my action plan essay

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What is an Action Plan & How to Write One [With Examples]

By Danesh Ramuthi , Oct 26, 2023

An action plan is a meticulously structured strategy that pinpoints specific steps, tasks and resources vital to turning a goal into reality. It is extremely useful in any project management. 

Crafting an action plan is like plotting a route for a cross-country journey. It’s the strategic map that outlines every step, decision and pitstop needed to reach your ultimate destination.

With a well-thought-out action plan, you’re not just shooting in the dark; you’re making informed, purposeful strides towards your goals. Dive deep with our guide and witness real-world examples that will inspire and guide you.

Need a tool to kickstart your planning? Try out the Venngage business plan maker and explore their extensive collection of action plan templates .

Click to jump ahead: 

What is the purpose of an action plan?

When to develop an action plan, 7 components of a actions plan, 15 action plan examples.

• How to Write an action plan?

Final thoughts

An action plan serves as a strategic tool designed to outline specific steps, tasks and goals necessary to achieve a particular objective.

Its primary purpose is to provide a clear roadmap and direction for individuals, teams or organizations to follow in order to efficiently and effectively accomplish their goals. 

Action plans break down complex projects into manageable, actionable components, making it easier to track progress and stay on course.

Moreover, action plans play a crucial role in fostering accountability and coordination among team members. By assigning responsibilities and deadlines for each task or milestone, they ensure that everyone involved is aware of their roles and the overall timeline, reducing confusion and enhancing teamwork. 

Additionally, action plans help in resource allocation, budgeting and risk management by enabling stakeholders to identify potential challenges and plan for contingencies. 

Overall, the purpose of an action plan is to transform abstract goals into concrete actions, making them more achievable and measurable while ensuring that the resources and efforts are aligned with the desired outcomes.

Developing an action plan is crucial when you’re looking to achieve a specific goal or outcome. Here are instances when you should consider developing an action plan:

• Start of an organization : Ideally, an action plan should be developed within the first six months to one year of the start of an organization. This initial plan lays the groundwork for the future direction and growth of the entity.
• Project initiation : At the start of any project, an action plan helps to clearly define the tasks, responsibilities, and timelines.
• Goal setting : Whenever you or your organization sets a new goal. Action plans transform these goals from abstract ideas into concrete steps.
• Strategic planning : For long-term visions and missions, action plans break down the journey into manageable pieces, each with its timeline and responsible parties.
• Performance improvement : If there are areas where performance is lacking, whether it’s personal or organizational, an action plan can outline the steps needed to elevate performance.

An action plan is a detailed outline that breaks down the steps necessary to achieve a specific goal. Here are the typical components of an action plan.

1. Objective or Goal

The cornerstone of your action plan is the objective or goal. This should be a clear and concise statement outlining the desired outcome or result. Having a well-defined objective provides a direction and purpose to the entire plan, ensuring all tasks and actions are aligned towards achieving this singular aim.

2. Tasks or Actions

Once the objective is set, the next step is to list down the specific tasks or actions required to achieve this goal. These tasks should be broken down into detailed steps, ensuring no essential activity is overlooked. The granularity of these tasks can vary based on the complexity of the goal.

3. Set deadline

For each task or action, set a realistic and achievable deadline. This timeline ensures that the plan stays on track and that momentum is maintained throughout the execution. It also allows for monitoring progress and identifying potential delays early.

4. Resources needed to complete the project

It’s crucial to recognize and list the resources you’ll need to complete the tasks. This can encompass financial resources, human resources, equipment, technological tools or any other assets. Identifying these early ensures that there are no bottlenecks during execution due to a lack of necessary resources.

5. Person responsible

Assign a person or a team for each task. This designation ensures accountability and clarity. When individuals are aware of their responsibilities, it reduces overlap, confusion and ensures that every task has someone overseeing its completion.

6. Potential barriers or challenges

Every plan will face challenges. By anticipating potential barriers or obstacles, you can be better prepared to address them. This proactive approach ensures smoother execution and less reactionary problem-solving.

7. Measurement of key performance indicators (KPIs)

Determine how you’ll measure the success of each task or the plan overall. KPIs are tangible metrics that allow you to gauge progress and determine whether you’re moving closer to your goals and objectives. They offer a quantifiable means to evaluate success.

Action plans serve as blueprints, guiding the steps and resources needed to achieve a specific goal. 

They come in various formats, tailored to different scenarios and objectives. Here, we present a range of action plan examples that cater to diverse purposes and situations. 

From business strategies to simple task lists, these examples illustrate the versatility and importance of well-structured planning.

Business action plan example

A business action plan is essentially a strategy roadmap, meticulously tailored for realizing broader business objectives. By crafting a solid action plan, businesses can channel their resources, manpower and strategies in a direction that harmonizes with their larger vision.

Key to this plan is the identification and alignment of steps that resonate with the company’s comprehensive strategy, ambitions of growth and aspirations for operational enhancements. 

While this might entail a myriad of specific steps based on unique business goals, some common elements include setting clear key performance indicators (KPIs), undertaking a thorough SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to grasp the current business landscape and establishing a timeline to keep track of progress.

Furthermore, allocating responsibilities to team members or individuals ensures that every aspect of the strategy has a dedicated focus. Budgeting, essential to the success of the action plan, ensures that every initiative is financially viable and sustainable. 

Regular reviews and iterations based on feedback and changing market dynamics keep the action plan agile and relevant.

Related: 5 Steps to Create an Actionable Employee Development Plan [with Templates & Examples]

Company action plan example

A comprehensive company action plan serves as the strategic linchpin, ensuring a coherent and coordinated approach to realizing organizational goals. Central to this plan is the incorporation of rigorous market research and analysis, which provides insights into consumer behaviors, market trends and potential opportunities. 

Equally vital is the focus on product development and procurement, ensuring that the offerings align with market demands and stand out in terms of quality and relevance. 

Alongside, adept legal and financial management safeguards the company’s interests, ensuring compliance with regulations and prudent fiscal oversight.

Moreover, the essence of any successful company action plan lies in its sales and marketing strategies. These define how the products or services are positioned and promoted in the market, ensuring visibility and engagement with the target audience. 

However, while acquisition is crucial, retention plays an equally significant role. Hence, impeccable customer service and nurturing relationships become indispensable components, fostering loyalty and ensuring that clients remain ambassadors for the brand long after the initial transaction.

Related: 30+ Project Plan Examples to Visualize Your Strategy (2023)

Sales action plan example

A well-structured sales action plan serves as the backbone for systematic and efficient progress. Central to this plan is the identification and utilization of the most effective sales channels, whether they are direct, online or through third-party avenues. 

Clarity on the products and services on offer, combined with their unique selling propositions, facilitates tailored and resonant sales pitches. 

Budget considerations ensure that resources are judiciously allocated, balancing the act between expenditures and potential returns. This financial prudence is complemented by setting realistic sales projections, which act as both a motivational target and a yardstick for success.

Timelines, or proposed deadlines, infuse the process with a sense of urgency, ensuring that the momentum of the sales drive is maintained. 

However, the true measure of the action plan’s efficacy lies in its key performance indicators (KPIs). These metrics, be it lead conversion rates or customer retention figures, serve as tangible markers, highlighting the plan’s strengths and signaling areas that might require recalibration to increase sales.

Corrective action plan example

The essence of a corrective action plan lies in its meticulous structure, tailored to address and rectify deviations or inefficiencies identified within an organization. At its core, each action item serves as a focal point, detailing specific areas or processes that require intervention. 

Accompanying each action item is a clear description that provides a comprehensive understanding of the issue at hand. 

However, merely identifying a problem isn’t enough; delving deep into its origins through root cause analysis ensures that solutions target the fundamental issues, rather than just addressing superficial symptoms. 

This analysis then paves the way for defining the corrective action, a tangible step or series of steps designed to mitigate the identified problem and prevent its recurrence.

Besides, to ensure the plan’s effectiveness, assigning a responsible person to each action item is paramount. This individual or team is entrusted with the task’s execution, ensuring accountability and focus. 

The status of each action keeps stakeholders informed about the progress, be it in the planning phase, ongoing, or completed. 

Lastly, setting a due date for each corrective action introduces a sense of urgency and purpose, ensuring that issues are addressed in a timely manner, minimizing disruptions and maximizing operational efficiency.

Simple action plan example

A simple action plan strips away the layers of complexity, offering a concise and direct approach to achieving a goal or addressing an issue. This type of plan is characterized by its straightforward structure, devoid of extraneous details, yet powerfully effective in its clarity. 

It is specifically designed for tasks or objectives that don’t necessitate elaborate strategies or multi-layered approaches.

The core components of a simple action plan usually include a clear statement of the task or objective at hand, followed by a sequence of actions or steps to be taken. 

Each step is described succinctly, ensuring that anyone involved has a clear understanding of what is expected. Responsibilities are defined clearly, with each task allocated to an individual or a team, ensuring accountability. Timelines might be integrated, providing a clear framework for completion, even if they’re just broad milestones. 

Regular check-ins or assessments, although minimal, might be incorporated to monitor progress. 

The beauty of a simple action plan lies in its agility and adaptability, making it particularly suited for individual projects, short-term tasks or situations where a rapid response is required.

How to write an action plan?

Creating an effective action plan is a foundational step towards turning aspirations into tangible results. It provides a clear roadmap, ensuring that each step taken aligns with the overall objective.

Whether you’re aiming to enhance a business process or achieve a personal goal, a well-drafted action plan can be your guiding light. Here’s key steps on how you can craft one:

• Step 1: Establish SMART goals: Initiating with a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound ensures you have a clear and focused endpoint in sight. Smart goals serves as the cornerstone for your entire strategic blueprint.
• Step 2: Determine necessary tasks: Decompose your overarching objective into smaller, actionable tasks. This modular approach not only makes the mission less daunting but also provides a sequential pathway to goal attainment.
• Step 3: Assign essential resources: Depending on the tasks at hand, designate necessary resources, be they human, financial or technological. This ensures that every activity has the backing it needs for successful execution.
• Step 4: Prioritize tasks by importance: Not all tasks hold equal weight. Determine the hierarchy of tasks based on their impact on the goal and their time sensitivity. This allows for a systematic progression.
• Step 5: Outline timelines and key markers: With tasks in hand, set clear deadlines for each. Introduce milestones, which act as periodic check-ins, ensuring you’re on track and allowing for celebrations of smaller victories.
• Step 6: Oversee and modify your strategy blueprint: As you progress, there will invariably be learnings and challenges. Regularly review your plan to make necessary adjustments, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness.
• Step 7: Consider ready-to-use templates: If starting from scratch feels overwhelming, lean on structured templates to guide your planning. There’s plenty of business plan softwares and platforms such as  Venngage that offer a plethora of action plan templates , tailored to various needs, which can significantly streamline the process.

An action plan is more than just an action steps, it’s a strategic blueprint that bridges the gap between aspirations and realizations. 

Through this comprehensive guide, I’ve walked you through the purpose, ideal timings, core components, and practical examples of action plans across various domains. 

Leveraging tools of project management , you can track progress, assign tasks and ensure every team member stays on the same page. 

It’s not just about setting goals, but about strategically planning every step, ensuring tasks completed align with the larger project goals. 

Remember, success isn’t just about having goals but about charting the right course to achieve them

And if you’re looking to supercharge your planning efforts, don’t miss out on the Venngage business plan maker. 

Dive into their extensive collection of action plan templates and make your strategic planning both efficient and effective. 

How to Write an Action Plan: Step-by-Step (Examples)

By Status.net Editorial Team on November 9, 2023 — 9 minutes to read

Understanding Action Plans

An action plan is a detailed roadmap of the necessary steps you need to take to achieve a specific goal or objective. It’s like a GPS that guides you from your starting point to your desired destination. Creating an action plan helps you break down a large goal into smaller, more manageable tasks, which makes the goal feel less overwhelming.

To start, you should first identify your end goal and be as specific as possible. For example, if you want to increase sales for your business, set a target like “Increase sales by 20% within the next six months.” This will give you a clear vision of what you want to achieve and make it easier to measure your progress.

Next, list the necessary actions or tasks required to reach your goal. These can be further divided into smaller tasks that are easy to understand and implement. For example, to increase sales, you could:

• Improve your online presence by revamping your website, optimizing it for search engines, and posting regularly on social media platforms.
• Reach out to potential clients through email campaigns and cold calls.
• Offer promotions or discounts to incentivize new customers to try your product or service.

Now, it’s time to set a timeline for each task. Deadlines will enable you to monitor your progress and stay on track. Assign realistic due dates for each task, and if needed, break them down into smaller milestones.

To ensure your action plan’s success, make sure to assign responsibility for each task. If you’re working with a team, delegate tasks according to each team member’s strengths, skills, and workload. This will help ensure everyone knows what their responsibilities are, and they are held accountable.

Lastly, always monitor your progress and evaluate your action plan’s effectiveness. Regularly review the tasks you’ve accomplished, and make note of the tasks that were challenging or required more time than anticipated. This self-assessment will help you improve your action plan and make necessary adjustments as you work towards your goal.

Example Action Plan

Goal : Increase sales by 20% within the next 6 months (By January 1st, 2025)

Actions : 1. Improve online presence a) Revamp website design – Due October 15th b) Optimize website for SEO – Due November 1st c) Post regularly on social media (1x/week min) – Ongoing

2. Reach out to potential clients a) Create email marketing campaign – Due September 15th b) Start cold calling campaign (10 calls/day) – Start October 1st

3. Offer promotions a) Design promotion flyers – Due September 1st b) Run month-long 20% off sale – October 1-31st

Monitoring : – Check website analytics weekly – Track new clients monthly – Evaluate sales figures monthly – Adjust plan as needed at monthly meetings

Responsibilities : – John to revamp website – Susan to handle social media – Michael to create promotions – Jennifer to manage outreach campaigns

Steps to Creating a Powerhouse Action Plan

First, identify your goal . Be specific about what you want to achieve and set a time frame for accomplishing it. This will help keep your efforts focused and prevent you from getting overwhelmed by smaller tasks. For example, instead of “increase sales”, choose “increase sales by 20% in the next six months”.

Next, break your goal down into smaller, manageable tasks . Create a list of activities or steps that must be completed in order to reach your goal. If your goal is to Increase sales by 20%, some tasks might be:

• Research your target market
• Develop a marketing strategy
• Improve product offerings
• Train your sales team

Assign a deadline and responsible party for each task on your list. This will help ensure that all tasks are completed on time and that everyone knows their role in achieving the goal. Make sure to set realistic timelines for each task, taking into consideration the resources and time available.

Here’s an example:

• Research your target market – due in one week – assigned to Jane (marketing specialist)
• Develop a marketing strategy – due in two weeks – assigned to marketing team

Monitor your progress regularly. Keep track of your progress by using tools such as calendars, project management software, or a simple spreadsheet. Regularly assess whether you’re on track to meet your goal and adjust your action plan if needed. For example, if a task is taking longer than expected, you may need to reassign resources or revise the deadline.

Celebrate your milestones and learn from setbacks . Along the way, take the time to acknowledge and celebrate your successes, as well as learn from any setbacks or challenges. This will help maintain motivation and encourage continuous improvement.

Finally, communicate your action plan to all stakeholders involved, such as employees, investors, or clients. Clear communication ensures everyone understands the goal, their responsibilities, and the expectations for the project.

Defining Clear and Smart Goals

Specific goals.

When creating your action plan, start by setting specific goals. These are clear, well-defined goals that leave no room for ambiguity. You should know exactly what needs to be accomplished and how you plan to achieve it. For example, instead of aiming for “increasing sales,” set a goal like “increase sales by 15% over the next six months.”

Measurable Goals

Your goals should be measurable so that you can track your progress and know when you’ve achieved them. This involves identifying quantifiable indicators that will help you determine your progress. For instance, if your goal is to increase sales, a measurable component can be the number of units sold or the amount of revenue generated within a specific timeframe.

Achievable Goals

When setting goals, make sure they are achievable and realistic based on your current resources and constraints. Consider your team’s capabilities, time, and budget. Unattainable goals may negatively impact your motivation and morale. For example, if you have a small team with limited resources, setting a goal to double your company’s size within a month might be unrealistic. Instead, aim for a modest yet challenging growth rate that can be achieved with your available resources.

Relevant Goals

Your action plan goals should also be relevant to your organization’s mission and vision. These are goals that align with your overall strategic plan and contribute to its long-term success. Relevant goals ensure that your efforts are focused on high-impact areas and avoid unnecessary distractions. For example, if your business is focused on sustainability, a relevant goal might be to reduce your company’s carbon footprint by 20% in the next year.

Time-bound Goals

Finally, ensure that your goals are time-bound, meaning they have a deadline for completion. Deadlines keep your team accountable and help maintain a sense of urgency, which is crucial for staying on track and achieving your objectives. A clear timeframe also allows you to measure your progress and adjust your plans as needed. For instance, you could set a goal to expand your customer base by 10% within the next quarter.

Assigning Roles and Responsibilities

When creating an action plan, it’s important to assign roles and responsibilities to your team members. This helps ensure tasks are completed efficiently and everyone is clear about their duties. Here’s how to do it effectively:

• First, identify the necessary tasks to achieve your goal. Be specific about what needs to be done and break it down into smaller steps if needed. For example, if your action plan involves promoting a new product, tasks could include designing promotional materials, creating social media posts, and reaching out to potential partners.
• Next, evaluate the skills and expertise of your team members. Consider their strengths, weaknesses, and past experiences with similar projects. This will help you match team members with tasks that best suit their abilities. For instance, someone with graphic design expertise should be responsible for creating promotional materials.
• Once you’ve determined which team members are best suited for each task, clearly communicate their roles and responsibilities. This can be done through a project management tool, an email, or a team meeting. Make sure everyone is aware of their duties and the deadlines for each task.
• Keep track of everyone’s progress, and hold regular check-ins to see how each team member is doing with their assigned tasks.
• Be open to adjusting your action plan and roles as necessary. Sometimes, unforeseen challenges can arise and require you to modify your plan.

Creating a Time Frame

When working on your action plan, it’s important to establish a realistic time frame for achieving your goals. This helps you stay on track and prioritize tasks effectively. We will walk you through the process of creating a time frame for your action plan.

• First, break down your primary goal into smaller, manageable tasks. Think of these tasks as stepping stones that will lead you toward your overall objective. For example, if your goal is to start a new business, your tasks might include researching your target market, establishing a budget, and developing a marketing strategy.
• Next, assign a deadline to each task. Deadlines should be specific and set in stone but make sure to be flexible enough to adjust as necessary. Use a calendar or planner to visualize your timeline, marking important dates and milestones. For example, you could set a four-month deadline for completing market research and a six-month deadline for securing initial funding.
• To keep yourself accountable, set reminders or notifications for important deadlines. This can be done using digital tools like smartphone apps or traditional methods, such as sticky notes on your workspace. Regularly reviewing your progress and adjusting your time frame when needed will help you stay on track.
• Lastly, consider any external factors that might impact your time frame. Are there seasonal events, holidays, or industry-specific deadlines that could affect your ability to complete tasks? Factor in these considerations as you build your timeline.

Resource Allocation

When creating an action plan, resource allocation plays a major role. You’ll need to determine the resources required for each task and how they’ll be distributed among team members. This usually includes time, budget, and human resources.

• Start by estimating the time each task will take. Break tasks down into smaller chunks and allocate a specific deadline to each. This will help you prioritize tasks and balance workloads for your team members. For example, if designing a marketing campaign takes four weeks, divide it into weekly tasks like conducting market research, creating promotional materials, and setting up advertisements.
• Next, determine the budget needed to complete your project. Identify any expenses such as salaries, equipment, software, and project-related costs like travel. Create a budget for each task to avoid overspending, and allocate funds accordingly. Using our marketing campaign example, allocate separate budgets for market research tools, graphic design tools, and advertising platforms.
• Lastly, allocate human resources to tasks based on their skills and expertise. Delegate responsibilities to your team members, ensuring that everyone has a clear understanding of their role in the project. If needed, identify additional hires or outside consultants to fill gaps in your team’s expertise. For instance, if your team lacks graphic design experience, consider hiring a graphic designer or outsourcing the work to a design agency.
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What is an Action Plan? Learn with Templates and Examples

Planning on turning your vision into reality? And what’s your best way to avoid challenges and problems during this journey? A solid action plan.

We have outlined 6 steps explaining how to write an action plan. Once you familiarize yourself with them, go ahead and use the editable templates below to start planning right away.

What is an Action Plan?

Why you need an action plan, how to write an action plan, action plan templates.

An action plan is a specific list of tasks in order to achieve a particular goal. It can be regarded as a proposed strategy to execute a specific project to achieve a specific or general goal effectively and efficiently. It outlines steps to take and helps stay focused and organized, whether it’s personal or work-related. Breaking down the goal into smaller, manageable steps, makes it easier to stay motivated and track progress.

It’s an essential part of the strategic planning process and helps with improving teamwork planning Not only in project management, but action plans can be used by individuals to prepare a strategy to achieve their own personal goals as well.

Components of an action plan include

• A well-defined description of the goal to be achieved
• Tasks/ steps that need to be carried out to reach the goal
• People who will be in charge of carrying out each task
• When will these tasks be completed (deadlines and milestones)
• Resources needed to complete the tasks
• Measures to evaluate progress

What’s great about having everything listed down on one location is that it makes it easier to track progress and effectively plan things out.

An action plan is not something set in stone. As your organization grows, and surrounding circumstances change, you will have to revisit and make adjustments to meet the latest needs.

Sometimes businesses don’t spend much time on developing an action plan before an initiative, which, in most cases, leads to failure. If you haven’t heard, “failing to plan is planning to fail” said Benjamin Franklin supposedly once.

Planning helps you prepare for the obstacles ahead and keep you on track. And with an effective action plan, you can boost your productivity and keep yourself focused.  

Here are some benefits of an action plan you should know;

• It gives you a clear direction. As an action plan highlights exactly what steps to be taken and when they should be completed, you will know exactly what you need to do.
• Having your goals written down and planned out in steps will give you a reason to stay motivated and committed throughout the project.  
• With an action plan, you can track your progress toward your goal.
• Since you are listing down all the steps you need to complete in your action plan, it will help you prioritize your tasks based on effort and impact.

From the looks of it, creating an action plan seems fairly easy. But there are several important steps you need to follow with caution in order to get the best out of it. Here’s how to write an action plan explained in 6 easy steps.

Step 1: Define your end goal

If you are not clear about what you want to do and what you want to achieve, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Planning a new initiative? Start by defining where you are and where you want to be.

Solving a problem? Analyze the situation and explore possible solutions before prioritizing them.

Then write down your goal. And before you move on to the next step, run your goal through the SMART criteria . Or in other words, make sure that it is

• Specific – well-defined and clear
• Measurable – include measurable indicators to track progress  
• Attainable – realistic and achievable within the resources, time, money, experience, etc. you have
• Relevant – align with your other goals
• Timely – has a finishing date

Use this SMART goal worksheet to simplify this process. Share it with others to get their input as well.  

• Ready to use
• Fully customizable template
• Get Started in seconds

And refer to our easy guide to the goal-setting process to learn more about setting and planning your goals.

Step 2: List down the steps to be followed

The goal is clear. What exactly should you do to realize it?

Create a rough template to list down all the tasks to be performed, due dates and people responsible.

It’s important that you make sure that the entire team is involved in this process and has access to the document. This way everyone will be aware of their roles and responsibilities in the project.

Make sure that each task is clearly defined and is attainable. If you come across larger and more complex tasks, break them down to smaller ones that are easier to execute and manage.

Tips: Use a RACI Matrix template to clarify project roles and responsibilities, and plan projects

Step 3: Prioritize tasks and add deadlines

It’s time to reorganize the list by prioritizing the tasks . Some steps, you may need to prioritize as they can be blocking other sub-steps.

Add deadlines, and make sure that they are realistic. Consult with the person responsible for carrying it out to understand his or her capacity before deciding on deadlines.

Step 4: Set milestones

Milestones can be considered mini goals leading up to the main goal at the end. The advantage of adding milestones is that they give the team members to look forward to something and help them stay motivated even though the final due date is far away.

Start from the end goal and work your way back as you set milestones . Remember not to keep too little or too much time in between the milestone you set. It’s a best practice to space milestones two weeks apart.  

Step 5: Identify the resources needed

Before you start your project, it’s crucial to ensure that you have all the necessary resources at hand to complete the tasks. And if they are not currently available, you need to first make a plan to acquire them.

This should also include your budget. You can assign a column of your action plan to mark the cost of each task if there are any.  

Step 6: Visualize your action plan

The point of this step is to create something that everyone can understand at a glance and that can be shared with everyone.

Whether your action plan comes in the shape of a flowchart , Gantt chart , or table , make sure that it clearly communicates the elements we have identified so far – tasks, task owners, deadlines, resources, etc.

This document should be easily accessible to everyone and should be editable.

Step 7: Monitor, evaluate and update

Allocate some time to evaluate the progress you’ve made with your team.

You can mark tasks that are completed as done on this final action plan, bringing attention to how you’ve progressed toward the goal.

This will also bring out the tasks that are pending or delayed, in which case you need to figure out why and find suitable solutions. And then update the action plan accordingly.

Business action plan

You may like to read: The Easy Guide to Making a Business Plan for Presentations

Marketing action plan

Strategic action plan, corrective action plan template.

Learn more about: Corrective Action Plan template .

Additional resources: The Easy Guide to Creating a Business Contingency Plan

Simple action plan template

Any more tips on creating an action plan.

An action plan is designed to guide your way to accomplishing your goals. It turns your vision into actionable goals and steps. And it helps you stay focused and motivated.

From an individual employee in an organization to larger departments can make use of action plans to steer their way towards completing their goals.

Maybe you are about to create your very first action plan, or you are already a pro at writing them. Either way, we’d like to hear your opinions on how to write an action plan. Do share them with us in the comments section below.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

FAQs About Action Plan

Lack of clarity on goals: Make sure the team understands the goals and objectives of the action plan. The goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Unclear responsibilities: Assign clear roles and responsibilities for each team member to avoid confusion and ensure accountability.

Overcomplicating the plan: Keep the action plan simple and easy to understand. Avoid adding unnecessary complexity or detail that may confuse the team.

Failure to prioritize tasks: Prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. This will ensure that the team focuses on the most critical tasks first.

Inadequate resources: Ensure that the team has access to the necessary resources such as time, budget, and equipment, to carry out the action plan successfully.

Lack of communication: Effective communication is crucial to the success of any action plan. Ensure that team members are regularly updated on progress and any changes to the plan.

Failure to monitor progress: Regularly monitor progress and adjust the action plan as needed to ensure that it stays on track and achieves its goals.

Strategic action plan: This type of plan outlines the long-term goals and objectives of an organization, and the actions that will be taken to achieve them. It typically covers a period of several years and includes high-level strategies and initiatives.

Operational action plan: This plan focuses on the day-to-day operations of an organization, outlining the actions that will be taken to achieve short-term goals and objectives. It typically covers a period of one year or less and includes specific actions and timelines.

Project action plan: This type of plan is used for individual projects and outlines the actions that will be taken to achieve specific project goals and objectives. It includes a detailed breakdown of tasks, timelines, and responsibilities.

Sales action plan: This plan focuses on the actions that will be taken to increase sales and revenue. It includes specific strategies for marketing, sales, and customer service.

Marketing action plan: This plan outlines the actions that will be taken to promote a product or service and increase brand awareness. It includes strategies for advertising, social media, public relations, and other marketing initiatives.

Crisis management action plan: This type of plan outlines the actions that will be taken in the event of a crisis, such as a natural disaster or security breach. It includes specific protocols for communication, evacuation, and other emergency procedures.

An action plan can be used by anyone who wants to achieve specific goals or objectives. It is a useful tool for individuals, teams, and organizations in a variety of contexts. Here are some examples:

Individuals: An individual can use an action plan to achieve personal goals such as losing weight, completing a degree, or starting a business.

Teams: A team can use an action plan to achieve goals related to a specific project or initiative. For example, a marketing team may use an action plan to launch a new product.

Small businesses: Small businesses can use an action plan to achieve goals related to sales, marketing, operations, or finance.

Non-profit organizations: Non-profit organizations can use an action plan to achieve goals related to fundraising, volunteer recruitment, or program implementation.

Government agencies: Government agencies can use an action plan to achieve goals related to policy implementation, disaster response, or public safety.

Educational institutions: Educational institutions can use an action plan to achieve goals related to improving student outcomes, increasing enrollment, or expanding programs.

More Related Articles

Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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106 Action Plan Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Action plan essays are a common requirement in academic settings as they challenge students to propose solutions to real-world problems. These essays require careful planning, research, and critical thinking skills. If you're struggling to come up with a topic for your action plan essay, fear not! We've compiled a list of 106 topic ideas and examples to help get your creative juices flowing.

• Implementing stricter gun control laws to reduce mass shootings.
• Addressing the issue of police brutality through comprehensive training programs.
• Promoting renewable energy sources to combat climate change.
• Creating a comprehensive recycling program in schools to reduce waste.
• Developing affordable housing solutions for homeless individuals.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the food industry to combat obesity.
• Improving mental health services in schools to address the rise in student anxiety and depression.
• Establishing mentorship programs to reduce high school dropout rates.
• Implementing comprehensive sex education programs to reduce teen pregnancy rates.
• Addressing the issue of income inequality through fair taxation policies.
• Promoting gender equality in the workplace through inclusive hiring practices.
• Developing programs to support small businesses and local entrepreneurs.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the tobacco industry to reduce smoking rates.
• Addressing the issue of food insecurity through community gardens and food banks.
• Developing comprehensive immigration reform policies.
• Promoting financial literacy education to reduce personal debt and improve financial well-being.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the pharmaceutical industry to combat the opioid epidemic.
• Addressing the issue of cyberbullying through education and awareness campaigns.
• Developing programs to support and promote arts education in schools.
• Promoting sustainable transportation options to reduce carbon emissions.
• Implementing comprehensive healthcare reform to ensure access for all.
• Addressing the issue of animal cruelty through stricter legislation and enforcement.
• Developing programs to support and empower survivors of domestic violence.
• Promoting inclusive education for students with disabilities.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the fast-food industry to combat obesity rates.
• Addressing the issue of racial discrimination through education and awareness initiatives.
• Developing programs to support and rehabilitate individuals with addiction.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in the media.
• Implementing comprehensive cybersecurity measures to protect against online threats.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through minimum wage increases.
• Developing programs to support and promote physical activity in schools.
• Promoting sustainable farming practices to reduce environmental impact.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the cosmetic industry to ensure product safety.
• Addressing the issue of human trafficking through comprehensive law enforcement strategies.
• Developing programs to support and empower LGBTQ+ youth.
• Promoting cultural diversity and inclusivity in schools and workplaces.
• Implementing comprehensive education reform to improve student outcomes.
• Addressing the issue of child labor through stricter labor laws and enforcement.
• Developing programs to support and promote mental health in the workplace.
• Promoting responsible and sustainable tourism practices.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the fashion industry to combat unethical labor practices.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through wealth redistribution policies.
• Developing programs to support and promote healthy eating habits in children.
• Promoting sustainable forestry practices to protect natural ecosystems.
• Implementing comprehensive transportation infrastructure improvements.
• Addressing the issue of elder abuse through education and awareness campaigns.
• Developing programs to support and empower indigenous communities.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in politics.
• Implementing comprehensive drug addiction treatment programs.
• Addressing the issue of food deserts through community outreach and education.
• Developing programs to support and promote affordable childcare options.
• Promoting sustainable fishing practices to protect marine ecosystems.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the technology industry to protect user privacy.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through progressive taxation policies.
• Developing programs to support and promote mental health in the elderly population.
• Promoting gender equality in sports through equal pay and opportunities.
• Implementing comprehensive immigration policies to protect refugee rights.
• Addressing the issue of workplace discrimination through education and awareness initiatives.
• Developing programs to support and promote access to clean water in developing countries.
• Promoting sustainable urban planning to reduce pollution and congestion.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the entertainment industry to combat exploitation.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through universal basic income.
• Developing programs to support and promote healthy aging.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in the education system.
• Implementing comprehensive disaster preparedness plans.
• Addressing the issue of child abuse through education and prevention programs.
• Developing programs to support and promote access to education in underprivileged communities.
• Promoting sustainable waste management practices to reduce landfill waste.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the alcohol industry to combat alcoholism.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through job creation initiatives.
• Developing programs to support and promote mental health in the LGBTQ+ community.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in the tech industry.
• Implementing comprehensive anti-bullying policies in schools.
• Addressing the issue of elder loneliness through community outreach programs.
• Developing programs to support and promote access to healthcare in rural areas.
• Promoting sustainable fashion practices to reduce textile waste.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the beauty industry to combat harmful ingredients.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through affordable housing initiatives.
• Developing programs to support and promote mental health in veterans.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in the gaming industry.
• Implementing comprehensive environmental conservation efforts.
• Addressing the issue of child poverty through social welfare programs.
• Developing programs to support and promote access to clean energy in developing countries.
• Promoting sustainable water management practices to conserve resources.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the pharmaceutical industry to reduce drug prices.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through equal pay legislation.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in the fashion industry.
• Implementing comprehensive cybersecurity training for individuals and organizations.
• Addressing the issue of elder neglect through stricter regulations and enforcement.
• Developing programs to support and promote access to education for girls in developing countries.
• Promoting sustainable agriculture practices to reduce reliance on pesticides.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the tobacco industry to reduce smoking-related illnesses.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through affordable healthcare initiatives.
• Developing programs to support and promote mental health in the prison population.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in the music industry.
• Implementing comprehensive gun safety measures.
• Addressing the issue of child hunger through school meal programs.
• Developing programs to support and promote access to clean air in urban areas.
• Promoting sustainable construction practices to reduce environmental impact.
• Implementing stricter regulations on the gambling industry to combat addiction.
• Addressing the issue of income disparity through affordable higher education initiatives.
• Promoting inclusive and diverse representation in the film industry.
• Implementing comprehensive cybersecurity measures for government agencies.
• Addressing the issue of elder financial abuse through education and prevention programs.

Remember, these topics are just a starting point. Consider your interests, research what issues are currently prevalent, and select a topic that resonates with you. With careful planning and thoughtful analysis, your action plan essay can make a meaningful contribution towards positive change in our society.

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How to Write an Action Plan in 5 Steps

If you want to achieve life-changing goals, write an action plan with these 5 steps.

Transform Yourself For Success... One Day At A Time

If you want to achieve a life-changing goal , you need to know how to write an action plan.  

It doesn’t matter how motivated or dedicated you are to your dreams – without a clear roadmap outlining the steps you need to take to reach your goal, you’ll never know where you’re going or what you have to do to make it a reality.  

The good news is, by following 5 simple steps you can create an actionable plan that will point you in the direction of your dreams and help you clarify your journey with every step you take. 

Keep reading to learn more – and discover a Plan of Action template and some helpful action plan examples that will make setting long-term goals and creating an action plan for goals in every area of your life a whole lot easier! 

Let’s start with a key question: 

The Success Principles: 12-Month Success Planner. 

Transform Yourself For Success Today .

What is an Action Plan?

Simply put, an action plan is a list of all the tasks required to achieve a goal written in sequential order. 

Action planning can help you achieve your short-term goals as well as your longer-term, lifetime goals . Action plans are useful because they break down big goals into small, achievable steps and give you a specific timeframe to accomplish those tasks. This helps you prioritize and ensure you stay on track as you work to achieve them.  

Purpose of an Action Plan

Knowing how to write an action plan gives you a road map you can refer to every day to ensure that you’re moving closer to your goals. 

When you’re busy with your day-to-day, it can be all too easy to get stuck or veer off track.  The purpose of an action plan is to identify a clear path forward and help you stay organized and focused on your top properties. 

Action plans are powerful tools for your individual professional development but equally valuable for organizations and businesses. By creating a group action plan that identifies the organizational goals and the responsibilities of each team member, you foster greater group understanding and cohesion.

Creating an action plan for goals also ensures you don’t overlook critical steps and are able to complete each milestone in a timely manner so you can harness the power of consistent action and maintain your momentum as you work toward your ultimate endgame. 

Why You Need One

Action planning helps you track your progress so you can understand how far you’ve come and how long each step is taking. 

It will help you adapt your schedule and prioritize your tasks accordingly. This will boost your productivity and help you prepare for any obstacles that may appear on your path. 

5 Steps to Write an Action Plan

Learning how to write an action plan – whether for yourself or for your team or organization – doesn’t have to be complicated. 

Here’s how to create an effective and actionable plan in five simple steps: 

1. Set Your Goals

Having a detailed vision of your goal and knowing what you must do to achieve it is the key to moving from where you are now to where you want to be. 

However, not all goals are equal. Use S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting criteria to make sure your goal is Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound to guarantee that it is actually achievable and will help you move toward your dreams. 

2. Create Each Actionable Step

Brainstorm everything you must do to make your vision a reality. Chunk down the more significant steps into smaller, more achievable tasks. Then list those goals in sequential order with specific deadlines to keep you on track. 

In the beginning, you may not know all of the action planning steps you’ll need to take to reach your goal. That’s okay! Your journey will get clearer with every step you take along the path. 

3. Designate Wherever Necessary

Delegate the tasks that aren’t your area of expertise to people who specialize in those areas so that you can focus on your core genius. 

This will help you get better results faster and eliminate a lot of the frustration and obstacles that may otherwise hold you back.  

4. Visualize Your Action Plan

Visualization tools make it easy for you and your team to keep your goals top of mind and stay focused on achieving them. 

These tools include actual visuals, such as flowcharts, tables, and images that bring your action plan to life, as well as a daily visualization practice that encourages you to “see” your goals as already achieved. 

The more clearly you are able to see your desired experience in your mind’s eye, the easier it will be for you to make your vision a reality . 

5. Review & Improve

Review your action plan on a weekly basis and update it with any new and relevant information to make sure it accurately reflects what you want to achieve – and by when. 

Also, be sure to ask for feedback from people who can tell you how you’re doing and what steps you can take to improve your performance and results. 

Use a Plan of Action Template

Customize the following action plan example to make it work for you.  

1. CLARIFY YOUR GOAL

My goal is: 

(Be sure to make it SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, REALISTIC, and TIME-BOUND.)

2. IDENTIFY YOUR ACTION PLAN STEPS

Step 1: What/By When/By Whom

Step 2: What/By When/By Whom

Step 3: What/By When/By Whom

Step 4: What/By When/By Whom

Step 5: What/By When/By Whom

Etc. etc. 

Required resources: 

Possible obstacles: 

How to eliminate or minimize those obstacles: 

3. IDENTIFY YOUR KEY EVIDENCE FOR SUCCESS

What specific metrics will you measure to determine your progress and understand whether you’re on target with your goals?

4. TRACK AND EVALUATE YOUR PROGRESS

Identify the steps you will take to track and evaluate your progress toward the goals. 

Action Plan Examples to Follow

Here are a couple of action plan examples to show you how it works: 

Example 1: 

My SMART goal is: To lose 50 lbs by December 31st and keep that weight off for one full year. 

MY ACTION PLAN STEPS

Step 1: Choose a fitness app to track activity and food intake – by Feb 15th

Step 2: Buy new running shoes – by Feb 18th

Step 3: Sign up for Zumba class – by Feb 20th

Step 4: Meet with a nutritionist – by Feb 22nd

Step 5: Find an accountability partner – by Feb 25th

Step 8: Walk 8,000 steps every day for 30 days – by March 20

Step 9: Do 20 minutes of yoga 3x a week for 30 days – by March 20

Step 10: Start a 6-week coach to 5K running program – by March 22

$$ for fitness app

$$ for new shoes

More time for cooking healthy food

30-60 minutes/day for exercise or yoga

6-week couch to 5K running app

It might be hard to find 30-60 minutes every day to be active. 

I may run out of healthy eating ideas.

Bad weather might make me not want to exercise. 

Ask Dave to drive kids to & from school. 

Ask 5 friends to share their favorite healthy recipe websites. Buy better rain gear. 

I will track my steps and exercise minutes. 

I will track my meals and the calories/type of food I consume. 

I will weigh myself once a week. 

I will review my healthy living plan every Sunday to monitor my progress and results and make any necessary tweaks to stay on track toward my goals. I will remind myself to do this by setting an alert on my phone for Sundays at 9 am.

Example 2: 

My SMART goal is: To have 50 people registered in my program by September 1. 

Step 1: Create a 3-month marketing plan – me – May 1

Step 2: Update landing page – copywriter + web design – May 15

Step 3: Write marketing emails – copywriter – May 22

Step 4: Create social media content – VA – May 27

Step 5: Create affiliate materials – VA – May 27

Step 6: Launch paid advertising campaign – VA + me – June 1

Step 7: Send affiliate materials to promo partners – VA – June 1

Step 8: Launch free masterclass promotion – VA + me – July 1

Step 9: Run free masterclass – me – August 1

Step 10: Last-chance email marketing campaign – VA + me – Aug 2-Sept 1

Web designer

$1,000/mo paid ads budget  

The copywriter might not be available

A major affiliate might back out 

Paid ad campaign might flop 

Get 3 reliable copywriter recommendations 

Approach 5 people to be affiliated  Create 3 different ad campaigns – test to see which works best 

SM paid ads grow email list by 1,000+ 

Masterclass promos grow list by 1,000 

Marketing emails get 50% open rate, 20% CTR

  4. TRACK AND EVALUATE YOUR PROGRESS

I will review my marketing efforts and results every week to ensure content development remains on track and copy is generating the desired response. Will adapt & evolve future marketing materials as necessary.  

Create Your Action Plan Today

Knowing how to write an action plan is the key to achieving any big goal. 

This is just as true for business owners and entrepreneurs as it is for coaches and trainers who want to attract more clients and help the people they work with achieve their own ambitious goals. 

If you’re ready to put the power of action planning and setting long-term goals to work in your life, check out my free 12-Month Success Planner.  

It gives you some valuable planning tools that can help you achieve your goals and make a huge leap to create the life you’ve always wanted. 

Transform your life beyond your wildest dreams with 

The Success Principles: 12-Month Success Planner .

Meet Jack Canfield

For over 40 years, he has been teaching entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders, and people from all walks of life how to create the life they desire.

As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul(r) series, he's taught millions of individuals his modernized formulas for success, and has trained and certified over 2,700 students to teach his content and methodology in 107 countries around the world.

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How to Write an Action Plan (Examples Included)

Before you start any project, you have to draw up a plan to manage, organize, and realize the project’s goals. Planning is a crucial component of the project initiation phase of the project management life cycle.

The best way to turn your project objectives and goals into reality, and to avoid risks and challenges during the project management life cycle , is to use a solid action plan. You can use an action plan to create a clear path to success for any goal (personal, business, or financial goal ).

In this article, you will learn how to write an effective action plan and why you need one for your project.

Let’s get started.

What is an Action Plan?

An action plan is a comprehensive plan on how to reach a goal. This is a step-by-step process you have to perform to attain your goal.

Every organization has a guideline or strategy in place to achieve its goal, be it small or big. An action plan can work towards a quarterly or yearly goal. This will include setting goals and objectives that are realistic to achieve.

A goal is the primary objective of an action plan. An action plan does not only exist in organizations, but it is very useful in our day-to-day life.

When you set a goal, an action plan has to be in motion to bring such a goal to life. Some processes or structures have to be in place to create an action plan.

Ask the following questions before you write an action plan.

• What are the goals you need to achieve?
• What methods will go into achieving them?
• What is the end goal of these goals and objectives?

You also need to follow processes to set an effective action plan.

1. Setting A Goal

The first step for writing an action plan is to set a goal. When you discover the goal of the whole operation, you can then draw up an action plan to achieve it. The purpose of this is to create or have a picture of what the goal is going to be about. This ensures that you set a realistic goal.

During the process of setting a goal, consider the following.

• The goal must be clear and actionable
• Must be realistic
• Must have a completion date

Organizations at this phase create a project charter to sketch out the goals and objectives.

2. Structures to Achieve the Goal

These are the guidelines or step-by-step plans to achieve the goal. During this stage, you write a well-described and outlined plan. The action plan is a guideline for achieving the already set goal.

Break down the goal of the project into smaller units and tasks that will lead to the eventual progress of the goal. Set targets and deadlines, and share responsibilities and resources needed to achieve the goal.

Some of these structures to achieve the goal include:

• Listing the steps to be followed
• Establishing key goals and targets
• Identifying available resources
• Visualizing the goal

Why You Need an Action Plan

An action plan is a framework for how to complete a project effectively. One of the reasons why projects fail is due to a lack of planning. Many projects fail because they either did not carry out extensive research or they did not have a solid plan to bring all their goals to fruition.

Every goal must have a to-do list of all tasks that need to be accomplished to achieve an objective. An action plan guarantees a well-organized objective. You need this plan to stay on track and manage the progress of the project or goal.

1. Provides Motivation and Eliminates Procrastination

An action plan is simply a to-do list that one checks till a task or goal is accomplished. A well outlined and organized arrangement of your plan encourages one to start and complete the task. Breaking the task into smaller units makes it feel less overwhelming and cumbersome.

Ticking your to-do list makes the progress of the goal visible. You can easily track milestones and accomplishments of the set objective.

2. Sets Direction and Priorities

One of the benefits of writing an action plan is that it establishes direction and priorities for your goal. It defines the whole purpose of the operation. In an organizational setting, it can be likened to a project charter. This represents a sketch of what the end goal should look like or should be.

An action plan helps the project team to stay on track and focus on the purpose of the project without going outside of the main objective. This prevents the waste of time and resources on scope creep . If eventually, you have to make changes, there will be adjustments that will easily fit into the project.

3. Uncovers Weaknesses and Opportunities

In the course of drawing up an action plan, one uncovers both the strengths and weaknesses of the project. An action plan provides you with a better chance of adjusting and creating a better plan for your goal or project.

The weaknesses uncovered could be the risk involved in the project. The action plan helps you discover the weaknesses and how to quickly eliminate them before the project begins.

During the process of writing an action plan, one can also find opportunities that can be generated from it. An action plan will force you to think strategically to deliver insights that will improve your project.

How to Write an Action Plan

There are seven steps to follow that serve as a guideline for writing a strategically well-detailed action plan.

1. Define Your Goals

The first step to writing a good action plan is to define the goal, be it a personal or business plan . Break down the overall goal into smaller, easier, and understandable sub-goals.

The reason for this is that, when people start to accomplish a task, the first impression they will develop is that it will take lots of time and energy. Breaking down the goal into smaller units will make it easier to understand and accomplish

By defining the goal, you understand what it takes to achieve it. It is at this stage you decide if you can go through with the plan. The goal you define should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely.

2. List the Key Objectives

Listing priorities is another important step when writing an effective action plan. What are these priorities? They are the key elements that form the goal of what you want to achieve.

By listing the key objectives , you know where to focus on majorly or areas that will require more attention.

3. Create a Step-by-Step Guideline to Achieve Your Goal

A guideline ensures you do not get stuck during the process of achieving your aim. Many businesses have failed due to getting to a particular segment of achieving their goal and not knowing what to do next. Creating a step-by-step guideline ensures there is the next thing to do.

4. Set Targets and Deadlines

Time is a very important factor when setting a goal. During the process of trying to achieve the aim of the project, you can easily lose track of time if you do not track it.

When a goal drags on for a particular period, it can lead to loss of interest or the goal might fail to accomplish what it was intended for.

5. Identify Available Resources

An action plan should have an estimate of the resources available. When talking about resources, this is not just in terms of financial resources but also human resources. This refers to the number of teams on the ground to achieve the goal.

The essence of identifying available resources is to manage them effectively to achieve a specific goal.

6. Set Milestones

In every sector of life, the show of success no matter how little serves as a morale booster. Setting milestones helps you keep track of the project’s progress.

When working on a project, after completing a milestone, no matter how little the step is, it is important to celebrate or mark that milestone.

Milestones show progress. The essence of setting milestones is to give morale and motivation to your team members to do more work. A good practice is to reward team members when they accomplish a set milestone to show appreciation for their effort and encourage them to accomplish more.

7. Monitor and Evaluate the Plan

Monitoring and evaluating the plan is the last section of an action plan. This is where you evaluate the whole plan, check for the loopholes, and whatever was missed when writing the plan. It also leaves room for adjustments and scope creep.

Tips for Writing an Effective Action Plan

1. involve team members and experts.

This goes with the saying that “no man is an island.” No matter how much you understand a project, you need to involve team members and experts for better opinions and inputs. Following this tip allows for growth and communication among the team.

When opinions are welcomed from the team, this helps develop the project and might even uncover a greater benefit to the project. There are certain aspects of the project you may miss which your team members can pick up.

2. Have a Timeline

Getting your timing right is key to the success of any project. Having a timeline guiding all the activities you want to carry out in the project is crucial. A well-established timeline for your project ensures that you accomplish all tasks and milestones at the appropriate time.

3. Communicate the Plan

Communication is the foundation upon which a project can develop. When communication is in place, there will be a smooth transfer of information from one section to another. This is key because, without communication, the goal will remain stagnant.

4. Tick Off Items As You Accomplish Them

After completing an item or task in your project, mark them as completed. Doing this will make it easy for you to know the items or tasks you have completed and the ones that are still pending.

Ticking off items as you accomplish them can boost the morale of the team and encourage them to put in more effort to achieve the project.

5. Write an Action Plan Template

Writing an action plan template helps you save time and energy. Instead of having to create an action plan from scratch each time you need one, you can write or collect action plan templates you can edit to fit your needs.

Since the format for writing an action plan is similar for many projects or goals, writing an action plan template is a great idea.

6. Use a Project Management Tool

The best project management tools help you write effective action plans and keep you on track. Project management software like Monday.com, ClickUp, and Wrike have project planning and reporting features that help you monitor the progress of your project and the performance of your project team.

Action Plan Template

An action plan template makes it easier and faster for you to create an action plan for your goal or project. While almost every action plan template follows the same format, modifications vary depending on its purpose and the industry.

1. Business Action Plan

2. Marketing Action Plan

3. Sales Action Plan

4. Project Action Plan

5. Corrective Action Plan Template

Action Plan Example

An example of an action plan for a marketing agency.

Problem: Slow growth due to lack of sufficient employees and clients.

Goal: Increase profit by 50% within three years.

We expect our marketing agency to increase our profitability by 150% as we increase our marketing and customer service team and attract more clients over the next three years.

Current State of Our Agency: Annual profit of $100,000, six employees, and fifteen clients.

Our Agency in Six Months: Training for our existing customers in marketing and customer service and our profit will increase by 10%.

Our Agency in 12 Months: Annual profit of $150,000, ten employees, and 25 clients.

Our Agency in Three Years: Annual profit of $225,000, fifteen employees, and fifty clients.

Action Plan to Achieve Our Goal

Task 1 – Training

Action: Train all employees in the latest marketing and sales trends, client acquisition, and customer service.

Completion Date: August 2022

Person Responsible: Project Manager

Task 2 – Recruitment

Action: Work with the HR manager to hire new employees that fit the skill sets needed to achieve the agency’s goal.

Completion Date: November 2023

Task 3 – Improve Customer Service

Action: Improve relations with clients to convert them into repeat customers by updating the agency’s website, taking note of their birthdays, and sending customized gifts showing the agency’s logo to them.

Completion Date: Ongoing

Person Responsible: IT Manager

Task 4 – Generate More Sales

Action: Organize meetings with clients and in-house staff to develop the best strategies for increasing sales conversions.

Completion Date: January 2024

Person Responsible: Sales Manager

Action: Run marketing campaigns on Google, Facebook, and Instagram to generate more sales for clients.

Completion Date: March 2024

Person Responsible: Marketing Manager

Task 5 – Reduce Friction at Payment Channels

Action: Optimize your payment clients for a seamless payment experience for your clients and increase the number of payment channels

Completion Date: May 2024

Task 6 – Expand Client Base

Action: Participate in relevant regional marketing summits to hunt for high-paying clients.

Completion Date: June 2024

Action: Target weaknesses in competitors’ services and offers and create better deals to attract more clients.

Completion Date: October 2024

Evidence of Success: Annual profit of $225,000 or more. Tracking and Evaluation Process: Assess staff size, client number, and profits.

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Anastasia worked in management consulting and tech startups, so she has lots of experience in helping professionals choosing the right business software.

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How to Write an Action Plan (Example Included)

What Is an Action Plan?

In project management, an action plan is a document that lists the action steps needed to achieve project goals and objectives. Therefore, an action plan clarifies what resources you’ll need to reach those goals, makes a timeline for the tasks or action items and determines what team members you’ll need. We’ll define what project goals, project objectives, action items and action steps are later in this guide.

An action plan documents the execution of the project plan; it’s a detailed list of the work that must be done to complete the project goals, including the action steps that are involved in getting from the start of the project to the finish. An action plan is similar to a project implementation plan and it’s very helpful during the project planning and project execution phases.

Not only are you figuring out the action steps and timeline, but you’ll also determine who you’ll assemble for your project team to work on those tasks. This requires robust project management software like ProjectManager . ProjectManager offers multiple action planning tools such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, project calendars and more. Best of all, these project planning views sync with project dashboards, timesheets and workload charts to keep track of progress, project resources and costs.

Action Plan Components

An action plan answers the who, what and when of what you’re proposing. Those questions are answered by the various components that make up an action plan. The following are the basic building blocks of a successful action plan.

• Action Plan Steps: The action plan steps are the answer to the question of what. They’re the activities that’ll lead to achieving your goal. Action plan steps detail what will happen, and the more detail, the better.
• Action Items: The action items are the specific, small tasks that make up the action plan steps. These are the tasks that, when executed, lead to the next action plan step.
• Action Plan Timeline: An action plan timeline is the whole action plan laid out from start to finish. It shows the full duration of the action plan and every step and task is also plotted on this timeline, including their start and end dates.
• Action Plan Resources: Resources are anything needed to execute the action plan. That includes labor, materials, equipment, etc. You’ll want to identify the resources you’ll need for the action plan and attach them to the tasks to which they’ll be applied.
• Action Plan Matrix: A matrix is just a tool to help you determine which tasks you need to complete and in what order. Use our free action plan template to outline the steps, items, timeline and resources you’ll need to get the plan done right.
• Action Plan Report: Once you start to execute the action plan, you’ll need to ensure your actual progress matches your planned progress. To track progress, you’ll want to use an action plan report, which is a snapshot of your time, costs and more over a specific period.

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Action Plan Template

Use this free Action Plan Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

Types of Action Plans

There are many different types of action plans that are used on various kinds of strategic initiatives. Each is similar in makeup but differs in their goals. Here are a few of the varieties of action plans.

Business Action Plan

A business action plan is used to set goals and tasks when you want to start a business or grow an existing business. It outlines the vision for the business and the actions you’ll take to achieve that vision.

Project Action Plan

An action plan for a project is really no different from a general action plan. The only difference is that it’s about producing a deliverable at the end of the plan, whether that be a product or service.

Personal Action Plan

Again, a personal action plan differs little from any other action plan except for the goal. For example, a personal action plan might be for an individual to exercise more. Therefore, the goal might be to walk for a half-hour a day, say, during lunchtime.

Action Plan Sample

Take a look at this sample of an action plan. We used our free action plan template for Excel  and filled out some potential marketing tasks, phases and assignees. Download this action plan template for free from our site, and get started on your own plan today.

How to Write an Action Plan for Project Management in 10 Steps

The benefits of an action plan are simple: you’ve now outlined what action steps and what resources are needed to reach your stated project goals. By having this collected in a single project management document, you can more successfully plan out how to execute your project plan.

People get overwhelmed by project management jargon when having to plan out a project, but the word “action” everyone can understand. The fundamentals to getting an action plan together for any project follow these four project planning basic steps:

1. Define Your Project Goals

There’s a difference between project goals and project objectives. Project goals refer to the high-level goals that the project will achieve. Those generally align with the strategic planning and business objectives of organizations.

2. Define Your Project Objectives

The project objectives are much more specific than the project goals. Project objectives refer to the deliverables and milestones that need to be completed to achieve your project goals.

3. Define Action Steps

The action steps are a group of related tasks or action items that must be executed to produce project deliverables.

4. Identify and Prioritize Action Items

Action items are small, individual tasks that make up the action steps that are outlined in your action plan. First, you need to identify task dependencies among them, and then assign those action items a priority level so that they’re executed sequentially.

5. Define Roles & Responsibilities

Now that you’ve divided the work required to accomplish your action plan, you’ll need to assign action items to your project team members and define their roles and responsibilities.

6. Allocate Resources

As with your project plan, your action plan has resource requirements. Having identified your action steps and action items will help you understand what resources are needed for each task and allocate them accordingly.

7. Set SMART Goals

Your action plan needs to be monitored and controlled to measure its performance. That’s why it’s important that you set SMART goals for your action items, action steps and your project objectives. SMART goals stand for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.

8. Set a Timeline for Your Action Plan

As a project manager, you’ll need to do your best to estimate how long it’ll take to complete your action items and action steps. Once you do so, you’ll have a timeline. You can use project management techniques like PERT charts or the critical path method to better estimate the duration of your project action plan.

9. Write an Action Plan Template

Create or use a simple action plan template to collect tasks, deadlines and assignments. This is the place where everything task-related goes in your project action plan, so you have a place for all this crucial information.

Writing an action plan template it’s a great idea because you’ll need to use that format throughout the project. That’s why we’ve created a free action plan template that you can download. There are also dozens of other free project management templates for Excel and Word that can help you with every phase of your project.

10. Use a Project Management Tool

Use a project management tool to keep you on task. ProjectManager has project planning features that help you monitor and report on project progress and performance. Get a high-level view of the action plan with our live dashboards. Unlike other tools, we don’t make you set up the dashboard.

Once you’ve mapped out your action plan, you can use project planning tools to zoom into all the details about your action steps and action items. With ProjectManager, you can calculate various metrics, such as project variance, workload and more. They’re displayed in easy-to-read charts and graphs. Share them with stakeholders to give them updates on action steps whenever they want.

Tips to Write an Action Plan

Once you have an action plan, how do you work with it to run a successful project? Here are some tips to help with implementing your action plan:

• Focus on priorities and what’s due now when identifying action steps and setting your action plan timeline
• When you complete action steps, mark them off
• Have your team members work on one project management platform
• Set up alerts
• Discuss pending or overdue tasks

Action Plan Example

We’ve been talking a lot about an action plan, but let’s take a look at one in-depth. Below, you’ll see our free action plan template . It’s set up for the development of a website.

It’s broken down into phases, the first being the project planning phase , which includes the action steps, market research and the design of the site. You’ll see that tasks are outlined for each action step, including a description of that task, who’s assigned to execute it, the priority and even the status of its completion.

This is followed by the third action step, which is the launch of the site. This is the execution phase of the action plan, but it follows the same format, such as noting the priority, who’s responsible for the work, what that work is and its status.

There’s also a timeline to define the start dates of each of the tasks in the action steps, including the planned hours. This allows you to determine the length of each task and the duration of the entire action plan, from start to finish.

Finally, there’s a place to add your resources. They’re broken down into departments, for example, marketing, web development, etc. Then the materials that are required for each task are listed, including their costs. This allows you to estimate the cost of the plan.

How to Make An Action Plan With ProjectManager

Follow along with this action plan example to see how action plans are typically laid out using project planning software .

1. Map Action Plan Steps Using Multiple Project Views

ProjectManager can help you build your action plan and then execute it. Collect all your action steps tasks on our list view, which does more than light-weight to-do list apps because it allows you to then map your action plan with Gantt charts , project calendars and kanban boards. These robust project management tools allow you to prioritize action items, customize tags and show the percentage complete for each task. Our online project management software gives you real-time data to help you create an action plan and stick to it.

2. Assign Action Items to Your Team Members

Once you’ve mapped out your action plan steps with ProjectManager’s project planning tools , you can assign tasks to your team members and indicate what resources are needed for the completion of each action item. Indicate their roles and responsibilities and set priority levels for each task to ensure the work is carried out properly.

3. Set Action Plan Steps and Deliverables

It’s important to note all the phases of the project timeline to know what action steps and tasks will take place and when. In addition, ProjectManager’s Gantt chart allows you to identify project phases, find the critical path, and set due dates for project milestones and deliverables

4. Track Progress With Real-Time Dashboards

Once you start the project, you’ll need to chart the progress of the work being done. This leads us to the real-time project dashboard , where you’ll check whether your action plan is on schedule and under budget.

Manage Your Project With an Action Plan

Getting a plan together is only the first part of managing a project . Remember, it’s not something to write and put away, but rather it’s a living document that should follow you throughout the project life cycle. Jennifer Bridges, PMP, offers more tips on how to write an action plan in the video below.

Here’s a screenshot for your reference:

ProjectManager’s Action Planning Tools are Ideal for Managing Action Plans

If you’re looking to make an action plan and then take action on it by executing, monitoring and reporting on a project, then you’ll want ProjectManager. Our online project management software lets you make an action plan online with multiple project planning tools such as Gantt charts, task lists, kanban boards and project calendars. Then, you can use timesheets, project dashboards and resource management tools to keep track of progress, time and costs.

Plan & Schedule With Gantt Charts

ProjectManager’s Gantt chart is ideal to map out your action plan on an interactive project timeline that helps you organize your tasks, link dependencies and set milestones. More than that, you can filter for the critical path. When you’re done scheduling your action steps you can set a baseline. This allows you to always see the planned versus actual progress of your action plan to help you stay on track.

Manage Action Items with Kanban Boards, Task Lists and Project Calendars

Once you’ve used the Gantt chart to create a timeline for your action plan, you can zoom into the nitty-gritty details of everyday work with kanban boards , task lists and project calendars. With these tools, you can assign tasks and give teams a collaborative platform to comment and share relevant documents with unlimited file storage and real-time communication features.

Track Progress, Resources and Costs With Real-Time Action Plan Dashboards

ProjectManager’s real-time action plan dashboards sync with all its project management tools so you can check the status of your action plan at any time. You can check on your team members’ progress to see who’s over or underallocated, check labor costs and track whether your team is on schedule.

ProjectManager gives you all the tools you need to create and implement a successful action plan. Regardless of the type of action plan that you need to create, our award-winning project management software makes it easy to do so. Get started with a free 30-day trial today. 

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• Create an action plan that drives resul ...

Create an action plan that drives results

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.

It can feel good to make goals. After all, you’re defining what you want to accomplish. But goals won’t do much without clear action steps. ​​An action plan is a popular project management technique that lists your action steps so you know exactly how you’re going to accomplish your goals. 

We’re going to show you how to create this clear roadmap step by step and other tools you should utilize to get the most out of your action plan. Let’s dive in.

What is an action plan?

An action plan is a list of tasks or steps you need to complete to achieve your goals. An effective action plan works like a management plan for your company’s initiatives, outlining the steps you need to take to make these larger goals a success. Once you go through the goal-setting process, create an action plan with specific tasks and timeframes to reach each goal. 

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.

But you can create action plans for more than just strategic planning. Use this tool to reach any specific goals in a systematic way. Try setting up:

Business action plan

Marketing action plan

Corrective action plan

Sales action plan

Project action plan

Personal development action plan

Regardless of the type of action plan you create, make sure you create it in task management software . That way, you can easily share action items and timelines with your team to track progress. Instead of manual status updates and unclear deliverables, your team has one central source of truth for everything they need to do in order to hit their goals. 

Now let’s get into how you can create an action plan that increases your team’s efficiency and accountability.

6 steps to create an action plan

Step 1: set a smart goal.

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.

For example, your goal could be to deliver your current project (measurable) in four months (time-bound) without overspending (specific). Assuming this goal is both achievable and realistic based on your available resources, it’s a great SMART goal to set for yourself.

Step 2: Identify tasks

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.

Here are a few action plan examples with tasks for different kinds of goals:

Goal: Expand team from seven to nine team members by June.

Meet with Human Resources to discuss the recruitment campaign.

Create a template project to track candidates.

Schedule three interviews per week.

Goal: Select and onboard new work management software to the entire company by the end of Q2.

Apply for the budget.

Create a roll-out plan for Q2.

Schedule training for team members.

Goal: Host 5k charity run in May to raise $15,000 for the local food bank.

Find volunteers and determine responsibilities

Prepare marketing materials and PR plans

Secure sponsors

Step 3: Allocate resources

Once you’ve outlined all of your tasks, you can allocate resources like team members, project budget, or necessary equipment. Whether it’s assigning team members to certain tasks, applying for a budget, or gathering helpful tools—now is the time to plan and prepare.

Sometimes, you can’t allocate all of your resources before you put your action plan in motion. Perhaps you have to apply for funding first or need executive approval before you can move on with a task. In that case, make the resource an action item in your plan so you can take care of it later.

Step 4: Prioritize tasks

When your team is clear on their priorities, they know what work to do first and what work they can reschedule if necessary. No action plan is set in stone, so the best way to empower your team is to let them know what tasks have a high priority and which ones are a bit more flexible.

To make this clear, sort all of your action items by priority and sequence:

Priority: Important and less important tasks.

Sequence: Order in which tasks have to be completed so others can start.

When you’re organizing and prioritizing your action items , you’ll notice that some action items are dependent on others. In other words, one task can’t begin until the previous task is completed. Highlight these dependencies and factor the sequence into your prioritization. This reduces bottlenecks , removing obstacles that would make a less important action item delay a high-priority item.  

Step 5: Set deadlines and milestones

When your team knows what they're working towards, they have the context to effectively prioritize work and the motivation to get great work done. Team members tend to be more motivated when they directly understand how their work is contributing to larger goals.

To engage your teammates from the get go, assign deadlines to all action items and define milestones . Milestones mark specific points along your project timeline that identify when activities have been completed or when a new phase starts

Create a timeline or Gantt chart to get a better overview of your prioritized tasks, milestones, and deadlines. Your timeline also serves as a visual way to track the start and end dates of every task in your action plan. You can use it as a baseline to make sure your team stays on track.

Step 6: Monitor and revise your action plan

Your ability to stay on top of and adapt to changes is what makes you a great project manager. It’s crucial that you monitor your team’s progress and revise the plan when necessary.

Luckily, your action plan isn’t set in stone. The best way to track potentially changing priorities or deadlines is to use a dynamic tool like a work management software . That way, you can update to-dos and dependencies in real time, keep your team on the same page, and your action plan moving.

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.

Action plan vs. plan B

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. Here’s how to tell them apart:

Your action plan outlines actions in much detail so you and your team know exactly what steps to take to reach your goal.

A plan B is a secondary action plan, an alternative strategy, that your team can apply if your original plan fails. Whether that’s because of an internal issue or an external factor—having a plan B is a great way to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

Action plan vs. project plan

A project plan is a bit more complicated than an action plan. Project plans are blueprints of the key elements your team needs to accomplish to successfully achieve your project goals. A project plan includes seven elements:

Goals and project objectives

Success metrics

Stakeholders and roles

Scope and budget

Milestones and deliverables

Timeline and schedule

Communication plan

Once you’ve created a project plan, use an action plan to outline and document how your team will execute your tasks and hit your goals. This will ensure that everyone on your team knows what their responsibilities are and what to get done by when.

Action plan vs. to-do list

A to-do list is typically used to write down single tasks that don’t necessarily lead to one common goal. To-do lists can change daily and are much less organized than action plans. An action plan will follow specific steps and include tasks that all lead to the completion of a common goal.

How to implement your action plan successfully

You know how to create an action plan, but in order to implement it successfully, you need to use the right tools and use them correctly. Here are our top five tips to ensure your action plan is effective:

Use task management software

Streamline your action plan by keeping all of your tasks and timelines in one central source of truth. Task management software, like Asana , is perfect for your action plan because it allows you to keep track of pending tasks, declare task ownership, assign dependencies, and connect with your team in real time or asynchronously .

Use or create templates

Create or use a template that lists all the action items with notes, status, priority, and ownership. When you create a template that fits your project type, you can reuse it time and time again.

Set up real-time alerts and assign dependencies

Make sure all action items are time-bound and that you assign dependencies. That way, your team can react when an item is ready for them and easily track what other items depend on theirs. 

Check action items off as you complete them

When action items are completed, check them off! Make sure it’s visible to everyone and happens in real time so the person responsible for the next action item can start their work as soon as possible.

Discuss late or pending tasks

If you run into issues or delays, talk to your team to uncover potential bottlenecks and find solutions that keep the action plan on track. You can add notes directly into your action plan or set up calls to discuss more complex issues.

Ready, set, action plan

Like Benjamin Franklin once said: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Creating an action plan helps you stay focused, on track, and brings your goals to life.

Plan to succeed with a structured action plan and helpful tools like Asana’s task management software. Connect and align with your team in a central source of truth while staying flexible enough to revise your action plan when necessary.

Related resources

Unmanaged business goals don’t work. Here’s what does.

How Asana uses work management to effectively manage goals

Beat thrash for good: 4 organizational planning challenges and solutions

Use critical success factors to support your strategic plan

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How to make an action plan to achieve your goals and follow it

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What’s the purpose of an action plan?

It starts with smart goals, what does an action plan look like, sample action plan, push yourself across the finish line.

Here’s a statistic that may surprise you: 92% of people fail to achieve their goals . Despite the popular belief that goals are vital to success, most people rarely make it across the finish line.

There could be many reasons for this. If you regularly set targets but rarely hit them, you may not have leveraged the correct intrinsic or extrinsic motivators . You may also have an underlying fear of failure or success that’s holding you back. 

But most likely, it’s because you don’t create strong action plans.

An action plan is your roadmap to achieving your goal. Without one, you risk succumbing to pressures like procrastination or self-doubt that pull you away from reaching your full potential. 

Here’s a practical example. You may want to train for an upcoming marathon. You start strong, spending every weeknight on the treadmill. But, due to the excitement, you push too hard and feel sore and tired. So you skip one day, then another. Eventually, enough time elapses that it’s too late to restart. You’re behind in your training and decide not to register.

Training for a marathon is difficult, but that’s not why you failed. Had you created clear action steps, you could have performed more consistently without hurting yourself. In this case, you were the obstacle standing between you and your goal. 

If this example resonates with you, don’t beat yourself up. As we said earlier, most people don’t reach the milestones they set for themselves. But if you can learn how to make an action plan to achieve your goals, you can beat the odds. Here’s how.

An action plan is a document that lays out the steps or tasks you must complete to achieve a goal. Like an instruction manual, each item builds on the last, inching you toward a finish line.

In the business world, this is a fundamental strategic planning and project management tool that keeps teams on task. You’d assign a team member to each item and give them a clear due date to ensure everyone is working on a specific task to move the project forward. 

In your personal life, an action plan can help you meet your goals related to your well-being or self-improvement . But instead of having a team to back you up, you're responsible for completing each item on your own. 

The nature of your goal is the biggest determinant of whether you will reach it. You have to ensure your targets are SMART, meaning they have each of these qualities:

Specific: What does success look like? Make sure you have a clear vision that’s beyond misinterpretation. Instead of, “I want to improve my sleep hygiene ,” you can try, “I want to sleep for eight hours for 30 nights straight.”

Measurable: What metric will you use to track progress? In the example above, the number of nights slept for eight hours would be a clear and appropriate measurement. Using a sleep tracker could help you track the data. 

Attainable: Can you reach your goal with your current resources? If you have a toddler who regularly cries in the middle of the night, eight hours of sleep may be an unreasonable goal. Aim for something smaller instead, like six hours a night and an afternoon nap.

Relevant: Does your goal fit within your wider life ambitions? Eight hours of sleep is a noble target, but you will likely fail unless you have a clear “why.” A good reason would be “to give me more energy to excel at work and improve my work-life balance.”

Time-bound: What’s your deadline? You may be unable to sleep for 30 nights straight away. A more reasonable target would be to achieve this goal within the next six months. This would give you time to make the necessary lifestyle changes and develop healthy habits , like going to sleep earlier and getting more exercise .

It’s normal to have several SMART goals in your life. You might have a long-term professional goal of becoming a manager and a short-term personal goal of learning one song on the guitar. Both are valid, and both benefit from action plans. 

Try listing and saving all your goals in one place to constantly remind you what you’re working toward.

Now that you have your targets, it’s time to take action. Open a document or notebook and prepare to create a step-by-step task list for achieving your goals.

Here’s what to do.

1. Focus on one goal at a time

Taking on too much too fast dooms you to failure. Review your list of goals and choose one to focus on in each area of your life. Try putting your energy into a short-term goal that feels most valuable right now or inch you toward one of your long-term goals. 

For example, in your personal life, you might prioritize finishing a book in your free time rather than learning a new instrument. At work, you could choose to learn a new skill in service of your wider ambition of earning a promotion.

This is more reasonable than trying to learn to code, improve your leadership skills, and take on extra projects to get noticed by upper management all at once.

2. Do your research

Study as much as you can about how to achieve your goal. Read blogs, listen to informative podcasts, and talk to people who have done it before. This will help you define the important steps necessary for hitting your targets. If you want to become an entrepreneur, who better to ask than people who have successfully launched their own businesses? 

3. Lay out your steps in a timeline

Armed with the right information, you can start the planning process. The steps of an action plan act as mini goals toward your desired outcome. As SMART goals demand, each item should have the following:

A specific and clear result. If you’re learning a new song, your first step might be to master the chorus. Then you can move on to the next step, which is memorizing the verse and the bridge. Afterward, you can learn how to connect them together. By the end of your task list, you’ll have achieved multiple concrete outcomes that add up to the whole song.

Clear deadlines. Any good to-do list will have time frames for each item. Look at the deadline of your SMART goal and work backward from there. Can you reasonably complete each task item between now and then? If not, you may have to extend your deadline to give yourself some breathing room or divide this goal into several smaller ones.

The success of some items may depend on the completion of earlier ones. It’s important to order your to-do list based on what should be completed first and set your deadlines accordingly. You can’t run before you know how to walk.

4. Track your progress

The best part of having an effective action plan involves witnessing your progress. Once you set goals, brainstorm tasks, and put them in a document, print out your list and put it somewhere visible. As you complete each item, tick them off one by one. This helps you feel accomplished with each step. 

Alternatively, you could download an app that serves the same function. If you digitize your list of tasks, your smartphone can remind you of key deadlines before you reach them — a useful feature to encourage good time management .

5. Reward yourself

After working diligently toward your end goal, remember to treat yourself . Decide on a reward schedule and stick to it. You could eat your favorite snack after a week of running three miles every day or pay for a night out with your employees after collectively meeting your business goals.

6. Don’t give up!

Achieving goals is hard work . Creating an action will help you stay motivated , but that doesn’t mean the path will be easy. Sometimes, you’ll want to stay in bed rather than wake up to write another book chapter. It’s important to rest if you need it, but powering through could give you the second wind you need.

As you work on your own action items, here’s an action plan example to inspire you. Here, we want to launch a personal website showcasing a creative portfolio . Pay attention to how the smaller tasks align with our big goal and how each deadline builds on the last.

GOAL: It’s currently September. I want to launch my personal creative website by mid-October.

To accomplish this goal, I need to:

Pick a web host and purchase a domain name (due September 5)

Curate the work I want to showcase on my website (due September 8)

Choose a website template that would be suitable for my work (due September 10)

Reach out to previous clients for testimonials about the quality of my work (due September 11)

Follow up with previous clients who haven’t yet sent their testimonials (due September 15)

Create a generic resume to feature on my website highlighting my biggest accomplishments (due September 15)

Draft descriptions for the videos I want to feature on my “Audio/Visual Production” page (due September 18)

Draft descriptions for the photos I want to feature on my “Photography” page (due September 18)

Create separate web pages titled “About Me,” “Resume,” “Photography,” “Writing,” “Audio/Visual Production,” and “Client testimonials” (due September 20)

Write the information for the “About Me” page (due September 23)

Upload my resume to my website’s “Resume” page and format it appropriately (due September 25)

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Whether you’re shooting for a promotion or training for a marathon, learning how to make an action plan to achieve goals can ensure you succeed. A well-developed task list will help keep you motivated and accountable on days when you’d rather stay in bed.

An action plan isn’t a silver bullet. Your success will live or die based on whether you can overcome these obstacles: 

Procrastination

Self-criticism

Lack of confidence

Perfectionism

But if you remember to be kind to yourself, work hard, and set realistic goals , we’re confident you’ll succeed.

Transform your life

Make meaningful changes and become the best version of yourself. BetterUp's professional Coaches are here to support your personal growth journey.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

10 tips to set goals and achieve them

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How to Create an Action Plan to Achieve Your Goals

Setting a goal is easy; achieving it is the hard part. This blog post offers five tips to help you stay on track.

Lian Parsons

Whether it’s the start of a new year, an academic semester, or a job, new beginnings are always an inspiring time to set new goals.

However, many of us struggle to meet those goals and maintain momentum. According to  Adrienne Tierney , creating an action plan is key to avoiding potential pitfalls. Tierney, an instructor and research advisor for Harvard Extension School’s psychology master’s program , offers five tips to get started.

1. Make The Goal Concrete

“Often, goal setting begins by thinking about abstract aspirations,” says Tierney. “Those aspirations can be helpful in identifying where we want to end up, but they can feel so distant and out of reach that we easily give up or feel like we will never get there.”

Tierney suggests breaking larger goals down into more manageable steps that can be achieved with specific actions. 

For example, instead of setting the goal of exercising more, set the more concrete goal of walking three times per week for 30 minutes each. This more specific framing can help you put it into practice and evaluate your progress.

Tierney also recommends writing the goal down, whether on paper or on your phone or computer to make it visible and serve as a reminder.

2. Identify the Requirements

Each goal will require different parameters to achieve it. Identifying the type of goal will help to clarify your next planning stages. 

For example, if you want to cut down on something, such as sugar, caffeine, or screen time, plan to have appealing and accessible alternatives to help along the way.

Conversely, if you want to add something to your routine, such as exercising, reading, or practicing a skill, try creating a plan to work it into your schedule. The plan should include parameters like what days, for how long, and what activities you work on so you don’t have to figure it out each time. 

Creating specific plans helps to cut down on the mental energy along the way and makes the process of achieving your goal as painless and easy as possible.

3. Set Aside Time

Similar to planning ahead, determine whether or not your goal requires a time commitment. If so, set aside the time in advance instead of waiting for an opportunity to arise. 

Reserve the appropriate amount of time in your calendar so that other demands have to work around your time commitment, rather than the other way around.

Explore Harvard Extension School’s Psychology Master’s Degree Program

4. Personalize Your Approach

Some people thrive best when seeking to accomplish a goal all at once, while others find more success in taking things step-by-step. 

For example, some people enjoy the month-long commitment of Dry January and prefer to cut out alcohol entirely for that period of time. Others prefer to reduce their intake for the month but not eliminate alcohol altogether (often called “Damp January”).

Different goals might also work best with different approaches, so experiment along the way and adjust accordingly.

5. Find Motivation

It is important to keep yourself motivated throughout the process of pursuing a goal. Tierney suggests a few ways to support your progress, no matter what step in the journey you’re on.

Make a social commitment

“Having social accountability is enormously helpful in supporting us through the tough moments in working towards our goals,” says Tierney. “Having a group can help us achieve goals over the long term by offering a chance to share the successes, to help you show up, or to help you renew the commitment along the way.”

Try searching for accountability partners with friends who share similar goals, or on an app or online group that offers virtual communities. Bolstering your support system means that you’re not alone and have others cheering you on.

Celebrate successes

As you make progress, make sure to acknowledge your successes and the work it’s taken to get there. Celebrating not only gives you the credit you’ve earned, but also is a reminder that you have the wherewithal to achieve your goals, no matter where you are in the process.

Be realistic 

Whether your goal is focused on changing old habits or building new ones, both can have their challenges. Mistakes and setbacks can happen and it’s important to be compassionate toward yourself. 

“Look for progress not perfection,” says Tierney. “If you have a day where you don’t achieve your goal, don’t let the frustration or disappointment make you give up. Re-commit for the next occasion.”

You may realize your initial goal was too ambitious, and you need to course-correct or revise that goal while still working toward your long-term objective. 

Determination is important, but having the judgment to make these decisions as you go may serve you better in the long run.

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About the Author

Lian Parsons is a Boston-based writer and journalist. She is currently a digital content producer at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education. Her bylines can be found at the Harvard Gazette, Boston Art Review, Radcliffe Magazine, Experience Magazine, and iPondr.

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106 Action Plan Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best action plan topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on action plan, 🎓 most action plan topics to write about, 📌 simple & easy action plan essay titles.

• Reflection and Action Plan in Nursing Practice I realized that I did a good thing when I noticed the situation and decided to take measures. I explained the situation to them and emphasized the significance of their correct behaviour.
• Leadership Action Plan To begin with, I will join a toastmaster that can support my communicational and leadership goals. For instance, the decision to join a toastmaster will support most of my needs. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• E-Commerce Strategy and Action Plan Access to technology and factors which allow customers to have a large array of options from the comfort of their home have led to the formation of an extremely profitable e-commerce market.
• Action Plan for Better Listening In such scenarios, persons will not care about what the speaker has to say but will pretend to listen in order to appease them. First, I identified the listening approach that I use and why […]
• Chiefs Restaurant: Action Plan for the Cooks A Pilot test is used to evaluate the system for implementation and to isolate flaws that have been incorporated in the design and development stages.
• Action Plan on Education Improvement Resource availability and the school environment- In process of selecting what to include in the curriculum, the school will evaluate the resources it has.
• Action Plan: Effectiveness of Organization The structure starts with the identification of the problem or opportunity, which guides the program manager to the development of an achievable objective. Project execution involves the selection of a dynamic team and the allocation […]
• DISC Personality Test and Action Plan & Timetable Test results of the scores are: Dominance 20: The interpretation of the score is “People who score in the low range: tend to want peace and harmony; prefer to let others initiate action and resolve […]
• Personal Leadership Action Plan As a potential leader, I need to develop skills and abilities to look into the future, envision endless possibilities, and inspire others to share my vision. I must ensure that the team believes in the […]
• Communication Skills Learning: Action Plan The plan will help me in developing the ability to utilize the knowledge to a level that is productive in the community and essential in my career.
• Bharat Airways Action Plan The second step is to come up with strategies that will ensure a change in the management of employees and leadership styles.
• Walmart Strategic Action Plan The current opportunities include India and Brazil, where workforce is significantly cheaper, and where Walmart can gain the loyalty and attention of new buyers.
• Nightingale Community Hospital: Corrective Action Plan In the light of the fact that the hospital needs some improvements, the key values pursued by the team will be helpful for restructuring the general heath care strategy, and improve the managerial performance in […]
• Action Plan for Recruiting Teachers The spreadsheet has columns that indicate the goals set at the beginning of the years and the actual performance of the teachers at every juncture.
• Action Plan For Personal Strengths and Weakness in Nursing To develop my independence, I will try to take tasks in which it is necessary to make decisions and make choices more often.
• Lifestyle Action Plan and Self-Discipline As a result, I came up with some steps to help me apply the action plan, and I managed to effectively maintain discipline in implementing it for the rest of the period.
• Air Canada: Recommendations and Action Plan Negotiating with governments – Air Canada should negotiate with governments to have some restrictions reduced or abolished.
• A Nurse Leader Action Plan Regarding Polypharmacy Nurse leaders will ensure a proper budget and collaborate with nursing staff on the unit and other parties in healthcare to realize quality care provision.
• Individual Action Plan: Organizational Behavior The current paper presents a comprehensive plan targeted at the promotion of the emotion of marketing employees with the aim of increasing their self-confidence and overall skills in the context of a Chinese educational company.
• The Chicago Center Fire Accident and Action Plan After the Chicago Center Fire emergency, FAA discarded the contingency plan of the named organization due to the identified flaws in the design.
• The Ministry of Health’s Fruit in Schools Action Plan According to principals, fruit in schools is the most successful initiative for establishing a healthy school food situation. With such polls from principals, it is evident that fruit in schools keeps wellness and well-being at […]
• The Youth Justice Strategy Action Plan 2019–21 The Youth Justice Strategy Action Plan 2019 21 marks a crucial turning point in our effort to improve the juvenile justice system and lower the number of juvenile offenders and repeat offenders in Queensland.
• Legislative Effort Action Plan This paper describes some of the leadership and activism efforts that NPs need to undertake and contribute to the passage of new health bills.
• Clinical Experience Scenario and Action Plan The disorganization of Cameron continues throughout the clinical day, with the student making various trips back and forth between the nursing unit and the patient room without valid reasons.
• Advocacy Action Plan for Adopted Children However, while the child tends to perceive the surroundings through the lens of various institutions, including immediate family, educators, peers, and social environment in general, it is the impact of the nuclear family that has […]
• Disney Case Study: Action Plan The company has vast potential and opportunities, and these aspects should be used and applied in a more favorable light. In this case, the enterprise should develop within the framework of improving digital content and […]
• Cybersecurity Strategy and Plan of Action Padgett-Beale’s primary intention of merging the company was to relocate the call epicenter to a property owned by the company roughly 10 miles from the company’s previous location and opposite the newly released Padgett-Beale resort.
• Collective Efficacy Action Plan at Highschool X The assessment of the reality statements is true because they are the result of the presenter’s observation of the Highschool X.
• Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: Leadership Action Plan Healthcare specialists should be actively involved in measures to prevent urinary infections and health complications in their patients.
• Climate Action Plan for the United Arab Emirates Moreover, the government of the UAE has aligned climatic mitigation plans such as the adoption of renewable energy, controlling emission of gases, and cultivation of technologies.
• Community Telehealth Care: An Action Plan This section is important because the doctors are not based in the community and will need to see the sick and go back to their main employment areas.
• Emergency Action Plan: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Company Name: Company Name. Company Contact: Name: Your Name Title: Position Telephone/Cell: Email: In the event of an emergency, employees are alerted by:
• The First Aid: Main Steps and Action Plan The 7-Step Reaction in the context of a first aid scenario consists of the following steps: 1) with a calm demeanor the first aid responder must quickly assess the situation and figure out if the […]
• The Goals of a Healthcare Organizations: Analyze and the Action Plan The business level goals help the management in the organization meet its anticipated performance and define the roles of the managers in each department.
• Medical Interpreters: Policy Issue Action Plan The introduction of medical interpreters in healthcare setups is the only feasible solution to counter the expected growth of the segment of population that requires this service; and to reduce and prevent the disparity in […]
• Whitlam Leisure Centre’s Accessibility Action Plan According to the annual report of the spending and action plan for the next five years for the sports establishments in the region, there are various funding sources for Whitlam.
• Greenpeace USA: The Action Plan With the rise in the levels of agency among general audiences, the importance of issues associated with environmentalism has risen, hence the increase in the popularity of Greenpeace USA, one of the largest environmentalist organizations.
• Global Issues Action Plan in the U.S. While drawbacks are the possibility of losing power that other states can use to influence the United States and the lack of protection from emerging military organizations and countries, such as China and Iran, that […]
• Reflective Analysis, Visibility of Values Worksheet, Action Plan As I wrote in my observation notes: “When the teacher saw Christine was lying at the loft area by herself, she was approaching to Christine and starting the conversation with the child to get to […]
• West Midlands Designers and Architects Ltd: Action Plan The determination of who is to leave and who is to remain that is based on merit leaves the management with the most qualified employees who can maintain the competitive edge of the firm.
• The Le Petit Firm: Plan of Action For example, if the study as in this case is about customer needs and perception with regard to a bar and restaurant business, it is possible to ask people from the population about this.
• Best Buy, Diversity Action Plan Diversity is appreciating and promoting differences that exists between different groups of people for instance, the manager can promote diversity in the organization by doing and encouraging certain things in the organization, while inclusion is […]
• Multicultural Education: Action Plan for Professional Development of the School’s Staff Multicultural education has to be emphasized in the discussion to make it the core of a future action plan for the next academic year. It is a chance for teachers to recognize their roles in […]
• Children’s Grief: Supporting Action Plan To support a child in grief, it is essential to address the child’s emotions and to show how to accept death.
• Reducing Violence at School: Action Plan While uncovering the roots of the issue, the provided action plan addresses initiatives to help reduce the prevalence of youth violence and diminish its impact on the rest of children.
• The Personal Action Plan for Diversity Consciousness The application of the skills learned in class to solve real-life problems is the fulfilled vision. However, I am now in a better position to spearhead the advancement of social diversity in the school.
• Personal Environmental Sustainability Action Plan Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion and contamination of resources such as air, water, and soil, which leads to the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.
• Leadership and Influence: Action Plan One of the main aspects that I am planning to change is the ability to be influential as a leader. Although I am not a leader at my current workplace station, I acknowledge the fact […]
• Leader Development and Personal Action Plan Creating the personal action plan, it is necessary to take into consideration all strengths and weaknesses and to turn the theoretical advice into practice in order to develop their own leadership and action plan.
• Hand Hygiene Policies Adherence: Action Plan According to Bowie and Green, hand hygiene within a hospital setting is a requirement that should not only be met by the medical staff but also the patients and visitors who come to the facility.
• Long-Term Care Facility Accreditation: Action Plan The accreditation focuses on continuous quality improvement of services that a healthcare institution offers and the safety of patients and the medical staff.
• Caring Angel Hospital’s Goals and Action Plan The purpose of this report is to propose specific actions that can be taken to achieve the goals set by Caring Angel Hospital: to increase the organization’s value, to improve the quality of care and […]
• Advanced Technology Investment Company’s Action Plan To make the USA accept the insights and lessons of the UAE, it is critical to position them so that the advantages for healthy competition and progress are emphasized.
• Alibaba’s Counterfeit Products: Action Plan A thorough analysis of the situation with the help of strategic tools and the presentation of the results to the leaders of the company is suggested.
• Waste Management and Action Plan: SP AusNet’s Offices Besides, the report outlines the protocols and procedures for conducting waste management audits such as visual inspection of the current waste boxes and disposal bins.
• The Emergency Action Plan in Athletic Training The emergency action plan for the situation when an athlete begins to complain of chest pain and falls to the ground includes the steps needed to provide him first aid and transport to the hospital.
• Action Plan for Patrons With Disabilities For instance, the writer of the essay suggests that in terms of facility planning, it is vital for the library to invest in wiring its facilities with audio induction loop.
• An Action Plan for Settling Homeless People in Seattle The problem of homelessness in Seattle is worsened by the lack of affordable housing units for the poor citizens in the city.
• Leadership at KTG: Challenges and an Action Plan This plan is anticipated to lift the underperformance of the organisation in the region to align with the organisation’s average performance in all other regions.
• An Action Plan for Serving Individuals With Disabilities – Library and Information Science First is the total cost of the whole project, the architectural design of the library building and whether it can accommodate the new developments and the current issues affecting accessibility with regards to the disabled.
• Mercury International Action Plan With regard to this the company will utilize R&D to make incremental changes and improvements in its products with aim to develop and create new products that have the capacity to perform better in the […]
• Exploring the Global Mind: A Plan of Action for CSC to Become More Involved in International Issues. The study is based on the definition of global education and key issues related to it, thus global education “consists of efforts to bring about the changes in the content, in the methods, and in […]
• The American Red Cross Action Plan in Haiti’ Challenges The venture provides help to people who became the victims of natural disasters and catastrophe so as to prevent and react to the emergencies.
• Incident Action Plan: Emergencies at the Workplace The first thing to have in an incident plan is the objectives, which in other words refers to the purpose of the incident strategies and what they are intended to help.
• An Action Plan Applicable to the Students’ Needs Each grade or level in the education system has got its own standards which the learner has got to meet, so the test should be able to give results or the reflection of the capabilities […]
• Action Plan for Preparing Organizations to Deal With the Challenges and Opportunities Presented by Diversity There is the need therefore for the organization to prepare for the aforementioned challenges and opportunities associated with diversity. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that all the other employees are taught on the need […]
• Writing a Time Management Action Plan for Remote Teams
• Action Plan Closing the Achievement Gap of African American Students
• Emergency Action Plans for Sailing Organizations
• Communication Assessment and Action Plan for the Lacc Project in Bangladesh
• World Bank Group Approach: Action Plan for Climate Change and Health
• The Action Plan for Labor Management
• Family Assessment and Action Planning Policy
• Action Plan on Protecting Refugee and Migrant Children in Europe
• How to Create an Effective Action Plan?
• National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety
• Climate Action Plan: Creating a Roadmap for the Energy Transition
• The Community Action Plan for a Public Health Community
• Developing an Action Plan and Implementing Interventions
• The Health-Care Associated Infections Action Plan
• The Formulation and Execution of a High-Level Action Plan
• Action Plan for Homeland Security
• Ventura County Climate Change Action Plan: Ecology
• Action Plan for Developing Discovery Skills
• Strategic Action Plan for Hotels in Europe
• NATO Climate Change and Security Action Plan
• Human Resources Management Action Plan
• Recommendations and Action Plan for Television
• Action Plan for Marketing Communications
• Medical Tourism Promotional Action Plan
• Personal Action Plan and Observation
• How to Create an Action Plan For Retail Store Growth?
• Leadership Development Action Plan for a Leader
• Personal Action Plan for Diversity Consciousness
• Internal Public Relations Action Plan
• Psychology and Humility Action Plan
• A National Action Plan For Palliative and End of Life Care in Scotland
• Multicultural Action Plan for the United Kingdom
• Better Home Care in Canada: A National Action Plan
• What Is the Importance of an Action Plan in a Business?
• Emergency Action Plan for Emergency Personnel
• Privatization and Public Enterprise Reform: A Suggestive Action Plan
• Action Plan for Implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy
• How Motivational Action Plans Influence Performance?
• Evaluating the Corrective Action Plan
• Revenue Enhancement Action Plan and Strategy
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• My Leadership Action Plan

My Leadership Action Plan - Essay Example

• Subject: Management
• Type: Essay
• Level: Ph.D.
• Pages: 3 (750 words)
• Downloads: 7
• Author: legroshilario

Extract of sample "My Leadership Action Plan"

Do you love the work you do? Are you driven by your purpose? Is there a connection to your top priorities and your leadership approaches? Do you enjoy your time in helping others be successful? What is your legacy to the world? My main purpose as a Leader: My main purpose as a leader is leading as well as developing the process team at the same time taking total accountability for the quality as well as delivering accomplished by the team. I am also responsible for assisting and guiding development of proposals consisting complex pricing as well as contractual dealings.

My last significant role involves liaising and communicating with customers (Poscente, 2004). My areas to strengthen and grow: In need to improve my understanding and knowledge about the organization, I require to improve my skills and my ability to communicate effectively to the team members of the organization. I require improving team work with other people since I cannot work alone. Moreover, I require providing a vision for the organization’s future. I require taking risks in New ideas and be innovative.

Lastly, I require valuing others through recognizing and encouraging them (Poscente, 2004).

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Organization behaviour and leadership development scenarios, career action plan, self-evaluation learning and action plan, slp 2 healthcare leadership problems and remedial action plans, leadership is action and not position (the enthusiastic delegator), leadership in action, my personal leadership style analysis and action plan, school improvement leadership.

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What to know about Biden’s latest attempt at student loan cancellation

President Joe Biden says student loan relief will empower Americans to pursue their dreams without the burden of debt. Visiting Wisconsin, Biden announced details of a new plan to help more than 30 million people.

President Joe Biden speaks at an event about canceling student debt, at the Madison Area Technical College Truax campus on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

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President Joe Biden departs after delivering remarks on student loan debt at Madison College, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on student loan debt at Madison College, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is taking another shot at student loan cancellation, hoping to deliver on a key campaign promise that he has so far failed to fulfill.

In a visit to Wisconsin on Monday, Biden detailed a proposal that would cancel at least some debt for more than 30 million Americans. It’s been in the works for months after the Supreme Court rejected Biden’s first try at mass cancellation.

Biden called the court’s decision a “mistake” but ordered the Education Department to craft a new plan using a different legal authority. The latest proposal is more targeted than his original plan, focusing on those for whom student debt is a major obstacle.

Here’s what to know about the new plan:

HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM BIDEN’S FIRST PLAN?

Biden’s first attempt at widespread student loan cancellation would have erased $10,000 for borrowers with yearly incomes of up to $125,000, plus an additional $10,000 if they received federal Pell grants for low-income students. It was estimated to cost $400 billion and cancel at least some student debt for more than 40 million people.

The Supreme Court rejected that plan last year, saying Biden overstepped his authority.

The new plan uses a different legal justification — the Higher Education Act, which allows the secretary of education to waive student loan debt in certain cases. The Education Department has been going through a federal rulemaking process to clarify how the secretary can invoke that authority.

The new plan targets five categories of borrowers, focusing on those believed to be in the greatest need of help. It would provide relief to an estimated 30 million borrowers. The administration has not said how much the plan would cost.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE?

Biden’s new proposal would offer cancellation to five categories of borrowers.

The widest-reaching provision aims to reset student loan balances for borrowers who have seen their debt grow because of unpaid interest. It would cancel up to $20,000 in interest for Americans who now owe more than they originally borrowed. That cap wouldn’t apply for individuals who make less than $120,000 a year or couples who earn less than $240,000 and also are enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan.

The Education Department says 25 million people would be eligible for that relief, including 23 million who would get their interest erased entirely.

Borrowers who are eligible for other federal forgiveness programs but haven’t applied would also get their loans canceled under the new proposal. It applies to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and income-driven repayment plans, among others. It’s meant to help people who missed out on forgiveness because of complex paperwork, bad advice or other obstacles. An estimated 2 million people would be eligible for that help.

All debt would be canceled for borrowers who have been repaying undergraduate loans for 20 years or more, or 25 years for those with graduate school debt. The Biden administration says it would erase loans for more than 2 million people.

Those who attended college programs of “low financial value” would be eligible for forgiveness. The plan would cancel debt for borrowers who went to institutions that lost eligibility for federal education funding because they cheated students. It would also cancel loans for people who went to college programs that left graduates with low incomes compared to their student loans.

A final category would cancel loans for Americans facing hardship that prevents them from repaying their student loans. The rule would allow the Education Department to cancel debt for borrowers who are considered highly likely to default on their loans, and it would create an application system for individuals to detail other forms of hardship.

DO I NEED TO APPLY?

Most of the cancellation would be done automatically with no need to apply. That would be the case for the interest cancellation, borrowers with older loans, those that attended low-value programs, and those eligible for other cancellation programs.

There’s one exception: If borrowers want to make a case that they face some sort of hardship that merits cancellation, they would need to apply individually.

WHEN WILL I GET RELIEF?

The Biden administration says some debt could be canceled as soon as this fall, including interest that has snowballed on top of borrowers’ loans.

That timeline would require some maneuvering. The Education Department said it plans to release a formal proposal in the “coming months.” That would usually be followed by a public comment period of 60 days. Then if the rule is finalized by Nov. 1, it would usually take effect the following July — in this case, July 2025.

But the Higher Education Act authorizes the education secretary to fast-track rules for “early implementation” in some cases. The Biden administration recently used that power to accelerate student loan cancellation offered through a new federal repayment plan. Invoking that authority could allow Biden to start canceling debt later this year.

IS THIS A SURE THING?

Anything but. The Biden administration says it’s confident that the plan is allowed by the Higher Education Act. But loan cancellation of this type is uncharted territory, and conservative opponents are expected to challenge Biden’s plan in court.

Republicans have repeatedly fought Biden’s plan for student loan cancellation, saying it’s an unfair benefit shouldered by taxpayers who repaid their loans or didn’t go to college. Opponents say the Supreme Court was clear that widespread loan cancellation must come from Congress.

If Biden’s plan faces a lawsuit, courts could order the administration to halt cancellation until legal questions are sorted out. That scenario could leave the plan on hold beyond the November presidential election. Even if it survives legal challenges, a Donald Trump victory would spell almost certain doom for Biden’s plan.

CAN CANCELLATION BE REVERSED?

If Biden’s plan is overturned after the administration starts canceling loans, it would present a thorny question: Can forgiven student loans be unforgiven?

Technically, there are ways that canceled student debt can be reinstated. But doing it on such a large scale could be difficult and costly, requiring heavy work from loan servicers contracted to work for the Education Department.

It could also be politically fraught to reinstate debt after it’s been forgiven. Ultimately it could be up to the courts to decide how to handle debt that’s already been canceled.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

US will not take part in any Israeli retaliatory action against Iran

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LITTLE SERIOUS DAMAGE

MOTIVATIONS FOR ATTACK DEBATED

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Reporting by James MacKenzie and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Jeff Mason and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Nidal al-Mughrabi and Adam Makary in Cairo; Writing by Michael Georgy, Angus McDowall, David Morgan and Patricia Zengerle and Lincoln Feast; Editing by William Mallard, Sharon Singleton, William Maclean, Lisa Shumaker and Michael Perry

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Jeff Mason is a White House Correspondent for Reuters. He has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the presidential campaigns of Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. He served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2016-2017, leading the press corps in advocating for press freedom in the early days of the Trump administration. His and the WHCA's work was recognized with Deutsche Welle's "Freedom of Speech Award." Jeff has asked pointed questions of domestic and foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He is a winner of the WHCA's “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure" award and co-winner of the Association for Business Journalists' "Breaking News" award. Jeff began his career in Frankfurt, Germany as a business reporter before being posted to Brussels, Belgium, where he covered the European Union. Jeff appears regularly on television and radio and teaches political journalism at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar.

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