What Are Action Items? + How to Write Them

You know how, when you plan your project, you always try to organize all tasks as meticulously as possible? But, despite that, you’re still faced with work that needs to be organized and delegated every day?

That’s because day-to-day items of work cannot be planned too far in advance.?

These small pieces of work are called action items. Read on to find out how to create them and ensure the success of your project.

*This article is the abridged, adapted version of the blog post originally published on the Plaky blog: https://plaky.com/blog/action-items/?

What is an action item?

An action item is a specific unit of work that has to be finished to reach a goal or complete a more complex task. Action items are usually assigned to one person and take a short time to finish.?

We asked Craig Guarraci, founder of Tech PM Career Path, to tell us how they utilize action items in his company:

“Action items are used to track smaller, but important work and could be completed in a few hours or less than a day. They track previously unknown work that appears during project execution. Action items often include investigative work that may affect the project. They need one owner, a priority, and a completion date so that the project can proceed smoothly.”

How to write action items

There are 3 main methods you can use to create action items:

• The 3W approach,
• S.M.A.R.T. method, and
• Getting Things Done (GTD).

The 3W approach

With the 3W approach, you create action items by answering 3 questions beginning with W — what, who, and when.?

1. What is the action that needs to be done??
2. Who is going to do the action item??
3. When is the due date by which the action item has to be finished??

Here’s an example:

Write the annual report by December 21.?

Assigned to: Ariana M.?

This action item is clear and precise, as it answers the relevant questions:

• What (write the annual report),
• Who (Ariana M.), and?
• When (by December 21).?

S.M.A.R.T. action items

The S.M.A.R.T. method, commonly applied to goals and objectives, is very useful for creating action items as well.?

You can precisely define action items by fulfilling the S.M.A.R.T. criteria:?

• Specific — Is the action item specific enough that it cannot be further subdivided?
• Measurable — Does the action item contain a quantifier to measure progress?
• Assignable — Can the item be assigned to a team member?
• Realistic — Is it plausible to finish the item in the given time and achieve the wanted results?
• Time-bound — Does the item have a set due date?

An example of an action item that checks all 5 criteria would be:

Order 10 desk chairs for new employees by the end of the day.??

Assignee: Mark R.?

All 5 criteria are fulfilled:?

• Specific (order new desk chairs),?
• Measurable (10 chairs),?
• Assignable (assigned to Mark R.),?
• Realistic (it’s doable to place an order by the end of the day), and?
• Time-bound (it has to be finished by the end of the day).?

Getting Things Done

The Getting Things Done method (GTD) is used for managing workload by entering all tasks into an external source, such as a digital tool, instead of keeping them in your head.?

It is divided into 5 stages:

1. Capture — Write down all that needs to be done on a piece of paper or enter tasks in project management software.?
2. Clarify — Turn what you wrote down into actionable items with all the necessary details.?
3. Organize — Organize items into appropriate groups to make them easier to manage. For example, you can group them according to their priority levels.
4. Reflect — Review your action item list regularly to see if any changes need to be made.
5. Engage — Start working on the action items one by one, according to their priority.?

Benefits of action items

Using action items to organize and break down your work has several benefits:

• Improved meeting efficiency — Turning meeting notes into actionable items ensures nothing is skipped or forgotten, thus increasing meeting efficiency.
• Increased accountability — Assigning each item to one team member means that everyone knows what they are accountable for, which helps eliminate unfair blame or praise.
• Better project control — Having a comprehensive action item list enables you to maintain control over your project.?

Action items examples

Here are a few examples of both poorly constructed and well-defined action items in various industries.

Action items in software development

? Build email integration by tomorrow. Assignee: George M. ?? Not realistic

? Build email integration by the end of the next month. Assignee: George M.?

Action items in construction project management

? Apply for a building permit. Assignee: John B. ?? Doesn’t answer the question when.?

? Apply for a building permit by Tuesday. Assignee: John B.?

Action items in HR

? Create a performance review questionnaire by next Monday.? ?? Not assigned.

? Create a performance review questionnaire by next Monday. Assigned to: Hannah L.??

Tracking action items in Plaky

The best way to track action items is to create a log of all action items that need to be done.?

Guarraci revealed how action item logs are used to organize work at his company:

“There is one action item log that contains all action items for the project. The entire project team has read/write access to the action item log. It is consistently reviewed and updated at weekly team meetings or more frequently as needed. Some action item logs have reminders that appear for the action item owner.”

But, to be able to share the action item log with your teammates and constantly update it, you need to use a powerful yet user-friendly project management tool — like Plaky.?

In Plaky, you can create a separate board for each of your action item lists with all the necessary data about their status, owner, due date, etc.?

And, most importantly, action item lists created in Plaky are completely customizable.

They can be altered at any moment in time — you can shift deadlines, change priorities, add assignees, etc. This means you won’t ever have to discard your action item log and start again just because things have changed.?

Moreover, everything is tracked in the activity log of each board, so you won’t miss any of the changes!

Take your action item tracking to the next level! Sign up for a free Plaky account today!