Action Plans Page 1 -
the key elements

The executives who participated in my best practice research universally said accountability is critical to successful strategies, therefore the first page of an action plan must identify who is accountable.

Describe the plan - top of the page

• The plan’s name
• The person responsible
• Briefly explain how the plan supports the strategic focus
• Key objectives, metrics and multiyear targets (SMART)
• A sentence to convey any subtlety or resource issues
  

Blocking out the plan - bottom of the page

The major steps:

• What is to be done
• Who is responsible (if a team, the team leader)
• When the work starts
• When the product is due
• An estimate of the cost and time commitment (person days, months or quarters) for each step