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Action Plan Template

Do you want to strike fear into the heart of every Project Manager who ever lived? Just say these eight words, “I think we’re just going to wing it.” What did you say!?! Wing it? As in, not have a plan on how to get from point A to point B? You’re just going to make it up as you go along? This goes against every fiber of a project manager’s being!

What can we do to help those who dare utter such words? We can provide them with The PMO Squad’s easy-to-use Action Plan Template. It’s short enough to not be overwhelming and helpful enough to provide clear direction. The Action Plan Template will help even non-project managers identify the who, what, and when of necessary actions and leave winging it for the birds!

A Risk Tracking template will help you better manage risks on your project

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Why use an Action Plan Template?

The following are a few reasons why the Action Plan Template is great for small to medium-sized projects that can be managed from a spreadsheet:

Think Through All That Needs to Be Done - You’ll be able to get all of the ideas that are in your head out onto a piece of paper. Capture what needs to be done before the project kicks off, during its execution, and what is needed to close it.
Identify Gaps - Once the plan is on paper, you can identify if there are any gaps that need to be filled in. Are steps or resources missing? Do the dates line up to meet your target completion date or do you need to move things around? This is a great time to pass it by someone else for a second or third opinion to make sure you’ve captured everything.
Provide Direction to Others - A developed Action Plan serves as a tool to manage projects and resources. You can share the entire plan with the team, and they can see which activities they are responsible for in the context of other team members. Or, you can filter it for just those items they need to complete and manage resources individually.

How do you Use the Action Plan Template?

The Action Plan Template breaks tasks into three main sections, answering what needs to get done, by when, and by whom.   With each added task, include the following information:

ACTION STEPS 

Priority - Assign High, Medium, or Low priority to the task. This will help you make decisions later in the event everything can’t get done.
Task - Include the discrete step that moves the project forward towards meeting its goal.
Phase - Identify which stage of the project the task will need to occur. A good place to start is Initiate, Planning, Execution, Monitoring, and Close. This can help you sort the tasks identified above.
Assigned - Identify who will perform the task. A placeholder title can be used temporarily (i.e., developer, analyst), but it’s critical that a resource is named in this column when the project kicks off.
Status - Keep it simple. Open, In Progress, and Complete. Plus, include some type of At-Risk indicator if this task is in jeopardy of not getting done on time or out of budget.

TIMELINE

Start Date - Identify the soonest date the task can start. Helps everyone get ahead as much as possible.
Due Date - Identify the drop-dead date for when the task must be completed.
Planned Hours - Include an estimate of how many hours the task is expected to take. This will be useful in determining if Start Date and Due Date are reasonable, or if additional resources will be needed to get the task done in a timely manner.

RESOURCES

Department(s) - If the project is being done in a larger organization, call out which department is responsible for completing the task or providing resources.
Materials Required - Identify any materials needed to complete the project. Could include marketing materials, supplies, even food for events that are planned to support the project.
Cost - Include an estimate for how much the materials will cost.
Notes - Anything additional that will help the assigned person complete their task.

This exercise will result in an actionable plan to work against. What’s more, the various columns can be filtered and sorted to provide whatever view you need to manage the project.

Benefits of Using an Action Plan Template

Using the Action Plan Template will allow you to:

Plan Faster - Not all projects are created equal, and sometimes you just need a good spreadsheet to get things moving. Rather than get caught up in the complexities of full-blown project management software, the Action Plan gets your project plan where it needs to be faster.
Deliver Small to Mid-Size Projects Better - Less overhead means faster results. The Action Plan helps you deliver projects better by keeping everyone on the same page, literally. Its easy-to-use format can be shared on the screen during project meetings and updated in real-time.
Save Time - Do you manage similar small to mid-sized projects regularly? There’s no need to reinvent the wheel every time. The Action Plan template will get you 80%+ the way there and you can then fine tune the remaining 20%. Huge timesaver!

Get Started Today!

Whether you’re a Project Manager that needs to pull a team together quickly, or an Operations person that needs a place to start managing a project, the Action Plan Template is for you. Download The PMO Squad Action Plan Template today and never wing it again!