Action planning steps
Action planning wheel
The Action plan wheel is designed to encourage continuous evaluation and to emphasise the iterative nature of action planning.
Reflection
This is the most important stage of the process, whereby practice is recalled, deconstructed and analysed on relevant levels (e.g. effectiveness for students, colleagues, your own development etc). Make notes on what worked well, what worked less well, what was ‘wrong’ or ‘missing’ etc?
Specifying
Define the problem carefully. This may be an identified ‘gap’ in knowledge or skills, student provision, a ‘development need’ that could be addressed by further resources, professional dialogue, calibration exercise, short course etc.
Goal setting
Make a clear statement of the action which will address the identified ‘gap’ or problem. Consider how this can be addressed, and what would be a realistic timeframe. The acronym SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) will help here.
Implementation
Put the statement into practice. As a member of staff you may need support from e.g. your line manager, a trusted colleague, the University Teaching Academy, or other services, to ensure your plan for implementation is SMART. There are a myriad of resources available; sometimes a signpost is required to find the best resource for your purpose.
Monitoring and Evaluation
It is not sufficient to simply carry out the action. Some actions are not immediately effective. It is important to monitor and evaluate effects in a timely way, and consider what refinements of the goal would be needed to improve the situation significantly. On mature reflection, it may be necessary to restart, or reframe the issue or its solution.