Reference E

Action planning
Action Plan is:
Action planning is used by many different disciplines and industries, to detail the steps to be taken to meet an objective or goal. Action plans enable the organization to define their goals, the milestones associated with the goals and responsibilities of employees within the organization regarding those goals and activities. Action plans usually take the form of a written document which summarizes the activities an organization needs to undertake, to address the gaps identified and the recommendations from the gap analysis. The action plan document is used to guide the implementation of business process improvements. It contains task assignments, schedules, resource allocations, assignments and evaluation criteria for each recommendation or goal. Action Plan Defined as :

A description of what needs to be done, when and by whom The course of action needed to achieve the stated goal Consists of a number of tasks necessary to implement a priority project as identified in the strategic plan or economic development strategy"

Action Plan Steps:

Develop Action Plan

Second
Ensure Action Paln

Doucment Action Plan

First

Third

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First: Develop Action Plans:

What goes in developing an Action Plan? The gap analysis develops a range of options or recommendations for the organization to consider. Each of these recommendations made in the gap analysis may become an action plan. These action plans will detail the activities that need to be taken in order to implement each recommendation. Note that this process is related to the Gap Analysis (Review Reference B).

Action plans take a number of forms, but generally may include the following elements: Goal What will be achieved by implementing the action? Activity What are the activities and in what order will the activities be completed? Responsibilities Which staff members are responsible for the completion of each activity? Resources What resources will be allocated to each activity? Resources may include funding, time, people and materials. Timeline When will each activity commence and finish? Evidence of Success How will you know if you are making progress? How will progress be measured? Evaluation Process How will you determine that the goal has been reached? Example: Limited example of an action plan
Goal: Cut costs for customer in order to be more competitive
Activities: 1. Review customer requests, complaints, feedback to determine service provision possibilities 2. Create alternative courses of action that could be implemented to improve service to customers: a. Drop prices to match competitors b. Offer discounts on calls during off peak times 3. Offer customer loyalty rewards for staying with SHIP & C.R.E.W 4. Implement new pricing strategy. 5. Inform customers [existing and potential] of new pricing strategy through a. Mail out brochures b. Television and radio advertising 6. Review status of pricing strategy periodically to determine success/ or failure. Responsibiliti es :
1. Marketing staff 2. a. Pricing dept b. etc c. etc

Resources
1. 35 hours staff time x 3 marketing staff ($700) 2. a. 15 hours x 1 staff ($300)

Timeline
1. 1. Begin 22/3/04 9am, End 26/3/03 5pm 2. a. Begin 29/3/04 9am, End 31/3/04 10am

Evidence of success Increase in customer numbers by x% Evaluation Process Review of customer feedback or survey to determine satisfaction of customers.

Summary: Action plans detail the activities that need to be completed, the order of the activities, the person responsible for each activity, the resources available and the timeline for the activity.

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Second: Ensure Action Plans

When developing action plans it is important to consider both internal and external factors and constraints. Failure to consider these factors may lead to poor implementation or problems with the action when it is implemented. Note that this process is related to the SWOT Analysis (Review Reference C).

Constraints and Considerations:

In order to implement action plans appropriately, it is important to consider all constraints and other relevant factors that may affect them. These considerations may be both internal and external to the action. Internal Constraints: Internal considerations will relate to factors within the organization, which will affect the action plan. For example: Operational: The structure of the organization can either help to facilitate the action plan, or prohibit the plan from proceeding. If the organization is highly structured or complex and the action plan calls for creative thinking and development, the culture within the organization may doom the plan to failure before it has begun. Conversely, an action plan that fits in with this highly structured type of organization has a greater chance of success. Financial: The organization may not have the capital to invest in a new system, or a system upgrade at the present time. This may mean that the organization must delay the implementation of the action plan until they can afford it. Legal: There may be legal reasons why the organization may not implement a course of action. For example, installing proprietary software on a number of computers is illegal without the appropriate multiple licenses. Likewise, there may be legislation that the organization must follow when implementing particular actions. For example, if the organization is going to create and implement an e-commerce website, then elements of the Privacy Act, must be considered and followed. The organization has a duty of care to protect all customer information. Human relations: The implementation of an action plan may require extensive changes to the way people communicate within the organization. For example, if an email system is made available to employees in an organization for the first time, those employees will need to know about email etiquette and acceptable use policies for the organization. Internal operating environment: The internal operating environment of the organization will include the platform, hardware and software that the organization uses to perform operations. If a new piece of software is being installed, then it must be compatible with the operating environment of the organization. The internal operating environment may also include: the operating climate / culture, existing merchandise or service range of the organization, possible future merchandise or service range, staff, management and management information systems. External Considerations: The external environment may include the following: External operating environment: The external operating environment may include: markets such as advertising / marketing targets, customers, local culture/ environment and new or existing products and services, suppliers and technology. Competitors: Competitor considerations may include the competitors product or service range, their pricing policies and their marketing policies. If we decide to offer a similar product to that of our competitor, then a similar pricing structure must also be employed. Government bodies: Government and legislative bodies may affect employment conditions, staff, trade practices, consumer law and occupational health and safety.

Summary
Internal constraints include operational, legal, human relation, financial and internal operating environment factors. External Considerations include the external operating environment, competitors and factors relating to government bodies. When developing action plans all of these factors must be considered.
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Third: Document Action Plans

Many organizations have documentation standards and use templates for all organization documents. The template for the action plan details the goal, activities, responsibilities, resources, timeline, success factors and an evaluation process for each recommendation or goal. Action Plan Template A template allows the organization to develop documentation consistently across different departments, levels and workgroups. Each of the headings in the template shown in the example below were explained in detail in Ensure Action Plans. Example: Action Plan Template
Goal: Activity
1. 2. 3. 4.

Responsibilities
1. 2. 3. 4.

Resources
1. 2. 3. 4.

Timeline
1. 2. 3. 4.

Evidence of success Evaluation Process

Summary Action plans allow the organization to detail the activities that must be taken to achieve a set goal or objective. The template forms a standard that the organization can follow and enables a consistent level of information to be created.

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