Whatever your objective (professional retraining, job search, etc.), the best way to achieve it is to put in place an action plan, that is to say an exhaustive list of tasks and activities to accomplish. to obtain the desired result.
This will allow you to get out all the ideas that are running through your head and put them into a detailed roadmap, structured step by step. This is also the right way to have good visibility on the timing of the project; what must be accomplished in the coming days, weeks and months.
You will find a Action Plan template to copy here (Googlesheet format)
Step 1. Set your main goal
The clearer it is, the more it will lead you to the solution. Use the SMART method which allows you to think about your objective taking into account the different constraints.
— Announcement —
- S for Specific: An objective must always be clear, precise and detailed.
- M for Measurable: You must be able to measure the progress or achievement of an objective.
- A for Accessible/Attractive: Don’t set the bar too high!
- R for Realistic: If the goal is realistic, then motivation remains strong.
- T for Temporal: Each objective must be defined in time with a precise duration, a deadline and above all stages.
Step 2. List the different tasks and activities
This is the most delicate stage, that of identifying the actions to be accomplished! You must select them carefully and prioritize them. The point is to highlight the most urgent actions or those that contribute most to achieving the desired objective.
For example, do you want to change careers without going through training? What will be your steps to carry out the “business survey”, activate your network, meet professionals, test your ideas…? Once this list has been established, you can prioritize your steps: evaluate what takes a little or a lot of time. And order them together so that they can be linked together without wasting time.
When you list actions, you need to express them in a practical way. Be concise to prevent the plan from losing readability. This is a reference document, not a novel. It is about determining precisely what must be done, how, when and with what resources.
A good idea to do this is to use theQuintilian hexameter (or QQOQCCP questioning method).
Here is what each letter stands for:
- What = the name and content of the task to be carried out
- Who = who can help or advise you?
- Where = the location where it will be carried out (it can be online!)
- When = the start and end date of the task
- How = the resources and means necessary to carry out this task
- How much = budget, quantity, volume, value…
- Why = why we do it.
Step 3. Identify people who can help you with each task
Each action must be supervised by a manager. It is obviously appropriate to favor a collaborator who has the necessary skills for this mission. It is he who will ensure its proper implementation, in compliance with the conditions previously defined.
In this same part, it may also be wise to indicate the people who will participate in carrying out the action.
Step 4. Details the implementation of the action plan
This stage focuses on the “how” of the actions, that is to say on the means used (human and material) and the budget allocated for their realization. By referring to this information, the action plan manager can ensure that the pursuit of the objective does not exceed the resources initially planned.
Step 5. Set the period for carrying out each action
While certain actions are associated with a very specific deadline, others are subject to a certain periodicity (once a week, the 1st day of each month, etc.). It is therefore necessary to indicate this frequency in order not to ignore monitoring, at the risk of compromising the mission.
Step 6. Add success criteria (OK or NOTOK)
Defining success criteria means ensuring that the result of the action is consistent with the initial intentions. If the expected result is linked to a specific value, it may be wise to also indicate a starting value in order to have a point of comparison.
For example, if one of the actions to be taken is to halve the number of impressions made in a department each month in order to reduce overall expenses, its success criterion could simply be the initial value divided by two.
You will find a Action Plan template to copy here (in Googlesheet format)
