In this blog of my Business Planning series, we will now put all the previous elements into a 12-month Action Plan, broken down into quarterly periods. This will allow you to achieve all your objectives and business goals by providing a visible and clear plan to work from.

Why have an Action Plan?

Establishing a 12-month Action Plan is crucial for any business looking to achieve its goals. This plan serves as a roadmap for success, providing direction and focus to ensure that you remain on track and that progress is made toward your objectives.

The first and foremost reason to establish a 12-month Action Plan is to align the business with its goals and have some form of accountability in place. With the increasing pace of change and the dynamic nature of the business world, it can be difficult for a business to maintain a clear focus on what you are trying to achieve. A 12-month Action Plan provides a clear and concise view of the business’s priorities, ensuring that you are working towards the core objectives.

Another benefit of a 12-month action plan is that it allows for flexibility. By breaking down the plan into quarterly periods, you can adjust your approach if circumstances change. This allows you to respond quickly to new opportunities or challenges, ensuring that progress is not disrupted.

Including specific KPIs in a 12-month action plan, as we discussed in the previous post, is also essential. KPIs provide a means of measuring progress and evaluating the success of the plan. They are a key tool in determining whether you are on track to achieve your goals and provide the necessary information for making informed decisions about future strategy. Revisit the previous blog here and review your KPIs if you need to.

Another important aspect of a 12-month action plan is identifying timeframes for each action item. This helps to create a sense of urgency and ensures that progress is made within a specific timeframe. It also provides the basis for regular progress reports, allowing you to assess your progress and make any necessary changes.

Finally, it is essential to identify the people responsible for each action item. This ensures accountability and ensures that everyone knows their role in achieving the business’s goals. By assigning responsibility for specific actions, you are better able to coordinate your efforts and ensure that everyone is working together towards the same objectives.

How to Develop your Action Plan

Your Action Plan identifies the specific actions that need to take place in order to achieve the business goals and objectives.

Break down the goals you developed into small, achievable steps and then identify the actions you need to take for each step. Map the actions into quarters over the next 12 months – but don’t ignore the 3-5 Year goals. Detail these in the Action Plan section of the Business Plan template.

For each action you should identify:
• The timeframe and priorities for each action;
• The people who will be responsible for undertaking each action;
• Specific key performance indicators (KPIs: see previous post) to help you determine in the future whether your business has succeeded in achieving the business goal.

Make sure you evaluate within a set period of time if the action plan has been a success. Failing to do so could result in a plan that continues on indefinitely without ever actually achieving anything positive for the business.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a 12-month Action Plan is a critical tool for any business looking to achieve its goals. All the previous work is now summarised in an easy-to-view form to keep you on track. Providing direction, focus, and flexibility, it allows you to align your efforts and make progress toward your objectives. By including parameters such as timeframes, priorities, people responsibilities, and specific KPIs, you will ensure that your action plan is comprehensive and effective, providing a roadmap for success.

For more information or to chat about how setting up a 1-page Business Plan for your business could take your business to a new level of success, simply book a free, no-obligation 30 min online consultation directly into my calendar here