What is an Action Plan?
An action plan is a detailed plan outlining actions needed to reach one or more goals. Alternatively, it can be defined as a “sequence of steps that must be taken, or activities that must be performed.
An Action plan includes the visualisation of the different assumptions, inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact. This visualisation can adopt a wide range of forms, and at the end, identification of different elements will allow us to design an action plan.
Action Plan
Which Key Questions should your Action Plan answer?
- What is the main problem to solve?
- Who is involved ? Who will benefit from solving the problem?
- What results (at short and mid term) do you want to achieve? OUTCOME
- What is the final result you seek? IMPACT
- In what period of time are you going to carry out the activity/activities and achieve your results? TIMEFRAME
- Which resources (human, financial, etc.) will you need to carry out the activities required to achieve the defined results within the timeframe you’ve set? INPUT
An Action Plan grid to sum up knowledge, actions and outcomes
Inputs
Certain resources are needed to operate your programme
Activities
If you have access to them, then you can use them to accomplish your planned activities
Your Planned Work
Outputs
If you accomplish your planned activities, then you will hopefully deliver the amount of product and/or service that you intended
Outcomes
If you accomplish your planned activities, to the extent you intended, then your participants will benefit in certain ways
Impacts
If these benefits to participants are achieved, then certain changes in organisations, communities, or systems might be expected to occur
Your Intended Results