Creating a Personal Action Plan

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Creating a Personal Action Plan

n action plan is exactly what it sounds like—a plan for putting into action a particular goal or

objective. Action plans can be related to goals you have set for yourself (or your team) or they

can be targeted toward other areas of your personal or professional growth. They outline a

reasonable, logical plan for following through with your intentions. In this article, you’ll learn a simple

method for creating successful action plans.

The key to creating a successful action plan is to break down the goal into a series of specific,

manageable, and sequential steps. A well-written goal articulates what will be improved, by how much,

and by when. The action plan answers the question of how this will be accomplished.

Following are two sample action plans (along with their associated goals). They illustrate two different,

yet equally effective styles—the paragraph and bulleted list.

Sample 1

Goal I will finish the revision of the monitoring form by June 12.

Action Plan I’ll create a draft form by the end of this week and then all team

supervisors and I will use it while monitoring during the next week. We’ll

have an end-of-shift meeting that Friday to calibrate results and revise

the form as necessary. I’ll get Nancy’s approval on the final version by

June 10 and then I’ll roll it out to the agents on the 12th.

Sample 2

Goal Create reasonable standards for the customer service team by August 5th

Action Plan Compile a list of current performance standards and job

responsibilities. Due date: June 1st

Assemble a team of job experts who will help analyze and define

standards. Due date: June 10th

Hold an information meeting with job experts to propose and

discuss new standards. Due date: June 20th

Finalize list of new standards. Due date: June 23rd

Submit list of standards to management team for approval. Due

Date: June 25th

A

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Revise standards based upon recommendations from the

management team. Due date: August 1st

Present final list of new standards to human resources and quality

assurance departments. Due date: August 4th

Creating action plans is a key practice that shows you’re sincere and dedicated to continuous

improvement. If you’re a manager or trainer, you can use the method outlined in this article to create

action plans for your employees or learners.

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