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Action plan template

An action plan is a list of the steps needed to reach one goal, with a named owner, a start date and a due date for each. It turns a goal such as cutting a changeover time into jobs people can do this week. This template has a one-page plan to fill in with the team, a page on how to write an action that someone can finish, and an Excel tracker where you enter the percent done and it shows each action as Done, On track, Behind, Overdue or Not started, with a weekly bar chart. Use it for a kaizen, a corrective action, an audit finding or any piece of work that takes more than a few days.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the action planFields for goal, owner, sponsor and review date, and a table of twelve rows with number, action, owner, start date, due date, percent done, status and notes, with a box for risks and help needed.
Goal and ownerActions with owner, start and duePercent done and statusDays lateWeekly timelineHow to write an actionSummary
Filled-in Action plan template: a changeover plan with nine actions
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 3 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use an action plan template

  • After a kaizen event, an A3 or a root cause analysis, to turn the countermeasures into dated jobs.
  • To answer an audit finding or a customer complaint with a plan you can show.
  • For a project that takes weeks and has several people, such as a line move or a 5S rollout.
  • When a goal has been set but nobody knows what happens first.
  • For a one-line job with one owner, use a rolling action item list instead. This is for work that has steps and dates.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Write the goal as a sentence with a number and a date

    For example: cut the line 1 changeover from 42 to 30 minutes by 18 December. If you cannot say how you will know it is done, the goal is not ready.
  2. 2

    List the actions, one verb each

    Film, split, build, order, train, trial, review. If an action has two verbs it is two actions. Break anything that takes more than two weeks.
  3. 3

    Give each action one owner

    One name, not a team. The owner does not have to do all of it, but they answer for it and ask for help when needed.
  4. 4

    Set a start and a due date

    Put long-lead items first, such as an order that takes weeks. A due date with no start date cannot show whether the job is behind.
  5. 5

    Update percent done every week

    At the same time each week, the owner gives a number. The sheet compares it with how far through the dates you are and shows the status.
  6. 6

    Review the plan, not just the list

    Look at the Behind and Overdue rows first. For each, decide whether to help, move the date or drop the action, and write down which.

How the status is worked out

The five statuses in the Excel tracker

The sheet checks the rules in this order, using the as-of date at the top. You can change the as-of date and the Behind cut-off.

  • Done

    When it shows
    Percent done is 100%.
    What to do
    Close it. Check the result.
  • Overdue

    When it shows
    The due date is before the as-of date and the action is not done.
    What to do
    Ask the owner what is in the way. Move the date or get help.
  • Not started

    When it shows
    The start date is after the as-of date.
    What to do
    Nothing yet. Check the start date is still right.
  • Behind

    When it shows
    Percent done is more than 25 points under how far through the dates you are.
    What to do
    Ask early. This is the row that catches a slip before it is late.
  • On track

    When it shows
    None of the above.
    What to do
    Leave it alone.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example (illustrative): a plan to cut the line 1 changeover from 42 to 30 minutes by 18 December 2026, with the status shown as at 6 November. The goal, names and numbers are made up.

  • The plan has 9 actions and 5 owners. 1 is Done (filming and timing three changeovers), 2 are Overdue, 1 is Behind, 1 is On track and 4 are Not started.
  • Overdue: splitting the steps into internal and external (Marcus, due 4 November, 60% done) and ordering the spare clamp set (Dana, due 4 November, 0% done). Both are 2 days late.
  • Behind: the staging cart (Dana, 2 to 13 November). By 6 November the dates are 4 ÷ 11 = 36.4% through, and the cart is 10% done, 26.4 points under. That is more than the 25 point cut-off.
  • On track: agreeing the baseline and target with finance (Priya, 2 to 9 November). The dates are 4 ÷ 7 = 57.1% through and the action is 60% done.
  • Not started: the shadow board (from 9 November), the standard work and training (from 16 November), the two-week trial (from 23 November) and the final review (from 14 December).
  • Done % = 1 ÷ 9 = 11.1%. The simple average of percent done across the nine actions is 25.6%.

The two overdue actions and the staging cart are the first three items at the next review, and the clamp order is the one that could delay the trial.

Common mistakes

  • Actions like 'improve housekeeping'

    Nobody can finish that. Write 'paint the floor lines in bays 3 and 4 by 20 November', with a name.

  • A team as the owner

    If everyone owns it, nobody does. Put one name against each action.

  • No start dates

    Without a start, you cannot tell a job that has not begun from one that is stuck.

  • Percent done that never moves

    A number that sits at 50% for a month is a signal. Ask what is blocking it.

  • Changing the due date without a note

    Moving dates quietly hides slippage. If a date moves, write the reason in the notes.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

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FAQ

Action plan template: common questions

  1. A list of the steps needed to reach a goal, each with an owner, a start date and a due date. It says what happens, who does it and when, so progress can be checked.

  2. The goal, and for each action a description that starts with a verb, one owner, a start date, a due date, the percent done and a status. Add a place for risks and the help you need.

  3. An action plan is the short list of steps for one goal, usually 5 to 20 rows. A project plan adds resources, budget, dependencies and risk management. For most plant improvement work, an action plan is enough.

  4. A rolling action item list is a running list of short jobs picked up at a daily huddle. An action plan is for one goal that needs several steps over weeks, with start and due dates and a view of progress.

  5. Weekly for a plan that lasts a few weeks. The owner updates percent done before the review, and the review looks at the Behind and Overdue rows first.

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