2. Action Planning
Why would you action plan?
• To set a timeline
• To make sure you haven’t missed anything
• To help the team stay “on the same page”
• To clarify deliverables and milestones
This slidecast is just a short look at action planning as a tool in planning an e-learning project.
Why would you bother with an action plan? Well maybe if it is just you involved you might not. Using an action plan has a few advantages. It can help you stay on track and make sure you meet any deadlines. If you are new to this sort of project it can also help you make sure you haven’t missed anything. For a team effort having an action plan helps everyone know what is planned and also makes objectives clearer. It is also really useful for getting peer feedback from others.
This is an extract from an Action Plan that formed part of a funding submission for National Vocational E-Learning Strategy funding in 2011. The amount of detail you include will vary depending on the project and on whether there are any specific requirements that you need to meet.
However it is really important to remember that Action plans aren’t immutable.
Your action plan is a dynamic document. Things may change, either before the project starts or during the project. Timings can change and so can tasks.
Your action plan can be much more than the timeline and milestones
Risk management is increasingly significant in project planning, and for many externally e-learning development projects it is an essential part of the funding application.
Making sure that you can access all the systems and resources you need can also form part of your action plan. Including them at this stage ensures that you haven’t overlooked a need to include the acquisition of any tools or systems in your timeline.
The completed plan can be used to track and monitor your project. However you may prefer to use an alternative system such as a Gantt chart.
