What are the benefits of action plans?
Action plans are quick and efficient ways to keep projects on track. You can use them to map out all the tasks, resources, budgets and timelines for your project. As a project manager, creating an action plan to map out your team’s workload will help you:
Create a framework to organize and structure new projects
Provide clear objectives and align all stakeholders around the project goals
Predict and plan for challenges or obstacles during the project
Additionally, by creating an action plan for your team to review, your team members can get on the same page and work towards the shared project goals. Here are some ways that action plans help team members create better alignment:
They can optimize their time around completing top priorities
There’s less chance that important tasks will be forgotten
Team members use goal-driven workflows to complete their tasks
Using the action plan template, you can create greater alignment among your team members and stakeholders to complete a series of projects with efficiency and accountability.
When to use the action plan template
The action plan template helps you to organize and assign tasks by:
Documenting requests on a centralized project board
Assigning tasks for each request based on level of priority
Tracking progress on every task so you can manage expectations
Review the submitted deliverables and complete the project
Suppose you work for a large financial institution, and your other stakeholders have initiated a full compliance review of all client contracts.
As the project manager, your team has been tasked with collecting client financial data, producing new client contract proposals, and finalizing the new agreements to remain in compliance with financial law. You can use your action plan template to:
Create a schedule that organizes all compliance audit tasks
Create subtask checklists for every task in the project
Organize tasks by delivery date and other task dependencies
Assign tasks to your team members and create a project workflow
Move tasks within each section of your project board as progress gets underway
Give stakeholders regular project updates using the action plan template as a visual guide
The action plan template also has a built-in timeline feature that works like a Gantt tracker. As you assign start and completion dates for each task in the project, you can create an easy-to-follow Gantt project timeline for team members and stakeholders to review.
How to use the action plan template?
The action plan template organizes all team tasks and requests from other stakeholders in one centralized project board. Use your action plan template as a workflow and day-to-day management tool. This will help you monitor your team’s productivity and ensure multiple projects are completed on time.
Step 1: Map out the workflow
Begin by creating the vertical sections in your template and map out the workflow. Assign whatever labels to the sections best suit your unique needs, but keep in mind that each section should visualize where tasks sit within the workflow. Structuring your board into Requests, Prioritization, Production, Review, and Completion will help you keep a clear overview of progress as tasks are worked on and completed.
Step 2: Break down the workload into tasks
Once you have your sections, you’re ready to create tasks. You can create a new task by clicking the + in any board section.
If the tasks are coming from external stakeholders, they should be added to ‘Requests’. Often, these requests might be related to multiple projects. As the project manager for your team, you can review each of these requests and assign them to your team members based on priorities.
If you are requesting tasks, you can assign them to your prioritization section. Be sure to add a detailed description of the expectations so that the assignee understands the task scope. Adding tags like ‘Urgent’ and ‘Important’ will help you keep track of which tasks should be assigned first. To add a new tag, open your task and click ‘Tags’ > ‘Manage’ > ‘Add Tag’ in the task sidebar.
Check in with your team members at the start of each week to review their current bandwidth and delegate responsibilities. If they can manage additional tasks, you can assign your requested tasks and move them into production.
Step 3: Create checklists for each task
Under each task, you can create checklists to break tasks down into smaller steps. This gives team members additional clarity around what they need to do to complete a task, and you can easily assess the amount of work that will be required to plan your resources effectively.
Step 4: Assign task start and end dates
Once you’ve added a task, assign a due date. You can also schedule the start and end date of your task to identify when it will be worked on and how much time it should take.
Use the built-in Gantt tracker to view the entire timeline of your team’s collective workflow. By visualizing what tasks will be completed on which dates, it’s easier to assess and assign tasks for new requests that come in later.
As tasks are completed and new requests come in, you can add new tasks and priorities to the established workflow. Assign tasks for new requests by using the end dates of older tasks as a guideline.
Step 5: Monitor performance
Monitor progress to ensure tasks are being completed on time. Where deadlines are missed, an 'Overdue' label will appear on the task for your attention. By identifying the blocker, you can find a solution together with the task assignee to keep the workflow running smoothly.
For a more granular look at your team’s performance, including task completion rates, you can use MeisterTask’s Reports feature. Use these insights to refine your workflow and help your team to work productively.
