Management Tip of the Day: 3 Tips for Keeping Your Action Plan on Track

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Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   AUTHORS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile APRIL 1, 2010 3 Tips for Keeping Your Action Plan on Track The best-designed and articulated plans mean nothing if they aren't executed. Yet, we have all action plans languishing on a desk or in a drawer never to be carried out. Here are three tips for keeping your plan on track: Make it a living, working plan. Be sure the plan is specific, realistic, and has clear time frames. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Ask what stands in the way. All plans have potential threats. Whether they include your own waning motivation or your boss's inability to cooperate, knowing what those threats are can help you prepare to face them. Develop strategies to mitigate challenges. Your implementation approach needs to compensate for or respond to any opposing forces. If threats loom too large, consider revising your plan accordingly. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How to Keep Your Action Plan on Track" by Gill Corkindale. Read the full post and join the discussion » Share Today's Tip: RELATED PRODUCT A Sense of Urgency Best-Selling Harvard Business Press Book Most organizational change initiatives fail spectacularly (at worst) or deliver lukewarm results (at best). In this book, John Kotter shines the spotlight on the crucial first step in his leading-change framework: creating a sense of urgency by getting people to actually see and feel the need for change. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: BEST SELLERS 10 Must-Read Articles from HBR Guide to Better Business Writing HBR 2009: A Year of Management Ideas HBR's Must-Reads on Managing Yourself How to Get the Right Work Done PREVIOUS TIPS 3 Questions Your Business Model Must Answer Confront the Top 3 Excuses for Not Speaking Up 3 Things to Do Before You Disagree With the Strategy Let Your Customers Sell to Themselves How to Be a Changemaker 3 Reasons You Shouldn't Leave Your Job A Cheap and Instantly Effective Social Media Idea 6 Steps to Sizing Up a Negotiation 3 Tips for Assessing a Job Offer 3 Tips for Downsizing the Right Way HBR Online Trial Access HBR's in-depth business archives FREE for 14 days. Register today » UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 1-800-545-7685 (617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)