Creating an Action Plan

This resource will help you create a new improvement plan.

There are two places you can go to create a new plan:

• Directly within Action Planner

• From your results dashboard

Creating a New Plan within Action Planner

Create Action Plan

Select the New Action Plan button from the Action Plan dashboard.

In the pop up that appears, you will need to complete the following form to create an action plan:

1. Enter text for a specific Action Plan Name for the plan, along with a short description of the plan.

2. You will automatically be assigned as the owner of your plan. Your leaders will be able to access your plan and edit the collaborators, but they will not be able to change the plan owner.

3. Select a source (optional). This dropdown list will display all the surveys for which you have access to data. If you begin an action plan in your project results dashboard, that project will be auto filled as the source for your plan. If your plan is not associated with a specific survey, you can leave this field blank.

1. If you select a source, you will have the option to create an action plan tied to up to 6 survey items or 3 dimensions. Selecting which item(s) or dimension(s) you want to create a plan around will provide suggested actions in the next step.

2. You can search for items and dimensions by typing key words into the box.

4. Add any collaborators to the plan. A collaborator can be anyone in your organization who has access to survey results. You can search for collaborators by clicking into the search bar in the top right corner. Collaborators are notified by email if they are added to a plan. Collaborators can add notes and manage actions, but they cannot change the owner or other settings of an Action Plan.

5. Select a Start Date and Due Date. These date fields are not required but they are strongly encouraged. Reminders about your plan are sent based upon the due date. A reminder will be sent 10 days prior to the due date and the day after it has passed.

6. Click the Next btton to continue creating the plan.

Add Actions

If you did not select a source and item(s) or dimension(s), you will have the ability to type in your own custom action and add it to the plan.

If you selected a source and item(s) or dimension(s), you will be provided with a list of recommended actions. You can add as many of these actions to your plan as you would like. You can also create custom actions by typing in the text field at the top and selecting “Add.” When all actions have been added, click the Save button to submit your plan.

Create New Plan from the Results Dashboard

There are three ways to begin the creation of an action plan directly from a survey dashboard:

1. Select the Action Planner button in the top right corner of the Summary page to open Action Planner without automatically adding an item or dimension to a plan.

2. Click the + Add Plan button on the Key Driver or Top Performing Items widgets on the Summary page next to the item for which you want to create an Action Plan.

3. You can also add a dimension or item to an action plan from the Items page by cicking the + Add Plan button.

Cascading an Action Plan

Leaders in an organization may choose to copy and assign their action plans to the managers / teams that report to them. The cascading function allows leaders to add their plans to others’ dashboards.

To cascade an action plan, locate the plan you wish to push to your managers in the Action Plans widget. Then select the three dots to the right of the plan and choose “Cascade.”

Navigate the hierarchy to find the nodes / units you want to cascade. Select the nodes and users you want to copy and assign the action plan to. The highest levels with all children selected will become owners of a copy of the action plan. Then select the Next button.

Review and confirm your selection by clicking on the Cascade button.

The plan will now appear in each leader’s Action Planner dashboard that you have cascaded to.

A plan that has been cascaded will be noted in the Action Plans widget with a hierarchy icon.

Plans can be updated by the new owner by clicking on the name of the plan. Note that while the plan is cascaded, the actions are not. The owner of each plan will need to open the plan to add any actions.

Action Planner Roles & Notifications

Roles

• The plan Owner is the one who creates the plan.

• A Collaborator is someone that will be helping with the plan and is added by the owner for visibility. An individual must be included in the End User List to be designated as a Collaborator. Collaborators can add actions to the plan and add notes in the plan to provide updates/ comments. Collaborators cannot change plan start and end dates.

Notifications

• The Owner and Collaborators will get email notifications 10 days before the plan due date, when the plan is overdue (on the due date) and when the plan is closed.

• End users receive a notification email when an action plan is cascaded to them.

• The manager of the plan Owner does not get any notifications.

• If someone has permissions to a unit but they did not create the plan or were not tagged as a collaborator by the owner (e.g., the manager of the plan’s Owner), they will not get notifications.

• If someone has permissions to a unit/ node, they will be able to view plans for the unit that they are assigned to and below in the hierarchy.