The Action Plan: Project Management Made Simple

The essence of good project management is good communications. At every stage of a project, everyone involved in a project must have a clear idea of what is expected of them, what to expect from others, and what the overall goals and objectives are.

Having had the privilege of leading a variety of technical teams over the course of my career, I have learned--occasionally the hard way--the particular importance of effective communications in accomplishing virtually any goal or objective imaginable.

In the military, good communications is not merely a prerequisite for mission success, but is literally a matter of life and death for troops in combat. Throughout history, battles have frequently been either won or lost primarily on the quality of communications between military units. 

The United States Army and Marine Corps address this challenge through the use of the Operations Order, also known as the Five Paragraph Order. The purpose behind the Operations Order format is clear and concise communications which can be transmitted and received in the most chaotic of conditions. An ancillary objective is eliminating potentials for miscommunications or misunderstanding.

Most projects are not a matter of life or death, yet still have a pressing need for clear and concise communications. Given the interactions among multiple technical specialties that occur even in small projects, the parallels in project management to military operations are many. Consequently, military communications are a useful guide for project communications, and the military Operations Order an excellent template for project communications and management.

The five paragraphs of the military Operations Order--which I rename the "Action Plan" for project management purposes--are as follows: Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration/Logistics, Command/Signal (which I retitle "Communications"). This basic structure lays out a comprehensive communications format that allows everyone engaged on a project to understand what is taking place.

Situation

The Situation paragraph is the task's background and context. Here one would describe the particular business problems that need to be addressed, as well as any technological priorities that might exist. The need to address a severe zero-day exploit would be one example of what would go into the Situation paragraph. Alternatively, the rationale for moving a data center or other operational facility would be placed here. 

Mission

The Mission paragraph should be a clear and concise statement of task objectives. Depending on the task, it might even be a single sentence--and I have found that using fewer sentences here is better. "Apply firmware updates to all network routers" would be one example of what would go here. "Draft disaster response policies" would be another example, as would "create marketing strategy for new product 'A'". If it is an object of the exercise, it needs to be stated in this Mission paragraph. 

Execution

The Execution paragraph is not really a paragraph at all, but rather a specific task list. The task list might be broken down by individual or individual area of responsibility, or all relevant actions might be contained within a single task list--adapt as needed to fit the realities of the project. The crucial characteristics here are that the tasks specific--right down to the individual server and/or software revision number--and are sequential--the tasks that need to be performed first should be listed first. 

While the Execution paragraph needs to be comprehensive, as with all the parts of an Action Plan it needs to be brief. Thus, in large or highly complex projects, the tasks within an Action Plan might themselves lead to subordinate Action Plan documents. The Execution paragraph of a global Action Plan for a project might describe the specific task objectives for a number of different technical teams, and in turn each of those teams would devise their own Action Plans to address the particular requirements of their specific task objectives. 

Administration and Logistics

The Administration and Logistics paragraph is where any special resources or equipment items get mentioned. Similarly, an outside vendor either on hand or standing by in case of an unforeseen even would be listed here. If there are special contingency considerations, this is the paragraph where those get documented. Whom gets tasked with deciding whether to abort a task also gets listed here.

Communications

The Communications paragraph outlines the communications channels established for a project. Responsibilities for providing communications beyond the project team are also detailed in this paragraph. 

The goal of the Action Plan is to create certainty about a project's overall management. Properly written, an Action Plan sets expectations, identifies objectives, and describes every person's role within the overall project.

The Action Plan seeks to remove thinking from task execution. This sounds counter-intuitive, but thinking and planning should take place before task execution, not during. During task execution, thoughts should be focused on how tasks are done, not on determining which tasks should be done and in what order. Orienting team members' thought processes in this fashion allows them to be highly flexible and adaptable in achieving goals and meeting objectives.

An Action Plan also has the virtue of being goal oriented rather than process oriented. The "what" is far more important within an Action Plan than the "how". This emphasis allows project leadership to focus on managing results and outcomes while simultaneously allowing all project participants to bring their various skills and experiences to bear on determining methods and processes to be used. Action Plans highlight each team member's value and contribution to project success

Most importantly, the Action Plan aids in the planning process itself. Even before an Action Plan is written, applying its standard communications framework to planning discussions allows effective plans to be built. The Action Plan is as much a process structure as it is a documentation and communications structure. Regardless of a team's structure and leadership, the Action Plan brings systematic organization to planning efforts and meetings. It is both comprehensive, able to address all portions of a project, and simple enough to be easily reproducible throughout a project, enhancing organization and coordination at all levels. 

As a planning activity even for individual work, I have found that using this format as a guide makes individual efforts more effective simply by bring a measure of order to activities; by working through the steps of a particular project or task in this structured fashion before undertaking them, potential flaws or missed steps can be identified--errors and failures can be pre-empted and avoided, and every problem avoided is a problem one does not have to devote scarce time and effort to solving.

Properly done, Action Plans will result in Action Planning--systematic yet flexible efforts to organize and direct project resources in a manner best calculated to achieve project success. Action Plans will enhance project communications, and facilitate full engagement in a project by project team members, ensuring a maximum contribution by each member towards project success.

Good project plans increase chances for project success. If luck is the convergence of preparation and opportunity, the Action Plan is one preparation that gives all project participants the opportunity to "get lucky" and succeed.