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

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

Written 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. 

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

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

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.

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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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What is an action plan? (Example and template)

May 3, 2024 - 10 min read

An action plan is a definitive checklist of tasks and resources needed to complete a project or achieve a goal. You can think of it as a visual countdown to the project delivery or a breakdown of the list of tasks needed to achieve desired results.

Now you may be thinking, “What is the purpose of an action plan vs. a to-do list ?” 

The most significant difference between action plans and to-do lists is that action plans focus on achieving a specific goal . In contrast, to-do lists are ongoing and include tasks for different goals and projects. 

Understanding this distinction, it becomes clear that action plans are powerful tools for goal setting and project execution. They help teams manage necessary resources, adhere to schedules, and track progress toward specific goals and project initiatives. 

In this article, we’ll go through the purposes of action plans, the key steps usually included in them, how you can use action plans to help your project management, and step-by-step instructions on how to put one together yourself. 

And, as a bonus, we’ll also give you information on Wrike’s prebuilt action plan template , which can jump-start your action plan process. 

What is the purpose of an action plan?

An action plan , also sometimes referred to as a plan of action , helps order project tasks in a sequential and timely manner to achieve a goal. Project managers and individuals can use action plans to achieve their work and personal project goals.

Developing an action plan clarifies the goals to be achieved, the teams and service providers to involve, and the tasks, dependencies, milestones, and resources needed to complete the project.

Working with an action plan ensures you complete every task and requirement to meet the expected standards of a project. As you develop an action plan, you identify any critical paths and dependencies. 

Keep in mind that a developed action plan isn’t set in stone, because the environment in which projects operate is often subject to change . External factors such as market conditions, economic influences, technology advancements or failures, regulatory requirements, and unexpected events can impact the execution of any plan. A dynamic document allows for flexibility and adaptability so you can adjust your strategies in response to evolving circumstances.

Why are action plans important in project management?

​​An action plan in project management is a quick and easy way to keep projects on track. Creating an action plan means you can quickly map out the resources and requirements you need and sketch a timeline to complete tasks. 

Here are several benefits of using a strategic action plan in project management:

• They’re simple and easy to set up, helping to maintain operational efficiency without taking much time.
• They declutter managers’ minds by providing a framework for structuring new projects in a sensible order.
• They clarify the objectives of the project and build consensus on how the work should be done.
• They prepare you for predictable and preventable challenges and focus your resources to achieve your main goals for the project. 
• They maximize personal and team productivity and resource allocation.
• They reduce the possibility of forgetting tasks in the project.
• They generate a goal-driven workflow, so you know what to work on throughout the project.
• They provide a way to track progress as you check tasks off the action plan as you complete them.

Action plan vs. project plan

Action plans should not be confused with project plans . Both list the tasks, resources, and timelines required to achieve a desired goal, but project plans go deeper, including details such as contingency plan action steps, risk mitigation strategies, quality assessment criteria, and stakeholder communication schedules. In contrast, action plans simply list the tasks, resources, and timelines needed to achieve a goal. 

Think of it this way: For big, complex, or long-term projects, you create a project plan first. Once your project plan is in place, an action plan helps you detail the steps and flow for allocating resources, sharing and executing tasks, and setting deadlines.

In summary, action plans and project plans differ in the following ways: 

• Complexity : Action plans are simpler than project plans. They focus solely on the tasks, resources, and timelines required to achieve a goal. Project plans include additional sections for other measures, standards, and procedures for completing a project. 
• Duration : Action plans focus on specific, short-term goals. These may be for standalone goals or part of a larger project. Project plans are more encompassing, covering longer-term objectives, which may take months or years to complete. 
• Flow : Action plans are linear, with one task following another until the goal is achieved. Project plans may have multiple phases, e.g., planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and reviewing, with each stage containing its own distinct tasks and deliverables.

The components of an action plan

Let’s take a look at the essential components of an action plan:

• Action plan objectives: The action plan objectives serve as the main guide for the action plan, defining and communicating what the plan seeks to achieve. 
• Action plan steps: Action plan steps form the core of the action plan. They detail crucial targets and set milestones that must be completed to reach the goal. These steps divide the goal or project into manageable chunks and provide a framework for identifying tasks (action items), allocating resources, and determining timelines. 
• Action plan items: Action plan items are the nitty-gritty details of the action plan — the actual tasks to be performed. Each action plan item must be clearly defined, actionable, and understood by the team involved. 
• Action plan timeline: The action plan timeline maps out the plan schedule from start to finish. It’s crucial for setting expectations, tracking progress and performance, and ensuring the project stays on schedule. 
• Action plan resources: These are the inputs required to execute the plan, e.g., labor, time, tools, and funds. Identifying action plan resources before delving into execution helps ensure tasks are not delayed or compromised due to resource constraints. 
• Action plan matrix: The action plan matrix provides a structured layout for the strategic planning of tasks. It serves as a roadmap and helps to categorize your action steps and tasks based on priority, status, and resource allocation. This alignment helps identify any dependencies or potential bottlenecks.
• Action plan report: The action plan report provides an overview of the progress made in executing the action plan. It includes details like the tasks completed, time taken, costs incurred, resources used, and any deviations from the plan.
• Assignments: Each task should be assigned to a person, team, or group. Clear assignment of responsibility is crucial for accountability and the successful execution of any action plan.

What are the key steps of an action plan?

The main point of a plan of action is to ensure you don’t overlook critical tasks and milestones of your project. In its simplest form, developing an effective action plan entails listing tasks you need to complete and prioritizing them.

As you develop your action plan, you decide which tasks you can delegate, outsource, or delay. The steps below map out how to write a sound action plan to increase your chance of success.

Step 1: Define your goal 

Get clear on what you want to achieve with your project. Define the action plan in terms of where you are and where you want to be. If you have alternative methods to achieve your goal, assess your situation and decide the best chances of success depending on your resources.

Step 2: List tasks

Once you have your goal, list the tasks and activities you must complete to achieve it. Then order them sequentially by adding key dates and deadlines. This should include a time frame with start and end dates for each task.

Step 3: Identify critical tasks

Are there any specific steps that must be completed before others can start? These are critical time-bound tasks with dependencies. Prioritize these tasks and set realistic deadlines. If you plan to assign them to team members, be sure to let them know the dependencies and allow enough time to deliver them.

Step 4: Assign tasks

Now that the project is broken down, you can start assigning tasks. Will you be handling some yourself in addition to managing the project? Make sure you allocate time and human resources carefully — you may choose to delegate or outsource specific tasks.

Step 5: Assess and improve

At the end of each project, assess performance, analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics, and learn from mistakes or missteps to improve your action planning and project execution. If you work with a team, collect feedback and improvement suggestions from team members for better performance in the future.

Action plan best practices

Following these best practices will mean you ’ re more likely to succeed: 

• Involve your team: When working with a team, involve them early in the planning process to get their input and save time. Get team members’ work schedules before assigning tasks to avoid conflicts. Clear communication enables responsible parties to prepare for their specific project tasks.
• Set SMART goals: SMART goals are s pecific, m easurable, a ttainable, r elevant, and t imely. Ensure your action plan starts with a strong foundation by defining clear and SMART goals that add value, either as a personal project or at work.
• Make your action plans into templates: To get more benefits from your action plans, make them into templates. After assessing your action plan at the end of a completed project, make a copy of the plan and remove all project-specific details, so you’re able to use the action planning template in future projects. This minimizes the need to repeat work, saving a lot of time and reducing errors.

Who needs to write an action plan?

Action plans aren’t just for project managers — they’re handy for all sorts of professionals and individuals tackling personal or business projects. Action plans can also be used alone or with a team. When working with a team, the leader puts together the action plan with everyone’s input.

Developing an action plan helps individuals, managers, and organizations finish their projects more successfully. They’re great for getting started, keeping track of what needs to be done, and maintaining progress on any project. Remember to check off tasks as they are done, update the plans, and communicate with your team as your project progresses.

A variation of a traditional action plan is a corrective action plan. Project managers and individuals use corrective action plans when they need to fix recurring problems or deviations in a project, process, or organization, so they don’t happen again in the future.

An example of an action plan 

Action plans are quick and easy to create. It’s all about putting down what you need to accomplish your goal or project. 

Here’s a simple action plan example for a marketing team working on a new campaign:

Action plan objective: Increase brand awareness and boost product sales by 30% by the end of Q4 2023 through a localized multimedia marketing campaign.

Other action plan examples in project management include:

• Launching a new product
• Organizing an event
• Improving customer service
• Enhancing employee training
• Expanding into new markets
• Increasing your social media following

Maximizing efficiency with action plan templates

A project action plan template is a preformatted document providing a framework to outline, execute, and track the tasks and specific actions needed to accomplish your larger goal. It streamlines the action planning process by providing a ready-to-use format you can quickly fill out to create a robust action plan. This way, you don’t waste time making one from scratch using Excel, Google Docs, or Microsoft Word. 

Wrike’s simple action plan template manages projects and goals with an intuitive interface designed to help plan and launch projects with teams of any size. This template’s features enable real-time collaboration, easy task assignments, time tracking, and reporting.

Common issues like a lack of visibility on remote workers’ assignments and confusing project priorities are mitigated with functionalities such as: 

• Organizing tasks by departments into folders, making the journey from “To Do” to “In Progress” to “Completed” smooth
• Identifying dependencies and defining the priority of tasks to determine which tasks need to be done first
• Providing a snapshot of the tasks due now and in the coming weeks, ensuring the project schedule is adhered to
• Securing sensitive data from unauthorized personnel with permissions offering various levels of access and visibility for collaborators and stakeholders

How to create an action plan with Wrike

Using project management tools helps to organize your business action plan visually and make it feel more achievable. With project management software like Wrike , you get a free action plan template included with your subscription — so you can easily input your project resources, requirements, and timelines, and track your progress throughout the project. 

As outlined above, the best way to jump-start your action plan is to use our prebuilt plan of action and milestones template . It helps you take control of your task management by providing sample folders to organize tasks, a calendar for project scheduling, and prebuilt dashboards for monitoring progress. All you have to do is add your tasks and due dates to get a complete overview of all project work. 

Our template works for all different types of action plans. You can use it as:

• A personal action plan template for personal projects
• A business action plan template to simplify project management
• A corrective action plan template to fix issues with an existing project

If you’re ready to develop action plans and track your progress while better managing your projects, you need Wrike. We make it easy to plan, execute, and ensure success, even when you’re on the go.

Click here to start your free two-week trial and kick off your action plan today.

Kelechi Udoagwu

Kelechi is a freelance writer and founder of Week of Saturdays, a platform for digital freelancers and remote workers living in Africa.

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How to create an action plan (with free templates and examples)

An action plan template provides a ready-made framework for quickly adding the steps — like tasks, due dates, and assignees — to achieve your project goals. It’s a great way to ensure your project action plans are effective and consistent so everyone understands what’s expected.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to write an action plan step-by-step, with examples for inspiration. Plus, you can download two free action plan templates — including one from our Work OS — to get started immediately.

Download Excel template

What is an action plan?

An action plan is a detailed blueprint that outlines the steps you, your team, or your organization will take to achieve a specific goal. It includes specific tasks or actions with due dates and assignees, a timeline, and the resources required to accomplish your goal.

Action plans include detailed information, such as:

• A description of each action or task to complete
• The person responsible for each action
• Due dates for each task
• Resources required to complete the action
• Space to reflect or take notes after you have completed a task

What is an action plan template?

An action plan template is a pre-structured document that gives you a framework for crafting your new action plan. A practical action plan template has designated spaces for each aspect you need to cover, often presented in a table format like this.

Free action plan templates

Here are two free action plan templates you can download and use today:

Try monday.com’s Action Plan Template:

This action plan template breaks down goals into actionable steps that you can prioritize, assign ownership, and track progress. You can also add start and end dates for each action, plus relevant details and files.

Get the template

Download the free action plan template for Excel:

Why is an action plan template important?

Leaders and managers use action plan templates to speed up the strategic planning process . Rather than spending unnecessary time designing the document used for planning purposes, project managers can simply pull up their template, save a new copy — keeping the existing template intact — and get straight to work scheduling and assigning tasks.

Action plan templates ensure consistency

Additionally, templates help to ensure consistency across plans and teams. When your organization uses the same action plan template for the whole company, it’s easier for team members to interpret and understand the plan — because they’re familiar with the format — and it contributes toward an organized, professional appearance.

Action plan templates help you plan more effectively

Action plan templates help project organizers plan more effectively by offering predefined categories and columns, reducing the chance of human error or omitting information from an action plan. In addition, you can apply any learnings from the project management process to your template. That way, you’ll consistently improve subsequent action plans.

While completing a project, you might find that some of the tasks in your task lists didn’t have clear outcomes. In addition, it wasn’t immediately obvious how to identify when the task was complete. So, you could borrow from the SMART goals framework — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound goals — and include a new column in your action plan template to note how you’ll measure if the task is complete.

And when using an action plan template built on a Work OS like monday.com, you can add your action plan to relevant project boards, create cross-team automations , and more — making it easier to collaborate with a distributed team in real time.

What are the essential features of an effective action plan template?

Action plan templates should contain the following features:

• Multiple views — such as tables, timelines, Kanban boards, and Gantt charts to visualize tasks.
• Task notifications — to detail and assign tasks to team members.
• Structured layouts — to plan tasks based on priority, status, and resource allocation.
• Collaboration ability — to maintain notes, comments, and files in one place.
• Automations — to update task status and notify owners.
• Status columns — to show the current status, such as Stuck, Working on it, and Done.
• Dashboards — to track overall progress, timelines, and budgets.

What is the difference between an action plan and a project plan?

A project plan is more detailed than an action plan. Both list the tasks, timelines, and resources required to achieve a desired goal. But project plans also include:

• Project goals and objectives
• Project milestones and deliverables
• Project scope and budget
• Project roles and responsibilities
• Project stakeholders and communication schedule
• Project risk mitigation and contingency plans
• Project success criteria

You can create an action plan from your project plan to outline the steps required to achieve your project goals.

What are the key elements of a well-written action plan?

A well-written action plan consists of seven components:

• Goals: define what the action plan aims to accomplish.
• Steps: detail the actions required to achieve each goal.
• Items: determine the task dependencies and priorities.
• Timeline: maps out the schedule and milestones from start to finish.
• Resources: identify the people, tools, and budget required.
• Responsibilities: assign tasks to an individual or a team.
• Review: monitor the overall progress of action items completed.

What are some examples of action plan templates?

Now that we know what they do, let’s look at a few action plan templates.

Business action plan template

This template outlines how to write an action plan to track progress toward a specific business goal.

( Image Source )

This action plan begins by detailing the primary goal, with the first column dedicated to a breakdown of each action required. For example, if your business goal was to design and launch a new website, your activities might include:

• Gathering design assets
• Choosing a color scheme
• Copywriting for new website pages
• Assembling design and development teams
• Creating design wireframes
• Design and development
• Launch and promotion

Note that the second to last column in this action plan template is reserved for noting potential hazards. This helps identify roadblocks that might get in the way of achieving your goals to plan around them.

Personal development action plan template

Though action plans are most often used in a business context, they can be a handy tool to help you stay motivated and work toward your personal goals.

This template allows you to break down your actions into a step-by-step sequence and includes a “How will I know I’ve been successful?” column to ensure that the actions you write down have a clear outcome.

Corrective action plan template

Creating an action plan can also be a great way to solve a specific business problem or even an issue with a particular employee’s performance. This is known as a corrective action plan, as shown in the example template below.

A corrective action plan template includes important columns, such as “metrics and constraints” — to help users complete tasks and plan for potential roadblocks — and “percent completed” — to help measure the progress toward the goal.

monday.com’s Action Plan Template

As you’ve seen in the examples above, the typical action plan format is a PDF or Microsoft Word document. While this is fine for goal setting and creating the plan itself, it’s not so great for putting it into action.

That’s why we’ve purpose-built a flexible, customizable, intuitive action plan template to use with monday.com.

When you design your action plan on monday.com, you can:

• Access multiple views (such as a table, Kanban, and timeline) to work in a manner that suits your needs.

• Assign tasks to individuals and notify them instantly.
• Comment and collaborate on tasks to keep communication contextual.
• Design custom automations to save valuable time and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
• Report on progress with the Progress Tracking Column.

Once there is buy-in from the team on the plan, it is easy to copy actions, dates, and assignees over to the task management board.

Because monday.com is a comprehensive Work OS, any action plans you create with this template also integrate with relevant project boards. In addition, comprehensive analytics make tracking easy.

How to write an action plan step-by-step

Never created an action plan before? Then, follow this simple guide and get started with the free template above.

1. Determine your goals

First, you need to understand what you’re trying to achieve. Then, make this goal as specific as possible.

For example, “increase sales” is not a clear enough goal. “Increase sales by 20% in quarter three” is more specific and allows you to set a metric for achieving it.

2. Break down the steps required to achieve each goal

What actions are necessary to get there?

In this example, that might include:

• Hire three new sales development representatives
• Increase content marketing budget by $20,000
• Implement a new sales training program for new hires

3. Determine task dependencies and priorities

Remember: you can’t do everything at once! So now that you’ve broken down that big goal into bite-sized chunks, you need to figure out the perfect order for completing the tasks. In the above instance, you need to hire new sales representatives before starting a sales training program.

4. Set milestones

Now, set some milestones for significant events or checkpoints along the project. Some typical milestones are:

• Completion of a substantial task or phase of the project
• A significant event, such as a product launch
• Important meetings, like customer review meetings

5. Add deadlines

When do you need to complete each task? Setting deadlines for each task helps your team stay on track and allows you to identify if your timeline for the larger goal is realistic.

6. Identify the resources you need

What’s getting in the way of completing these tasks? What do you require — perhaps from leadership or another team — to meet or exceed your goals? In our sales team example, we might need some assistance from the HR department to advertise an open role and attract new applicants.

7. Assign tasks to individuals

Who is responsible for each action? Assign a clear task owner to each task. Ownership doesn’t just make someone feel accountable; it empowers them to take the initiative and solve problems without dragging in management at every twist and turn.

8. Agree on a plan to review progress

Before you jump in and start your project, determine how you will measure progress toward your goals. For example:

• Will you review your action plan every day or every week?
• Will the task assignees or the project leader be responsible for updating the plan to reflect progress?

Determining these answers upfront means the action plan remains a living document reflecting actual progress.

Customize our Action Plan Template to your needs today

Prepare and present your action plans with our flexible, customizable Action Plan Template. Team members will love the multiple views, automations, and collaboration features to keep them on point. And you’ll benefit from the Progress Tracking column in your weekly reports to stakeholders.

FAQs about action plans

What’s the difference between an action plan and a to-do list.

An action plan and a to-do list are helpful tools for organizing tasks and achieving goals. A to-do list is a list of tasks to complete, but not necessarily for the same goal or project. Typically, to-do lists are less organized than action plans and can change daily. In contrast, an action plan follows specific steps and includes tasks that all lead to completing a common goal.

What's the difference between an action plan and a strategic plan?

An action plan and a strategic plan are essential for an organization’s long-term and short-term planning. A strategic plan outlines an organization’s vision for the future and helps prioritize goals, make resourcing decisions, and unite employees. On the other hand, an action plan makes the strategic plan operational by providing detailed instructions on how to accomplish those goals.

What’s the difference between an action plan and an implementation plan?

An implementation plan and an action plan are essential documents that help teams execute a project successfully. An action plan focuses on the specific tasks needed to achieve a goal. In contrast, an implementation plan is a more holistic document outlining the steps, teams, and resources required to execute a project successfully.

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What is an Action Plan? (Template and Example Included)

Fahad Usmani, PMP

November 6, 2023

An action plan makes easier to achieve your goal using a planned approach. It does not matter whether you manage a project or a department; an action plan will provide you with a path that you can follow to success.

Action plans also help you achieve goals in your personal life. It helps you or your team member keep motivated until the goal or objective is achieved.

In today’s post, we will discuss the action plan, its template, and an example.

What is an Action Plan?

An action plan is a detailed plan explaining the steps you should take to achieve your objective. It breaks the end goal into actionable steps to measure, follow, and track. It breaks the entire process into actionable assignments based on a timeline.

The action plan helps the project manager estimate the resources, effort, and budget required to achieve the objectives.

In project management, an action plan is like an implementation plan and helps the project manager during the project planning and execution phases.

Broadly, you can categorize action plans into three groups:

• Business Action Plan: A business action plan helps managers develop plans to achieve their business objectives (e.g., increasing sales, improving efficiency, launching or updating products, etc.).
• Project Action Plan: A project action plan helps project managers achieve project objectives successfully.
• Personal Action Plan: A personal action plan helps you achieve your personal goals or objectives (e.g., losing weight).

Action plans are also used in strategic planning. After creating strategic plans, you can develop an action plan to outline how you will achieve your strategic goals.

Action Plan Components

The action plan is a part of the project-management plan, and the project manager develops it in consultation with team members, subject-matter experts, and other stakeholders. Stakeholder involvement is necessary for action plan development to ensure that it has their support and fulfills their needs and requirements.

Effective action plans include the list of tasks and the name of the team member completing the task. It also includes resources needed by the task, duration, and any other dependency it may require .

How to Use an Action Plan

After creating the action plan, ensure you and your team follow it as is. 

Monitor the progress closely to check any deviation from the path and carry out regular reviews to find if the progress is on track. If the project requires any changes, you can tweak the action plan to meet the project objectives.

The action plan is a live document and can be updated whenever required to achieve the desired result.

How to Create an Action Plan

You can follow the following steps to build your action plan:

#1. Define Your Objectives

All projects have objectives, and you must define them clearly. Ensure that the objectives are SMART.

SMART stands for:

• Specific: The objective must be clear and concise.
• Measurable: The objective must be measurable (e.g., in increments or milestones).
• Achievable: The objective must be realistically achievable.
• Relevant: The objective must align with the organization’s values and strategic objectives.
• Time-Bound: The objective must have a deadline so that progress can be tracked.

#2. Estimate Resources

The next step in writing an action plan is determining the resources required to complete the project. The resources include human resources, consumables, and equipment. You can involve your team members and other experts to estimate the project resources.

#3. Break Up the Work

Break down the project work into management work packages . You can use a work breakdown structure for this purpose. Ensure the work packages are logically related and don’t exceed three or four levels.

#4. Determine Required Actions

Determine the actions, tasks, or activities required to complete the task. To do so, you must further break the work packages into activity levels. Then, you will estimate the duration of the activities using your expert judgment and other estimation techniques.

#5. Assign Actions to Team Members

Now, you will assign each action to your team members based on their skills and capabilities. After assigning the roles and responsibilities, you will provide your team members with the required tools and authority to carry out the assigned responsibilities.

#6. Continuously Monitor Progress

This is a vital part of the action plan. You must monitor the efficiency of your action plan throughout the project life cycle . No plan goes as planned, and there are always hiccups. So be ready to update the plan and do it as needed to ensure your action plan is current, updated, and robust and reflects the current situation.

Action Plan Template

Goal/Objective: State your goal or objective clearly.

1. Define the Objectives:

• Clearly define what you want to achieve.
• Ensure the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

2. Identify Key Stakeholders:

• List all individuals or groups involved in or affected by this goal.

3. Assess the Current Situation:

• Analyze the current state or baseline.
• Identify any obstacles or challenges.

4. Set a Deadline:

• Determine the date by which you intend to achieve the goal.

5. Break Down the Goal:

• Divide the objectives into smaller, more manageable steps, tasks, or milestones.
• Assign responsibilities for each task.

6. Develop an Action Plan:

• Description: Describe the task.
• Responsible Party: Specify who is responsible for this task.
• Start Date: Set a start date.
• End Date: Set a completion date.
• Resources Needed: List any resources required.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) : Define how you will measure success.

7. Allocate Resources:

• Identify and allocate resources (e.g., budget, personnel, and equipment) for each task.

8. Establish a Communication Plan:

• Establish a communication plan to keep stakeholders informed of progress and changes.

9. Monitor and Track Progress:

• Regularly review and update the action plan.
• Track the progress of each task and milestone.

10. Address Challenges:

• Identify potential obstacles and develop strategies to overcome them.

11. Celebrate Milestones:

• Recognize and celebrate achievements as milestones are reached.

12. Final Evaluation:

• Assess whether the objectives were achieved.
• Analyze what worked and what didn’t.
• Identify lessons learned.

13. Adjust and Improve:

• Use the insights from the evaluation to make improvements for future goals.

14. Reporting:

• Provide regular reports to stakeholders and relevant parties.

15. Documentation:

• Maintain records of the action plan, progress, and outcomes.

16. Review and Renew:

• If the goal is ongoing, establish a schedule for regular reviews and updates.

Remember that an action plan should be tailored to the specific objectives or project you are working on. Be as detailed as necessary to ensure clarity and effectiveness in achieving your objective.

Action Plan Example

Action Plan: Improving Employee Engagement

Goal/Objective: Increase employee engagement by 15% within 12 months.

• Our objective is to improve employee engagement by 15% through initiatives and activities that enhance employee satisfaction, motivation, and overall job satisfaction.
• HR Department
• Department Managers
• All Employees
• Employee Engagement Committee
• Reviewing employee engagement survey results (i.e., baseline)
• Getting feedback from employees in recent meetings and interviews
• Identifying key pain points and challenges
• 12 months from today

5. Break Down the Objectives:

• Conduct a monthly review-and-feedback session with employees.
• Implement monthly team-building activities.
• Provide professional development opportunities.
• Enhance communication channels and feedback mechanisms.
• Recognize and reward outstanding performance.
• Description: Conduct monthly feedback sessions with employees to discuss concerns, suggestions, and improvements.
• Responsible Party: HR Department
• Start Date: Month 1
• End Date: Ongoing
• Resources Needed: Meeting space, survey tools
• KPIs: Participation rate, feedback implementation rate
• Description: Organize monthly team-building activities to foster better working relationships and team cohesion.
• Responsible Party: Employee Engagement Committee
• Start Date: Month 2
• Resources Needed: Budget, event-planning resources
• KPIs: Participation rate, post-activity surveys
• Description: Identify and provide training and development opportunities for employees to enhance their skills.
• Responsible Party: Department Managers
• Start Date: Month 3
• Resources Needed: Training budget, training materials
• KPIs: Participation rate, skill improvement
• Description: Implement regular departmental meetings, open-door policies, and online suggestion boxes.
• Start Date: Month 4
• Resources Needed: Communication tools, training for managers
• KPIs: Participation rate, suggestions received
• Description: Develop and implement an employee recognition and rewards program.
• Start Date: Month 5
• Resources Needed: Budget for rewards, program design
• KPIs: Employee satisfaction, engagement survey results
• Allocate budget for team building activities , professional development, and rewards program.
• Allocate time and personnel for feedback sessions and communication enhancements.
• Communicate the action plan to all employees through company-wide meetings and email updates.
• Conduct monthly progress reviews with department managers.
• Conduct quarterly engagement surveys.
• Develop strategies to address any challenges that arise during implementation.
• Celebrate achievements at quarterly milestones.
• After 12 months, assess whether a 15% improvement in employee engagement has been achieved.
• Use employee feedback and the final evaluation to make improvements for future engagement initiatives.
• Provide regular progress reports to the leadership team and all employees.
• Maintain records of survey results, meeting notes, and feedback received.
• If needed, create a plan to improve employee engagement continuously beyond the initial 12-month period.

This action plan provides a structured approach to improving employee engagement within a specific time frame. It outlines the tasks, responsible parties, resources, and key performance indicators to measure progress and success.

Project Action Vs Implementation Plan

A project action plan and an implementation plan are two distinct documents used in project management , each serving a specific purpose.

The purpose of the project action is to outline the high-level steps and activities required to achieve the project’s objectives . It is more of a strategic document. It includes project goals, key project milestones , responsible parties, timelines , and a list of major tasks or actions that must be taken.

The action plan focuses on what needs to be done, but it doesn’t give detailed instructions on how each task will be executed.

The purpose of the project implementation plan is to provide a detailed, tactical document that outlines how the project’s objectives will be achieved. 

The project implementation plan provides a comprehensive guide for executing the project. It includes detailed task descriptions, resource allocation, budget details, dependencies, risk management, communication plans, and a timeline with precise deadlines.

The implementation plan delves into the specifics of who will do what, how it will be done, and when it will be completed, thus ensuring that everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities.

The project action plan provides all the actions needed to achieve the project objectives, while the project implementation plan is a detailed blueprint that guides project execution. The action plan serves as the initial roadmap, and the implementation plan serves as the detailed navigation guide. Both documents are vital for the project’s success. 

An action plan plays a key role in achieving project success by documenting the project management plan’s execution. Ensure that you have a realistic and robust action plan to lead your project towards success.

I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.

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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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How to: Action plan template and instructions

Last updated

21 December 2023

Reviewed by

Mary Mikhail

An action plan is a framework for achieving a goal. In many cases, you must complete complex tasks to get closer to the objective. Action plans make it easier to focus, remember details, and stay on top of deadlines.

Creating an action plan doesn't just help you stay on track. It can become a template for achieving other goals and staying organized. 

Learning how to write an action plan with the appropriate level of detail allows you to get things done while building up to your goal. Let’s get into the guide, including an action plan template. 

• What is an action plan?

An action plan is a documented collection of steps needed to achieve a certain goal. 

Putting your plan into writing divides a complex strategy into smaller achievable parts. This helps you simplify the journey, identify the necessary resources, and set reasonable deadlines.

Types of action plans include:

Business action plan

Sales action plan

Project action plan

Personal action plan

Educational action plan

Regardless of how large or small your objectives are, you can benefit from a detailed plan that helps you meet them.

• What is the purpose of an action plan?

Creating an action plan can streamline your focus to the right activities at the right time. 

If you've achieved similar goals without a plan, you’ll notice how a roadmap can improve your tactics and speed up the process.

Key benefits of a well-designed action plan include:

Keeping the focus

Clearly defining your goals keeps your team on the same page throughout the process.

Structured approach

Breaking complex goals into manageable tasks makes the process more organized and easier to follow.

Prioritization

An action plan helps you prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. 

You can easily identify critical elements and allocate resources accordingly, ensuring you direct efforts toward the most impactful activities.

Accountability

An action plan assigns responsibilities and establishes accountability for each listed task. 

Knowing who’s responsible for completing specific tasks promotes a sense of ownership and improves outcomes.

Resource allocation

Your action plan is the blueprint that makes sure the necessary tools, materials, or personnel are available to support its successful execution.

Progress tracking

A framework for monitoring progress toward the goal allows you to identify obstacles and take corrective actions as needed. Regular monitoring ensures the plan stays on course.

Besides helping you achieve the set goals, the plan is a collaboration tool. It allows all stakeholders to clearly understand the goals, tasks, timelines, and responsibilities.

• How to write an action plan

While action plans differ for each project, the basics of a successful plan are the same.

Whether you’re building a personal, business, or project plan, you need to follow the same general format:

Make your goal SMART

If you’re making an action plan, you already have a goal. However, it may not be detailed enough to build a robust framework. 

Creating a SMART goal lays the foundation for successful planning:

S pecific: the goal should be highly specific and narrow in focus

M easurable: the goal and progress should be measurable by specific metrics

A chievable: the goal should be reasonable enough for you to be able to achieve it

R elevant: the goal should align with your values and long-term goals

T ime-Bound: the goal should contain a reasonable deadline

Example : Your goal is to increase the number of website visits.

The SMART version: "Increase website traffic by 10% by March 1." 

Example : Your goal is to read more books.

The SMART version: "Read five books by the end of the year."

Identify tasks

You have to break a large goal down into manageable tasks. The next step is to list these tasks and actions that can help you achieve the goal step-by-step. 

Besides breaking the big task down, you have to prioritize your tasks. Otherwise, you could face problems with execution, especially if a large team is involved.

Just like the goal, each task must be as specific as possible. Vagueness leads to misunderstandings and misalignment with the primary goal.

Example : Your goal is to "increase website traffic by 10% by March 1." 

Your list of actions may look like this:

Conduct a technical SEO assessment and fix errors

Increase the number of blog posts to seven per week

Launch a new PPC campaign

Create an active YouTube channel

Start working with an influencer

These smaller tasks make the goal look less overwhelming and allow you to stay on track.

Create a timeline

Next, you need to create a timeline for the project based on the deadline you identified when setting a SMART goal. 

Determine the start and end date for each task you listed in the previous step.

Set realistic deadlines, considering the complexity and duration of each task. Be mindful of any time constraints related to the market, economy, and your internal team's needs.

Rely on historical data when creating a timeline. If you couldn’t do similar tasks quickly in the past, use this as your guide. 

Just like goals, deadlines should be achievable.

Example : "Complete the technical SEO assessment in one week and fix errors within two weeks."

Allocate resources

Once you know exactly how to achieve your goal, identify the resources required for your plan. 

They can include:

Team members: If this is a business project, assign roles to your team members and outline their responsibilities.

Third parties : You may need to outsource some tasks, so determine which partners can help you.

Equipment: This includes the software, tools, and instruments you need to complete the outlined tasks.

Example : You’re working on the website traffic goal. You may have to assign responsibilities to your marketing team, outsource SEO to a digital marketing agency, and invest in digital marketing tools.

At this point, you have sufficient information to evaluate the budget necessary for achieving your goal. You may have to adjust your tasks, timeline, and resources accordingly.  

Monitor the progress

While executing an action plan, you need to follow the progress closely. 

Since no action plan is set in stone, there’s always room for adjustment. You may have to change task priorities or adjust the budget for some components. In rare cases, you may have to push back the deadline.

To ensure everything’s going to plan, you’ll need to evaluate the progress according to your action plan. That means relying on the metrics you identified when creating your SMART goal and the milestones you listed when setting a timeline.  

• Why do action plans fail?

Even the most well-written action plan could fail. Some of the most common challenges that affect the success of action plans include:

Lack of accountability and engagement

When people responsible for executing the plan aren't sufficiently engaged, they may not follow it enthusiastically. The plan may even add frustration, leading to burnout.

Ensuring your team understands the plan's importance and their responsibilities keeps the project moving in the right direction. 

If people are spread too thin, consider involving more team members to distribute the workload. Maintaining good morale and inspiring a sense of ownership drives engagement and support of the plan.

Poor communication

Communication between team members and other stakeholders requires special attention. 

If many people are involved, consider making communication methods and tools a part of your action plan.

Share the plan with everyone involved and ensure the latest version is always accessible. Your goal is to keep everyone on the same page throughout the entire process, not just at the start.  

No progress reports

Moving along the set timeline and achieving milestones isn't sufficient to ensure the success of your action plan. Sharing regular updates is an essential part of action plan implementation.  

Measuring progress and creating relevant reports ensures you can meet the deadline. It also shows your team members their impact on the project, increasing their engagement.

• How to implement an action plan

By itself, an action plan contains everything your team needs to achieve success. Once in place, you need to manage the plan on an ongoing basis to make sure everyone stays on track.

Communication

Action plan implementation requires seamless communication between team members and other stakeholders. 

Online meetings and asynchronous communication tools are key to ensuring everyone understands the details. It’s also vital to maintain availability to answer questions that may arise.

The main element to communicate to everyone involved is the "why" of the plan. Everyone responsible for executing it must understand how their actions contribute to the plan's success and how it adds to the company's bottom line.

Make sure to recognize and celebrate all achievements related to the action plan. 

Decide beforehand which tasks’ completion warrants recognition and rewards for your team members. This can boost morale, motivate the team , and maintain enthusiasm throughout the project. 

Sharing which actions you’ll reward before the project starts can increase productivity .

You'll likely face some obstacles once you begin implementing the action plan. What looks great on paper may be completely different in reality. This is why action plans are flexible.

Making adjustments is an integral part of a plan’s implementation. To ensure these changes are successful, seek feedback from the project participants. 

Regularly discussing the action plan with your team can provide valuable insight into making effective corrections. At the same time, it keeps the team in the loop and promotes engagement.

• Action plan template

This simple action plan template can help you create a successful plan regardless of your goal.

Clearly define the goal or objective you want to achieve

Task 1: Description of the task

Responsible: Person/team responsible for completing the task

Deadline: Date by which they should complete the task

Task 2: Description of the task etc.

Start date: Date when you’ll initiate the action plan

End date: Date when you expect to complete the action plan

Resource allocation:

Budget: Allocated budget for the action plan

Personnel: List of team members or departments involved

Equipment/technology: Any specific equipment or technology needed

Communication plan:

Stakeholders: List of relevant stakeholders to inform

Communication channels: Preferred channels for communication

Frequency: How often you’ll share updates or progress reports

Monitoring and evaluation:

Progress tracking: Method or tool to track progress

Review dates: Scheduled dates to review progress and make adjustments

Evaluation criteria: Metrics or criteria to assess the effectiveness of the action plan

The more details you add to the plan, the easier it will be to implement. The goal is to make the action plan transparent for everyone involved.

• Creating an effective action plan

An effective action plan is the foundation of any project. It can provide much-needed structure to your business operations and contribute to a favorable outcome. 

Ensuring the right goal format, outlining the tasks, and setting up a timeline can streamline your efforts. This makes it easier to remain focused on your goals. 

With an action plan, even the toughest objectives become easier to accomplish.

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How to Write an Awesome Action Plan (Free Template)

• Productivity, Time Management & Efficiency

Whether you’re a project manager working with a new team, or a team manager preparing for the new year or quarter – you must have an action plan. It gives you motivation to get things done as efficiently as possible. An action plan is your “plan of attack” so to speak. It is made up of daily tasks, organized on a weekly basis, with a greater agenda – to help you achieve quarterly or yearly goals.

An action plan is a detailed overview of the initiatives and actions you plan to take in order to achieve a specific goal, or complete a project.

We’re going to dive into the crucial information you need in your action plan. Once you comprehend the value in each of the following points – you’re ready to start working with your team.

So what makes an action plan effective?

An effective action plan includes the following elements: 

• SMART goals
• Initiatives 
• Expected timeline
• Planned working quarter 
• Week by week individual plans 
• List of responsible team members
• Priority level indicators for specific tasks 
• Effort level indicators for specific tasks 
• Space for communicating ideas
• Designated place for sharing important documents

Don’t worry about the organization of these things – we’ve created that for you! Our action plan template includes all of the above elements, ensuring that you’ll have all the necessary information you need in front of you.

Used within teams, our free action plan template helps to hold you accountable and more importantly, getting you closer to your shared goals!

10 crucial elements your action plan template needs: 

1. smart goals.

A good way to determine whether or not your goal is SMART is to use our SMART goals worksheet , this breaks down the questions you need to answer in order to get to the nitty gritty “good stuff”. 

Examples of SMART goals: 

Increase overall search engine traffic by 10% within 2 months Improve the quality of our data from X landing page by increasing traffic from 200 users to 1000 users in Quarter 4 Test messaging on 4 segments and agree upon a unified message by the end of the Quarter 3.

2. Initiatives 

SMART goals are nothing without agreeing upon and setting initiatives. 

Initiatives are the larger projects you and your team decide to work on over a designated period of time that help bring you closer to those values you set out for yourself in your goals.

Let’s work with the following goal:

To improve the quality of data from X landing page by increasing traffic from 200 to 1000 users in Quarter 4

You need to question HOW your team can do that. What bigger projects will you agree on together and work to accomplish during the coming weeks? 

You should strive to be SMART with these initiatives too. It’s important that you can evaluate your success and understand when to move onto the next project or initiative. 

Some initiatives for this example could be:

Publish 5 quality content guest posts with links to X landing page on relevant sources Schedule 4 social media posts (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) each month to increase engagement levels from 30 likes to 60 likes  Review paid ads history of competitors and create 2 A/B test campaigns to run for the quarter

As you can see, these initiatives are bigger projects that can’t be effectively completed in just one week by one person. These are team level projects that need smaller tasks beneath them. We recommend 1-3 initiatives per goal depending on your working timeline.

3. Start and end dates

Each initiative has a start date and completion date. This is helpful especially if you’re working on multiple goals and managing a bunch of projects during a year. This helps you to organize your plan, and stay on course. Not only this, but you can see how your plan lived up to your expectations and what you can improve for the upcoming season, quarter, or year.

4. Planned working quarter 

Whether you plan your year at once, or on a quarterly basis – you should always note which quarter you and your team are working on a specific goal and initiative. Similar to the reasoning behind start and end dates, it helps you understand the resources used at a specific time. Maybe you need to check back for accounting purposes at the end of a fiscal year. Which quarter did you spend the most time and resources on? By keeping track of these dates, you’ll be able to search more effectively when the time comes.

5. Week by week individual plans

We’ve discussed the need for SMART goals and initiatives…but we haven’t touched on the day to day, week to week individual tasks. If we’re working based on the goal and initiative from above – we need to think of what daily plans each team member needs to do that is related to driving those things forward.

Publish 5 quality content guest posts with links to X landing page on relevant sources Schedule 4 social media posts (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) each month to increase engagement levels from 30 likes to 60 likes  Review paid ads history of competitors and create 2 A/B test campaigns to run for the quarter 

Team members are now clear on the assignment for Quarter 4 based on the above goal and initiatives. So, what plans will each team member make in order to get one step closer to checking those things off the list? 

Plans should be specific and understandable for someone from an outside perspective to understand, some examples of suitable weekly plans would be:

• Reach out to 10 blog publishers about guest post opportunities 
• Create a Canva infographic for this week’s social media post 
• Engage with customers / social media followers from last week’s posts
• Write 1 blog article to publish on our page

Plans can be discussed by team members in a weekly stand-up meeting on Fridays, or Mondays. Whenever you decide to speak on a team level to regularly check in about your project plans. Discuss who will do what each week. Someone can update this portion of the document, or team members can do it themselves. A good number of plans per week is around 3-7, depending on their effort and priority level.

6. List of responsible team members

Each plan should have a team member that is responsible for the completion of it. This helps to ensure that everything is taken care of, everyone knows who is doing what and who to turn to for questions relating to the specific task.

7. Priority level indicators for specific tasks 

Priority level indicators help team members understand how a specific task is progressing and how important the task is. At Weekdone, we use the RAG scale system , which we used in the free action plan template as well. 

Red 🔴 High priority tasks that should be completed first. If team members see a red indicator next to a teammates plan on Thursday, maybe this is their cue to check in with the teammate to see how they’re progressing and whether they could use a hand. 

Amber 🟡 At risk priority is medium level priority that could be an indication of a plan slowing down. Often times, these “at risk” plans get pushed to the back burner – but they should be attended to by someone during the week so they don’t fall behind and cause a bigger issue later.

Green 🟢 Green indicates low priority. This may be a task that shouldn’t take very long to complete. Maybe it’s more of a maintenance item that a certain team member does on a regular basis that doesn’t have a specific completion expectation but still should be attended to. 

However you choose to define these indicators for your team, make sure it’s a universal decision so that you’re using them in a uniform manner. You don’t want someone thinking that red is high priority while another uses it to indicate a low priority task! Consistency leaves less room for error and confusion.

8. Effort level indicators for specific tasks 

Effort level indicators are used to help team leaders visualize how long an individual plan will take to complete. In the action plan template, we use numbers 1-5. 

1 indicates the lowest effort needed to complete a weekly plan, increasing to number 5, meaning that weekly plan will need maximum effort from the team member. 

However, if someone on the team has many red, level 5 plans – they should keep their number of plans low in order to focus on completing the high priority, maximum effort tasks as thoroughly as possible.

9. Space for communicating ideas

There should be a space for each team member to comment and share updates regarding the status on a certain plan. At the end of each day, team members should update this “comments” section of the template to explain the progress they made.

Maybe they want to comment on how the hours spent on the project became longer than anticipated. Anything they decide would be of use to the team, should be listed on the template in this section. This is especially useful for teams who work asynchronously , as they can turn directly to the template for updates.

10. Designated place for sharing important documents

Similarly to the communication space – there is a specific column that should be used for a space for employees to share links and evidence of their plans being worked on, should there be something to show. 

Maybe you have a shared Google Drive account, or have added something to a Trello work board. If so, you can explain here that your teammates should take a look – direct them by including the link with an anchor text about what they’ll find when they click it.

Are you ready to stick to an action plan that works? 

Don’t be shy – the first step is simply downloading your free action plan template. The sheet is available in Word and Excel depending on your team’s preference, it’s completely customizable as well. 

Should you have any tips or questions about template usage, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

As always, we recommend Team Compass . The software that helps streamline your action plan with goals, initiatives, weekly planning, and automating all the reports for you! This makes project management simple as you can download the reports and share with stakeholders for updates.

Teams 3 or less get all of Team Compass features for free! Larger teams pay just $29/month, or $295 annually. A free 2 week trial is available should you want to test out the features first!

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• Facilitation of Community Processes
• Community Health Assessment and Planning
• Section 5. Developing an Action Plan

Chapter 8 Sections

• Section 1. An Overview of Strategic Planning or "VMOSA" (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans)
• Section 2. Proclaiming Your Dream: Developing Vision and Mission Statements
• Section 3. Creating Objectives
• Section 4. Developing Successful Strategies
• Section 6. Obtaining Feedback from Constituents: What Changes are Important and Feasible?
• Section 7. Identifying Action Steps in Bringing About Community and System Change
• Main Section

Developing an action plan can help changemakers turn their visions into reality, and increase efficiency and accountability within an organization. An action plan describes the way your organization will meet its objectives through detailed action steps that describe how and when these steps will be taken. This section provides a guide for developing and utilizing your group's action plan.

What is an action plan?

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

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

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

What are the criteria for a good action plan?

The action plan for your initiative should meet several criteria.

Is the action plan:

• Complete ? Does it list all the action steps or changes to be sought in all relevant parts of the community (e.g., schools, business, government, faith community)?
• Clear ? Is it apparent who will do what by when?
• Current ? Does the action plan reflect the current work? Does it anticipate newly emerging opportunities and barriers?

Why should you develop an action plan?

There is an inspirational adage that says, "People don't plan to fail. Instead they fail to plan." Because you certainly don't want to fail, it makes sense to take all of the steps necessary to ensure success, including developing an action plan.

There are lots of good reasons to work out the details of your organization's work in an action plan, including:

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

When should you create an action plan?

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

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

How to write an action plan

Determine what people and sectors of the community should be changed and involved in finding solutions.

If you have been using the VMOSA (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, Action Plans) model, you might have already done this, when you were deciding upon your group's objectives. Again, try to be inclusive. Most of the health and development issues that community partnerships deal with are community-wide, and thus need a community-wide solution. Possible sectors include the media, the business community, religious organizations, schools, youth organizations, social service organizations, health organizations, and others.

Some members of the community you might consider asking to join the action planning group include:

• Influential people from all the parts of the community affected by your initiative (e.g., from churches and synagogues, the school system, law enforcement, etc.)
• People who are directly involved in the problem (e.g., local high school students and their parents might be involved in planning a coalition trying to reduce teen substance use)
• Members of grassroots organizations
• Members of the various ethnic and cultural groups in your community
• People you know who are interested in the problem or issue
• Newcomers or young people in the community who are not yet involved

Let's consider some of the people who were involved with the planning group for the fictional Reducing the Risks (RTR) Coalition that hopes to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy. Some of the members of this planning group included teachers at the local high school, local teenagers and their parents, members of the clergy, counselors and school nurses, staff of the county health department, and members of youth organizations, service agencies, and other organizations that focus on youth issues.

Convene a planning group in your community to design your action plan . This might be the same group of people who worked with you to decide your group's strategies and objectives. If you are organizing a new group of people, try to make your planning committee as diverse and inclusive as possible. Your group should look like the people most affected by the problem or issue.

Once everyone is present, go over your organization's:

• Targets and agents of change (e.g., youth, parents and guardians, clergy)
• Proposed changes for each sector of the community (e.g., schools, faith community, service organizations, health organizations, government)

Develop an action plan composed of action steps that address all proposed changes. The plan should be complete, clear, and current. Additionally, the action plan should include information and ideas you have already gathered while brainstorming about your objectives and your strategies. What are the steps you must take to carry out your objectives while still fulfilling your vision and mission? Now it's time for all of the VMOSA components to come together. While the plan might address general goals you want to see accomplished, the action steps will help you determine the specific actions you will take to help make your vision a reality. Here are some guidelines to follow to write action steps.

Members of the community initiative will want to determine:

• What action or change will occur
• Who will carry it out
• When it will take place, and for how long
• What resources (i.e., money, staff) are needed to carry out the change
• Communication (who should know what)

Example: RTR Coalition's Action Step (a sample) One community change sought by this coalition to prevent teen pregnancy was to increase publicity about contraception and unwanted pregnancy at the local high school. What action or change will occur: Hanging posters, displays, and other information about contraception and the facts about unwanted pregnancy in the hallways of the local high school. The posters and other information will become a permanent part of the high school. Posters and information will be regularly changed as new materials become available. Who will carry it out: A sub-committee comprised of parents and guardians, teachers, students, and coalition members will be responsible for maintaining the displays. The coalition as a whole will work towards finding funding to purchase the materials. Maria and Alex of the schools action group will be responsible for researching and ordering the materials. By when will it take place, and for how long: The coalition will try to have posters hanging and displays visible within six weeks of deciding on the action step (2/19/2013). What resources are needed to carry out the step: The coalition will approach the school district to request funding for the project. Otherwise, the group will seek funding from other sources such as foundations and local businesses to finance the program. Communication about the action step. The school principal and leadership of the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) should be given information about this planned change.

Things to note about this portion of the RTR action plan:

• It appears complete . Although this step seems fully developed, we would need to review the entire action plan to see whether all community and system changes that should be sought are included.
• It is clear . We know who will do what by when.
• It seems current . We would need to know more about other current work (and new opportunities and barriers) to judge whether this portion of the action plan is up-to-date.

Review your completed action plan carefully to check for completeness. Make sure that each proposed change will help accomplish your group's mission. Also, be sure that the action plan taken as a whole will help you complete your mission; that is, make sure you aren't leaving anything out.

Follow through. One hard part (figuring out what to do) is finished. Now take your plan and run with it! Remember the 80-20 rule: successful efforts are 80% follow through on planned actions and 20% planning for success.

Keep everyone informed about what's going on. Communicate to everyone involved how his or her input was incorporated. No one likes to feel like her wit and wisdom has been ignored.

Keep track of what (and how well) you've done. Always keep track of what the group has actually done. If the community change (a new program or policy) took significant time or resources, it's also a good idea to evaluate what you have done, either formally or informally.

Keep several questions in mind for both yourself and others:

• Are we doing what we said we'd do?
• Are we doing it well?
• Is what we are doing advancing the mission?

You can address these questions informally (ask yourself, chat with friends and other people), as well as formally, through surveys and other evaluation methods.

Celebrate a job well done! Celebrate your accomplishments; you and those you work with deserve it. Celebration helps keep everyone excited and interested in the work they are doing.

After you've written your action plan: Getting members to do what they said they would

Every community organization has undoubtedly had this happen: you plan and you assign tasks to get everything you've planned to do accomplished. Everyone agrees (maybe they even offer) to do certain tasks, and you all leave with a great feeling of accomplishment. The problem? At the next meeting, nothing has been done. Besides tearing out your hair, what can you do?

Fortunately, there are several things you can try. It's particularly tricky in the case of volunteers, because you don't want to lean too hard on someone who is donating their time and energy to begin with. Still, you can make it easier for members to get things done (and harder to avoid work) without acting like the mean neighbor down the street. Some of these gentle reminders include:

• Regular phone calls from staff members or dedicated volunteers asking others how they are doing with their tasks. This should be a supportive call, not a "are you doing what you're supposed to" call. The person calling can offer emotional support "how are you doing?" as well as see if the group member needs any other assistance. A friendly call such as this can be seen as helpful, give the member the sense that he is a very important part of the group, and serve as a great reminder to do what he said he would do.
• Distributing the action plan in writing to all members, with names attached to specific tasks. (Additionally, this can be a great time to ask for feedback before the plan becomes "official.")
• Making sure timelines (with due dates) are complete, clear and current.
• At regular group meetings, such as committee meetings or board meetings, ask members to report on accomplishing the tasks they have set out to do. Consider making this a regular part of the meeting.
• Celebrate the accomplishment of tasks. It's important that getting something done actually means something, and is recognized by the group as a whole.

Follow up on the action plan regularly. You are asking members to be accountable, and to get things done on a regular basis. If they have agreed, you should help them fulfill their commitment as best you can.

Online Resources

The Ruckus Society offers an  Action Planning Manual  that discusses strategies for nonviolent direct action.

Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse: An Action Planning Guide for Community-Based Initiatives

Preventing Youth Violence: An Action Planning Guide for Community-Based Initiatives

Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy: An Action Planning Guide for Community-Based Initiatives

Promoting Child Well-Being: An Action Planning Guide for Community-Based Initiatives

Promoting Urban Neighborhood Development: An Action Planning Guide for Improving Housing, Jobs, Education, Safety and Health

Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect :  An Action Planning Guide for Community-Based Initiatives

Reducing Risk for Chronic Disease: An Action Planning Guide for Community-Based Initiatives

Print Resources

Barry, B. (1984).  Strategic planning workbook for nonprofit organizations . St. Paul: MN: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.

Berkowitz, W. (1982).  Community impact: creating grassroots change in hard times . Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Publishing.

Bryson, J. (1988).  Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Fawcett, S., Paine, A., Francisco, V., Richter, K., Lewis, R., Williams, E., Harris, K., Winter, K., in collaboration with Bradley, B. & Copple, J. (1992).  Preventing adolescent substance abuse: an action planning guide for community-based initiatives . Lawrence, KS: Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, University of Kansas.

Fawcett, S., Claassen, L., Thurman, T., Whitney, H., & Cheng, H. (1996).  Preventing child abuse and neglect: an action planning guide for building a caring community . Lawrence, KS: Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, University of Kansas.

Kansas Health Foundation.  VMOSA: An approach to strategic planning . Wichita, KS: Kansas Health Foundation.

Lord, R. (1989).  The nonprofit problem solver . New York, NY: Praeger.

Olenick, A. & Olenick, P. (1991).  A nonprofit organization manual . New York, NY: The Foundation Center.

Unterman, I., & Davis, R. (1984).  Strategic management of not-for-profit organizations . New York, NY: CBS Educational and Professional Publishing.

Wolf, T. (1990).  Managing a nonprofit organization . New York, NY: Prentice Hall.

Watson-Thompson, J., Fawcett, S., & Schultz, J. (2008). Differential effects of strategic planning on community change in two urban neighborhood coalitions. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42, 25-38.

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How to series    

How to write an action plan with a nurse or nursing student, simon downs teaching fellow and paramedic field lead, school of health sciences, faculty of health and medical sciences, university of surrey, guildford, england, deanna hodge teaching fellow and lead for practice education, university of surrey, guildford, england.

• To enhance your understanding of the purpose of an action plan to support a nursing student or nurse

• To learn about the procedure for writing an action plan with a nursing student or nurse

• To know which stakeholders to involve in the development of an action plan

Action plans are commonly used in nursing practice and nurse education to support nurses and nursing students to meet specific objectives, particularly if they face challenges in achieving the level of knowledge and/or skills required by their role or course. Action plans may be used, for example, with preregistration or post-registration nursing students during a placement or with registered nurses for whom there are concerns regarding their professional practice. In that context, an action plan is essentially a set of objectives that the nurse or student is asked to work towards.

• The objectives set in an action plan should be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.

• An action plan should feature resources and activities that will support the person to achieve the objectives, as well as the evidence needed to demonstrate successful completion and a time frame.

• An action plan is one strategy that can be used to support nurses or nursing students to progress in their practice or learning.

‘How to’ articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

• How this article might improve your practice when writing an action plan with a nurse or nursing student.

• How you could use this information to educate colleagues on writing an effective action plan with a nurse or nursing student.

Nursing Standard . doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11839

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@UniSurrey999

[email protected]

None declared

Downs S, Hodge D (2022) How to write an action plan with a nurse or nursing student. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11839

Please note that information provided by Nursing Standard is not sufficient to make the reader competent to perform the task. All clinical skills should be formally assessed according to policy and procedures. It is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure their practice remains up to date and reflects the latest evidence

Published online: 08 August 2022

assessment - career pathways - education - educational methods - failing students - mentors - nursing students - post-registration education - pre-registration education - professional - student nurses

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