Why Do We Need An Action Plan?

It is often said, "a goal without a plan is just a wish". And of course, we should have known by now that goals do not work by wishful thinking.

Without assigning daily tasks, targets, where and when to allocate resources and clearly defining those who should be involved, your goals may not come to fruition.

You should not only know where you are going but also know exactly what you need to do to get there. And this must be written down.

An action plan is a detailed document where all the steps to be taken to achieve a specific goal is clearly spelt out. It outlines all the daily tasks in your timeline necessary for the actualisation of your goals. It tells you what you need to do today to bring you closer to your end goal.

Drafting out your action plan comes in when you have identified a problem and set S.M.A.R.T goals.

An action plan does not only designate a specific task per time but also helps you to keep track of your progress.

It helps you to gain clarity in prioritising your daily tasks. From your action plan, you will know what needs to be done now and what needs to be done later.

Having an action plan reflects how committed, focused and intentional you are with your goals.

An action plan is also needed in an organisation to achieve its goals. Every worker needs to know their daily tasks for the organisation to achieve its goal. It's not all about sharing the overall goal, but designating specific tasks with a timeline attached to every worker.That means even the gateman is involved in a practical action plan.

In my next post, I will highlight a few things you need to do to write a practical action plan. Meanwhile, you can search for different action plan templates that suit the goal you have set using the google search engine.

John Ukpanukpong.