Putting the Plan Into Action

All of us have heard the saying “If you fail to plan… you plan to fail,” Very true, but implementation is equally important to planning. No use to have the perfect plan, but it is not implemented well.

The Dashboard/Score Board

To keep track of a soccer match, we have a large scoreboard, which should be visible to all spectators. As spectators, we get highly irritated if the scoreboard is hidden. Both players and spectators constantly keep an eye on the scoreboard, which serves as motivator to increase performance and feedback.

So why, if we are serious about business performance, are our scoreboards hidden in well-kept files?

Advice given by modern business performance experts is to set up scoreboards similar to sports scoreboards, to track business performance. The benefits of this practice are unlimited, but include:

• People want feedback to know how they are doing, the scoreboard provides immediate feedback.
• Measurement is the foundation of improvement.
• The scoreboard motivates and inspires the team.
• The scoreboard focuses the team on what is important.
• The supervisor will recognise where assistance is required.

A scoreboard could simply be a visual display of the operational plan, but better ways are to work with graphs with target lines. Important to keep the graphs updated on a weekly basis. Software programs could be developed to update it automatically as data are fed into the system.

Guidelines when preparing dashboard graphs:

• The scale of the graph must be appropriate.
• It must be clear from the graph if the goal has been attained. A goal statement, target line and ‘trigger’ line is needed.
• Daily performance must be summarised in monthly performance to see if objectives are met.
• Graphs must be easy to read (both size and lay-out).
• When targets are not met, an improvement action plan must be compiled.

Action Plan

An action plan is a plan consisting of one or more actions. The plan itself may have one or more goals, but it is not really necessary to have more than one goal.

In some ways, an action plan is a "heroic" act: it helps us turn our dreams into a reality. An action plan is a way to make sure your organisation's vision is made concrete. It describes the way your team will use its strategies to meet its objectives. An action plan consists of a number of action steps or changes to be brought about in your community.

Click here to view a video that explains how to create an effective action plan.

Each action step or change to be sought should include the following information:

• What actions or changes will occur?
• Who will carry out these changes?
• By when they will take place, and for how long.
• What resources (i.e. money, staff) are needed to carry out these changes.
• Communication (who should know what?)

Criteria for a Good Action Plan

What are the Criteria for a Good Action Plan? The action plan for your initiative should meet several criteria. Is the action plan:

Complete? Does it list all the action steps or changes to be sought in all relevant parts of the community (e.g. schools, business, government, faith community)?

Clear? Is it apparent who will do what by when?

Current? Does the action plan reflect the current work? Does it anticipate newly emerging opportunities and barriers?

Why Should you Develop an Action Plan?

Because you certainly don't want to fail, it makes sense to take all of the steps necessary to ensure success, including developing an action plan. There are lots of good reasons to work out the details of your organisation's work in an action plan. They include:

• To lend credibility to your organisation. An action plan shows that your organisation is well ordered and dedicated to getting things done.
• To be sure you don't overlook any of the details.
• To understand what is and isn't possible for your organisation to do.
• For efficiency: to save time, energy, and resources in the long run.
• For accountability: To increase the chances that people will do what needs to be done.

When Should you Create an Action Plan?

Ideally, an action plan should be developed within the first six months to one year of the start of an organisation. It is developed after you have determined the vision, mission, objectives and strategies of your group. If you develop an action plan when you are ready to start getting things done, it will give you a blueprint for running your organisation or business.

Remember, though, that an action plan is always a work in progress. It is not something you can write, lock in your file drawers, and forget about. Keep it visible. Display it prominently. As your organisation changes and grows, you will want to continually (usually monthly) revise your action plan to fit the changing needs of your team.