1. The Actions Required

These must be identified fully and precisely, otherwise the results expected will not be achieved. The expected effects of these actions must also be identified, so that you will know when they have been carried out successfully. This part of the plan can be constructed as follows:

• State your objective.
• List the individual goals in the order in which they must be achieved to reach that objective.
• Identify what actions are required to achieve each goal, determine the sequence in which they need to be carried out, and record them.
• Define, in measurable terms, what a successful outcome will be for each action and add the details to the plan.

With all but the very simplest plans it is wise to use a diagram to represent the sequence of actions and how they contribute to the overall objective. This helps to show how the actions interact and to reveal areas of possible conflict. Actions should be fitted together as closely as possible, to prevent wastage of resources, while allowing some margin for overrun. To do this you need to prepare a time schedule for the actions.