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Do you need a guide to know how to draw up an action plan for a company? It is clear that defining and studying your business idea is key, and relying on a business plan is the way to do so. Same happens with individual projects, so don’t hesitate and deconstruct every strategic decision you might make through an action plan.
An action plan can be defined as the step prior to success, since organising a detailed document about any project’s processes will push it towards success.
5 steps to draw up a solid action plan
A solid and strong action plan must be drawn up in a collaborative environment, so different points of view can be taken into account. Steps are easy, here you have a little tutorial to write the action plan for your next big strategic movement:
Set goals
As in every plan, setting goals is the right starting point. So, if you want to draw up a good action plan that leads your project to the top, make every effort to focus the attention on what really matters. Realistic and achievable goals are the main characters of this part of the narrative.
Moreover, if several departments are involved in the developing of this alive document, defining goals, allocating tasks and embracing commitment will be so much easier.
Our piece of advice is following the SMART method! Did you know about it?
Choose a leader to guide the troupes
Every great war needs a captain. Once you’ve defined your goals, choose a general manager to supervise and overview every process and deadline, someone that also works as a referential figure for the rest of the team. Knowing how and who runs the project (and to whom turn if needed) is vital for a great communication.
Time estimation and deadlines
We know timing is everything, and setting a starting and ending date will help your team a lot when it comes to them organising their own work. Of course, these dates can be moved up or down, but planification is always necessary. And not only should the two ends be set, but it would be wise to establish individual deadlines along the way to maintain everything under control.
Calculate the resources required
If you multiply the people involved in the project by the desired time it will all take, you will get the resources the company should allocate to reach the goal as a result. Besides, it is important to consider if the project requires extra staff or the purchase of any equipment which involves an increase of the economic resources.
Communicate
One of the most important parts of a company is its communication, both internal and external, so in order to close an action plan successfully it is important to choose which employees are going to be informed and how.
Evaluation
We won’t get tired of reminding you how important it is to constantly measure your progress and study setbacks and issues that may come up. Always having a plan B in case things don’t turn out as they were planned!
We truly hope we could inspire and help you put some order in your chaos! With some planning and a nice and colourful template, piece of cake!
“In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention.”
Lou Holtz