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Synopsis

How do you quickly accomplish your top goals? You need an action plan. A lack of execution can cost CEOs their jobs. In 2000 alone, over 40 CEOs from the top 200 companies on the Fortune 500 list were removed by their board because they could not execute what they had committed to do. 20% of the top business leaders in America lost their jobs only because they failed to master the art of execution.

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One example is the case of Kodak. Despite being a Fortune 500 company and a pioneer in the photography industry, Kodak failed to execute the transition to digital photography. This lack of execution led to a significant decline in their market share and eventually, they filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

An action plan can be adapted to changing conditions in a business by incorporating flexibility into the plan. This can be achieved by setting realistic and adjustable goals, regularly reviewing and updating the plan based on current business conditions, and encouraging feedback from team members. It's also important to have contingency plans in place to handle unexpected situations. Remember, a good action plan is not set in stone but is a dynamic document that evolves with the business.

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Below, we share some of the top advice to build an action plan, the importance of action plans, how you can jumpstart your business with your own action plan, and how to use a fully customizable Action Plan we created to get started. If you want to go straight to the resource, scroll below to the explainer section.

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An action plan can be adapted to changing conditions in any industry by incorporating flexibility into the plan. This can be achieved by setting up a monitoring system to track the progress and effectiveness of the plan. Regular reviews should be conducted to assess the relevance of the plan in the current business environment. If necessary, adjustments should be made to the plan to align it with the changing conditions. It's also important to communicate any changes to the team and stakeholders to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Having a fully customizable action plan is significant because it allows for flexibility and adaptability in managing projects. It enables you to tailor the plan according to the unique needs and changing conditions of your projects. This way, you can set specific goals, communicate plans effectively to your team, and make necessary adjustments as circumstances change.

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Top action plan advice

Why do so many plans fail? Bill Gates notes that people often confuse "mission", which is directional, with "objectives", which are a set of concrete steps they actually engage in. He said, "Having a good mission is not enough. You need a concrete objective, and you need to know how you're going to get there." Action Plans do just that: they help employees focus on the bigger mission, but they also provide a set of concrete, specific goals for them to succeed.

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An Action Plan can be adapted to changing conditions in any industry by incorporating flexibility and regular review into the plan. It's important to set clear, measurable goals but also to understand that these goals may need to be adjusted as circumstances change. Regularly reviewing the plan and making necessary adjustments ensures that it remains relevant and effective. Additionally, involving team members in the review process can provide valuable insights and foster a sense of ownership and commitment to the plan.

Having a concrete objective in an Action Plan is beneficial as it provides a clear direction and specific goals for employees to achieve. It helps them focus on the bigger mission while also giving them a set of concrete steps to follow. This can lead to increased productivity and efficiency, as employees know exactly what they need to do and can plan their work accordingly. Furthermore, it can also improve communication and collaboration within the team, as everyone is working towards the same objective.

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However, the best-laid plans are often the simplest. Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hannson, founders of software company 37signals, use a thick marker when they brainstorm ideas and objectives because it limits room and forces them to keep it simple. Employees need a small number of simple priorities to execute well. Without carefully thought-out priorities, people can get caught up in endless conflicts. Your plan of action is created through hundreds of everyday decisions about how you spend your time, energy, money, and attention. Unless you manage priorities mindfully, your time and energy will be consumed in firefighting only the most urgent priorities.

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Simplicity plays a crucial role in creating an effective action plan. It helps in setting clear and concise goals which are easy to understand and execute. A simple action plan reduces complexity and confusion, thereby enabling team members to focus on their tasks effectively. It also aids in better communication of the plan to the team and collaborators. Furthermore, a simple plan is more adaptable to changing conditions. In essence, simplicity in an action plan can lead to improved productivity and successful achievement of goals.

An action plan can help in resolving conflicts within a team by providing a clear roadmap of tasks, responsibilities, and objectives. It helps in setting priorities and aligning team members towards common goals, thereby reducing the chances of conflicts arising from misunderstandings or miscommunications. It also provides a framework for decision-making, which can help in resolving conflicts when they do arise. By having a well-defined action plan, team members can focus on their tasks and objectives, reducing the likelihood of conflicts.

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The importance of action plans

An action plan is an overview of the goals you've set for your business and the specific actions you will take to achieve them. It can simplify complex programs and projects and help you manage your time effectively and be more productive in pursuit of those goals. Action plans ensure people understand organizational priorities, assign tasks, follow up, and promote and reward people who execute.

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The key elements of an effective action plan include clear and measurable goals, specific actions to achieve these goals, assignment of tasks to individuals or teams, a timeline for each action, and a follow-up mechanism to track progress and make necessary adjustments. It's also important to have a system for recognizing and rewarding those who execute the plan effectively.

An action plan helps in promoting and rewarding people who execute by providing a clear roadmap of what needs to be achieved. It assigns specific tasks to individuals, ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities. This allows for easy tracking of performance and accomplishments. When individuals meet or exceed their assigned tasks, they can be recognized and rewarded accordingly. This not only motivates the employees but also promotes a culture of accountability and productivity within the organization.

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Flawed goal-setting can lead to disastrous consequences. For example, Wells Fargo's ruthless one-dimensional focus on sales targets led to branch managers feeling pressured to open millions of fraudulent accounts. The consumer banking scandal that followed may have damaged the Wells Fargo brand beyond repair. Every company should have clear, achievable goals , and also clear ways to measure the success of those goals.

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Intuit Chief Information Officer Atticus Tysen says the key for Intuit to succeed was for all success metrics to be visible throughout the company. For those working outside headquarters, visible metrics ended the mystery of what was happening back at HQ, making the company more cohesive.

Your action plan for improving your career or personal life can be framed as a resource allocation problem. You have limited time, energy, wealth and talent to grow, and people ask for your time and energy every day. To make sure you are headed in the direction you want, watch where your resources flow. If they don't support your bigger mission, it means you are not implementing your strategy at all. Human brains are hardwired to appreciate challenges but to avoid those that are too difficult. This means that people will get bored of tasks that are too easy and give up on tasks that are too hard. Therefore, it's optimal to form plans based on tasks in the "Goldilocks zone" of difficulty that is just manageable. To make the process enjoyable and repeatable, assign a balanced mix of low-effort and high-effort tasks.

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The concept of resource allocation can be applied to improve your career or personal life by managing your time, energy, wealth, and talent effectively. These are your resources and they are limited. It's important to ensure that these resources are directed towards activities that support your bigger mission or goals. This can be achieved by creating an action plan that includes a balanced mix of low-effort and high-effort tasks. This approach keeps the process manageable and enjoyable, and it also helps to avoid boredom or giving up due to tasks being too easy or too hard respectively.

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Build your own action plan

So how can you set goals to help manage time and communicate plans to your employees effectively? Develop an action plan that's unique to your business and adaptable to changing conditions. Our Action Plan collection, which you can download and customize for any industry, provides detailed slides with the top Action Plan tools, such as the FMEA Action Priority, Improvement Action Plan, Action Priority Matrix, SMART Action Plan Tree Diagram, and more. Check out the explainer below to learn more.

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Tool highlights

Action plan

The collection starts with a detailed action plan that includes action items with their assigned owner and priority level. On the left, write a description of the action items and give them each a LMH (low, medium, or high) action priority level. This is useful to delegate tasks across an entire team or company. To make it personal, simply delete the "Owner" column. The status column is used to check in on the progression of each action item and prioritize what needs more attention. (Slide 3)

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FMEA action priority

The FMEA framework, also known as Failure Mode Effects Analysis, is another way to prioritize action items based on problems that need to be solved. It takes into account the impact, severity, and likelihood of risks. Classify and prioritize failures and their impact to structure action plans according to the highest-risk factors. AP stands for the Action Priority level, while RPN stands for the Risk Priority Number. Use these columns to measure the impact of each problem that needs to be resolved. Additionally, teams can use this tool to identify the causes of failures to avoid them in the future. (Slide 13)

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Action priority matrix

The Action Priority Matrix lays out tasks according to their effort level. Tasks that can be done with low effort can still have a substantial impact on outcomes. Therefore, try to prioritize low-effort and high-impact actions first. Try to avoid the lower right, which is high-effort and low-impact tasks. The table on the right lists each of these tasks, and users can choose to complete either one first. (Slide 16)

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A company like Amazon could benefit from using the Action Priority Matrix. This tool could help Amazon prioritize tasks based on their impact and effort level. For instance, in their logistics and supply chain management, they could identify tasks that require low effort but yield high impact, such as optimizing delivery routes or improving warehouse organization. By focusing on these tasks first, Amazon could potentially reduce costs, improve efficiency, and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction.

The Action Priority Matrix differs from other business frameworks for task prioritization in its focus on the effort level of tasks. It categorizes tasks based on their impact and the effort required to complete them. High-impact, low-effort tasks are prioritized, while high-effort, low-impact tasks are avoided. This approach allows for efficient use of resources and time. Other frameworks may prioritize tasks based on different factors such as urgency, importance, or strategic alignment.

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Improvement action plan

Instead of a list of specific actions, the Improvement Action Plan zooms out to see expected outcomes. List issues at the top, and activities to improve them below. Divide improvement activities into now, next, or soon depending on their priority level. Include the resources that will be needed to make the improvements happen and reach desired outcomes. (Slide 23)

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The Improvement Action Plan aids in prioritizing business activities and achieving desired outcomes by providing a structured approach. It starts by listing the issues at the top, followed by activities to improve them. These activities are divided into 'now', 'next', or 'soon' based on their priority level. This helps in focusing on immediate tasks while also keeping an eye on future tasks. The plan also includes the resources that will be needed to make the improvements happen, ensuring that the necessary tools and manpower are available to reach the desired outcomes.

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Smart action plan tree diagram

The SMART diagram sets clear goals. Every goal should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Goals are the foundation of any action plan, so it's important to make sure they aren't too abstract, and that there are specific indicators to help you achieve your target. The diagram becomes more specific from left to right, asking clear questions about the goal that are solidified on the right side. (Slide 25)

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In the SMART diagram, specific indicators are crucial in achieving targets as they provide a clear and measurable way to track progress towards the goal. They ensure that the goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. The indicators make the goal less abstract and more tangible, allowing for better planning and execution. They also help in evaluating the success of the action plan and making necessary adjustments.

The SMART diagram can be utilized to ensure goals are not too abstract by providing a structured framework for goal setting. Each letter in SMART stands for a specific aspect of a well-defined goal: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. By ensuring that each goal meets these criteria, the SMART diagram helps to avoid abstract goals and promotes the creation of concrete, actionable objectives. It encourages asking clear questions about the goal, which are solidified on the right side of the diagram, thus making the goals more specific and less abstract.

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Conclusion

To develop an effective, goal-oriented action plan for your business, download and customize this Action Plan presentation to save time and hours of work as you map out your next move to reach your goals. For more like this, check out our explainer on Strategic Roadmap to learn how to generate achievable goals true to your company's vision and save hours of work with our fully customizable presentation template.

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Developing a goal-oriented action plan enhances a company's business strategy by providing a clear roadmap towards achieving the company's objectives. It helps in managing time effectively, ensuring that all team members are on the same page, and adapting to changing conditions. It also aligns the company's vision with its goals, thereby saving hours of work and increasing efficiency.

Any company that is looking to set clear, achievable goals and communicate them effectively to their team could benefit from this action plan presentation. For instance, a startup company could use this presentation to map out their business strategy, set timelines for project completion, and communicate these plans to their team. This would help ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same objectives, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity.

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