ACTION PLAN-Practical Guide

WHAT IS AN ACTION PLAN?

Action Plan is a definitive checklist of key steps and resources required to achieve a goal.

They differ from to-do lists in that they focus on the achievement of specific goal/goals.

They help you finish activities in a sensible order, and ensure that key steps are not missed
in the process of completing the tasks.

Action plans specify the key over-arching objective you want to accomplish and then
“chunk down” that key goal into all the specific tasks and resources needed to achieve it.

Purpose of an Action Plan

The purpose of an Action Plan is they give you a framework for thinking about how you'll
achieve the specific goal or goals efficiently.

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Why is Current State/Future State Analysis Important?
For the goals to be actionable, a current state analysis must be carried out.

Current State/Future State analysis is an essential tool for process improvement initiatives,
as it provides a clear understanding of the current state of a process and identifies
opportunities for improvement.

By mapping out the current state of a process, you can identify inefficiencies and
bottlenecks that are preventing the process from working optimally. This information can
then be used to design a future state that addresses these issues and optimizes the
process for better performance.

Current State/Future State analysis also helps to develop a roadmap for process
improvement.

By mapping out the current state and future state, it can identify the steps required to
achieve the desired results. This roadmap helps to guide the implementation of process
improvements, ensuring that they are carried out in a structured and logical manner.

By mapping out the future state, the vision for the process can be communicated, and
stakeholders can provide input and feedback to ensure that the future state is achievable
and aligned with organizational goals.

The first step consists of thoroughly examining the existing way that business is
conducted. In IBES, this will consist of programs offered, delivery modality, teaching and
learning methodologies, tuition fees, faculty, human resources, technology and
organisation sustainability.

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Performing a Current State/Future State Analysis

Performing a Current State/Future State analysis requires a structured approach that

involves several steps. Here are the steps to follow for conducting a successful analysis:

1. Identify the process to analyse: The first step is to identify the process to analyse. It
is important to select a process that has a significant impact on the organization
and aligns with the organization’s goals.

2. Map the Current State: Once the process has been identified, the next step is to
map out the Current State of the process. This involves documenting how the
process works, including all the inputs, activities, and outputs. This information can
be gathered through interviews with process owners, and data collection.

3. Analyse the Current State: Once the Current State has been mapped out, the next
step is to analyse it to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and other issues that
prevent the process from working optimally.

3.1 Gap Analysis: A gap analysis is an examination and assessment of your current
performance to identify the differences between your current state of doing business and
where you’d like to be. It can be boiled down into a few questions:

 Where are we now? CURRENT STATE

 Where do we wish we were? FUTURE STATE
 How are we going to close the gap? GAP ANALYSIS

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A gap analysis is going to assist you in finding any shortcomings to
overcome. It can be easier to quantify or identify them in the long term and
is going to assist in making improvements.

Define the Future State: Based on the analysis of the Current State, the next step is to
define the Future State of the process. This involves designing a process that
addresses the issues identified in the Current State analysis and optimizes the process
for better performance. The Future State should be aligned with the organization’s
goals and be achievable within a reasonable timeframe.

4. Develop a Roadmap: Once the Future State has been defined, the next step is to
develop a roadmap for implementing the changes required to achieve the Future
State. The roadmap should include the steps required to implement the changes,
the resources needed, and the timeline for implementation.

5. Implement the Changes: The final step is to implement the changes required to
achieve the Future State. This involves putting the roadmap into action and
monitoring the process to ensure that the changes are effective.

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6.

Don’t Create a Laundry List. Create a Strategic Plan

It happens frequently. It happens when the excitement of DOING things to
transform the organization takes hold. ‘It’ is when the strategic action planning
focuses more on what they’re going to DO instead of what they want to ACHIEVE.

It is when you stop thinking strategically. It causes you to create laundry lists
instead of action plans.

Typically try to limit the number of action objectives we create to no more than
five. Therefore, the plans need to be focused, limited, and tight. In developing the
action objectives always ensure the following questions are answered;

 Are they workable?

 Are they actionable?
 Can they be measured?
 Is there funding allocated for this proposed initiative?
 Are they suitable resources available to ensure that objectives are achieved?


S.M.A.R.T. Goal
S.M.A.R.T. is the oldie-but-goodie technique for minimising confusion in goal-
setting. SMART goal setting is a framework that helps you set specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals

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 ‘S’ stands for ‘Specific’. In that the goal is clear in what needs to be accomplished
and by when. It is not open to interpretation.

 ‘M’ stands for ‘Measurable’. The goal needs to be written in such a way that it’s
clear on how progress towards or away from goal completion can be tracked.

 ‘A’ stands for ‘Action Oriented’. The goal is written to describe actions the team can
take. The team is not dependent upon someone else taking action.

 ‘R’ stands for ‘Relevant’. The goal is relevant to helping the plan move forward.

 ‘T’ stands for ‘Timebound’. The goal has a clear due date which enables the team
to plan for it, budget for it, allocate resources to it, and sequence it properly with
other activities.

Goals clarify what the team has to DO and BY WHEN so the rest of the plan can
flow – as planned.

Objectives clarify WHAT and WHY the action steps are being taken in the first
place. What outcome is expected?

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KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

KPI stands for a key performance indicator , a measurable and quantifiable

metric used to track progress towards a specific goal or objective. KPIs help
organizations identify strengths and weaknesses, make data-driven decisions, and
optimize performance.

KPIs provide teams with targets to aim for, milestones to gauge progress, and
insights to help guide decision-making throughout an organization. By monitoring
KPIs, organizations can identify areas of strength and weakness, make data-driven
decisions, and take actions to optimize performance.

What makes a good KPI?

1. Business-aligned: KPIs should be aligned with your overall business action plans
and outcomes.

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2. Actionable: KPIs should be actionable. Once you’ve set your KPI, you need to
outline the steps you’ll take to reach it and the metrics you’ll measure along the
way.

3. What good is a KPI if you have no way to meet it? Actionable steps will set you up
for success in reaching your KPIs. It’s also worth noting that KPIs shouldn’t spur
additional questions, they should do just the opposite: inspire action.

4. Realistic: KPIs should be realistic. Good advice is to start small. Big, lofty KPIs—while
they might look good on paper—aren’t doing you or your team any favours if
they’re unrealistic from the get-go.

5. Measurable: KPIs should be measurable. When you set KPIs, ask yourself: What are
you trying to achieve?

 What is the desired end result?

 What’s the timeline?
 How am I going to measure my KPI?

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SOME RECOMMENDED KPI’s

These are purely recommendations and are by no means exhaustive. The essence of
setting an appropriate KPI is to ensure that the requisite process or activity is measurable
and provides the necessary data for future improvement initiatives going forward.

ACTION PLANS RECOMMENDED KPI REVIEW/REMARKS

Curriculum Design Completion rates: Percentage of

learners who finish the Program.

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Student progress: Tracking
individual learning pathways and
progress towards completion.

Teaching Methods Student Engagement: Measuring

the level of active participation
and involvement of students in
the learning process. Assessed
through class participation,
attendance, and student
feedback.

Retention and Dropout Rates:

This assesses the percentage of
students who continue their
studies and those who drop out.
It reflects the impact of teaching
methods on student motivation
and engagement.

Graduation Rates: This measures

the percentage of students who
successfully complete their
academic program. It reflects the
effectiveness of teaching
methods in supporting student
success and progression.

Assessment & Feedback Timely feedback

delivery: Measure the average
time taken to provide feedback
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after an assessment, or upon
completion of a specific task
Student Support Services Time to complete tasks: Average
time taken to complete key
administrative processes, such as
processing invoices, answering
student inquiries, or resolving
student inquiries or complaints

Student satisfaction with

administrative support: Gauge
student satisfaction with the
accuracy and timeliness of
administrative services.

Faculty Development* Student course evaluations: Track

changes in student feedback on
*Consider incorporating faculty teaching effectiveness
both qualitative after faculty development
(e.g., feedback surveys) interventions
and quantitative
(e.g., score improvements) Retention rates and course
metrics to get a holistic satisfaction: Monitor changes in
picture of program student retention rates and
effectiveness overall satisfaction with courses
taught by faculty who
participated in development
activities
Technology Integration Activity within learning
platforms: Track login
frequency, time spent on
different tools and resources, and
interactions with interactive
elements
Satisfaction with technology
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integration: Conduct surveys to
understand learner perceptions
of the effectiveness and ease of
use of technology in the learning
process

Administration Process Application processing

time: Track the average time it
takes to process student
applications from submission to
final decision

Student satisfaction
surveys: Conduct surveys
focusing on specific aspects of
the administrative process
(e.g., application
process, registration) to identify
areas for improvement
Program Evaluation by Graduate satisfaction: Conduct
Graduates surveys to gather feedback on
graduates' overall satisfaction
with the
program, curriculum, and faculty
Student Academic Course completion
Performance rates: Tracking completion rates
for individual courses or entire
programs can reveal areas
needing improvement in terms
of student engagement and
support

Retention rates: Tracking how

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many students continue their
studies through different
semesters provides insights into
student engagement and
program satisfaction

Graduation rates: Measuring the

percentage of students
completing their studies within
the expected timeframe gives a
broader picture of program
effectiveness

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