that absolutely need to be done first to move on to the next step? For example, if you’re planning a party, booking the venue might need to happen before finalizing the guest list.
- Importance: Do some tasks have a bigger impact on the overall goal than others? Completing these tasks first might make the rest of the process smoother.
- Dependencies: Are there any tasks that rely on others being completed first? Make sure to identify these so you don’t get stuck waiting.
- Time commitment: How long will each task take? Consider your available time and energy when prioritizing.
Step 4: Assign Roles and Responsibilities (if applicable)
An action plan is most effective when everyone involved knows exactly what they need to do. If you’re working on a project alone, this step might not be necessary. But if you have a team or even a few helpers, assigning clear roles and responsibilities is crucial. Here’s how to assign roles and responsibilities effectively:
- Consider Strengths and Availability: Match tasks to people’s strengths and skills. If someone has experience with a particular area, assign them tasks that leverage that expertise. Also, consider people’s availability. Don’t overload someone who has a busy schedule.
- Clear Communication is Key: Once you’ve decided who does what, have a conversation with each person. Explain the task clearly, answer any questions they might have, and ensure they understand the expected outcome.
- Accountability Matters: Let everyone know who they are accountable to. This creates a sense of ownership and keeps everyone motivated.
Step 5: Set Realistic Deadlines and Milestones
Having a clear roadmap to your goal is crucial, and that’s where deadlines and milestones come in. Deadlines are the finish lines for individual tasks within your action plan. Milestones, on the other hand, are checkpoints that mark significant progress towards your overall goal. Setting realistic deadlines and milestones keeps you focused, motivated, and helps you track your progress.
The key to effective deadlines and milestones lies in honesty. Be realistic about how much time each task will take. Don’t underestimate the effort involved or try to cram too many things into a short timeframe. This will only lead to frustration and missed deadlines. Consider external dependencies as well. Are there approvals, deliveries, or reliance on others that could impact your progress? Factor in buffer time to account for these potential roadblocks.
Breaking down large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps is another effective strategy. This makes it easier to estimate deadlines and keeps you motivated as you complete each mini-goal. Milestones, on the other hand, should celebrate significant achievements along the way. Did you complete a crucial stage of the project? Did you acquire a key resource? Reaching milestones gives you a sense of accomplishment and helps you stay focused on the bigger picture.
Remember, deadlines and milestones are not set in stone. As you progress, you might need to adjust them based on unforeseen circumstances. The key is to be flexible and realistic in your planning. A well-crafted action plan with achievable deadlines and milestones will guide you effectively towards your goal.
Step 6: Identify Resources
Now that you’ve broken down your goal into manageable tasks and set deadlines, it’s time to take stock of what you’ll need to get things done. Resources are anything that helps you complete your action steps. This can include:
- People: Do you need help from others? Will you need to delegate tasks or collaborate with a team?
- Equipment: Do you have the necessary tools and equipment to complete the tasks? This could be anything from a computer and software to specific machinery or supplies.
- Budget: Are there any financial costs associated with your action steps? Do you need to factor in material costs, travel expenses, or any fees?
- Time: This might seem obvious, but be realistic about the amount of time each task will take and ensure you have enough dedicated time to complete everything.
- Information: Do you need to do any research or gather specific information to complete your tasks? Identify what information you need and where you’ll find it.
Step 7: Document Your Action Plan
You’ve identified your goal, broken it down into steps, and figured out who tackles what by when. Now it’s time to solidify your plan by putting it all on paper (or screen!). Documenting your action plan serves several purposes. No matter what format you choose, make sure your documented plan includes the following:
- Goal Statement: Briefly restate your SMART goal at the top of your plan.
- Action Steps: List out all the specific tasks that need to be completed to achieve your goal.
- Deadlines: Assign realistic deadlines for each task or milestone.
- Responsibilities: If you’re working with others, clarify who is responsible for each task.
- Resources: List any resources you’ll need to complete the tasks, such as equipment, budget, or people’s time.
Over to you!
An action plan can cut your work in half by guiding you and your team to success.
Once created, action plans document work on their own as they guide the team through every difficulty and keeps them accountable.
Action plans also communicate goals with internal as well as external stakeholders, keeping the entire process transparent.
So, what are you waiting for? Use a documentation tool like Bit, gather around your troops, and start creating action plans today!
Further reads:
Eisenhower Matrix: Definition, Quadrants & Tips!
Growth Plan: What is it & How to Create One? (Steps Included)
11 Amazing Goal Tracking Apps and Tools! (Free & Paid)
Crisis Management Plan: Definition, Types & Steps to Create!
How to Create a To-Do List the Most Effective Way! (Free Template)
Weekly Plan: What is it & How to Create an Effective One?
Work Breakdown Structure: Definition, Types, Importance & Process!
Best Roadmap Software You Need to Try (Free & Paid)
