Creating an Action Plan

Every owner of a company has certain objectives they set out to accomplish in order to run and grow their business. While increasing sales and making money would be a rather universal goal, there are a number of action items that need to be put in place to achieve this. Once you have taken the time to identify your goals and objectives, you need to create an action plan that clearly defines the proper strategies to achieve them. Unfortunately, many owners do not take the crucial step of writing an actual plan that creates an agenda for what must be done.

Not having a written action plan is like driving to a new location without any directions. You know where you want to go, but you have no idea the best way to get there. This doesn't have to be an elaborate process, rather all it takes is some time on your part to prioritize your objectives, delegate who in your organization will be the lead for each one, develop the strategies to achieve them, designate a time line, and create a system to measure your results. Completing this exercise creates your map to reach your destination.

An action plan ideally has only four to five initiatives. Any more than that will tend to bog you down. Once one is achieved to your satisfaction, a new one can be added. You must be very clear when assigning responsibility as that has a way of getting blurred if not properly put in place. Strategies must be practical and the necessary resources to achieve them must be available. Keep your time lines as short as possible in order maintain everyones focus on what must be done now, not six months from now. The most important piece is how will you track and measure results. Too many times action plans fail because no one is actively recording results. You want to make sure the actions are on target and actually moving the dial. This also helps to keep everyone focused on the tasks at hand.

While this may sound a bit silly but, once you have your action plan make sure you follow it. I have seen some of the best plans in the world go to waste because they were never executed or executed poorly. If these are items that are crucial to the success of your business, it is your job as the owner to make sure everyone involved has bought into the plan and thus has a vested interest in its success. Not adhering to this basic concept has derailed many companies over the years. Remember this plan is your map and your destination.