The
boss wants you to do your homework. Use your judgment before you include
a long list of what ifs or a very,
very detailed step by step plan. Keep it simple.
What ifs
Identify the key decision points as the plan progresses. Are there alternative
steps to consider? Should competitor responses be considered?
You could add a decision tree to the plan. In the next edition
of Process section, I'll describe how to do that. Typically, my
clients do not go to this level of detail.
A
flow chart
Many companies add a Gantt chart to the Action Plan, because it is easier to talk to the timeline
during a presentation.
A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart developed as a production control tool in 1917 by Henry L. Gantt, an American engineer and social scientist. It provides a graphical illustration of a schedule that helps to plan, coordinate and track specific tasks.
I use Excel to quickly construct the chart, using the fill function to color cells and to create the horizontal bars. This can be imported to PowerPoint easily.
You can create a simple Gantt Chart in Excel like this:
The
boss wants you to do your homework. Use your judgment before you include
a long list of what ifs or a very,
very detailed step by step plan. Keep it simple.
You could add a decision tree to the plan. In the next edition
of Process section, I'll describe how to do that. Typically, my
clients do not go to this level of detail.
