2Create an action plan that drives results
Alicia Raeburn
January 8th, 2023 • 6 min read
Summary
An action plan outlines precisely how you’re planning to accomplish your goals. It’s the perfect way to approach goals systematically and keep your team on target. In this article, we will cover how to create an action plan in six steps and how to implement it successfully. Plus, learn more about the differences between action plans, project plans, and to-do lists.
Who needs an action plan?
An action plan is useful for anyone who needs a step-by-step planning process. When you create an action plan, you detail exactly what actions you'll take to accomplish your project goals. These plans can help you organize your to-dos and ensure you have the necessary information and resources to accomplish your goals.Action plans are often used in strategic planning. Strategic plans are three to five year goals that your entire organization is working towards.
6 steps to create an action plan
When it comes to setting goals, clarity is the single most important quality. With the SMART goal method, your goal is clearly defined and attainable. Set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound goals to benefit from this tactic.Now that your goal is clearly defined and written down, you’ll want to identify the steps you have to take to reach it. Identify all of the tasks that you and your team need to complete to reach milestones and, eventually, the main objective.
Action plan vs. plan B vs. project plan vs. to-do list
So how exactly does an action plan differ from all these other plans and lists? To clear this up once and for all, we’re going to explain what these plans are and when to use which plan to maximize your team’s efforts.You may have heard the terms action plan and plan B used interchangeably. But in fact, an action plan and plan B are two completely different types of plans.
