3.1. Creating an action plan
Takeaways 3.1
In a nutshell
It’s time to act.
No, really get on with it.
If you’re still reading this, it’s time to get stuck into your action plan.
Reaching agreement on actions
Because agreeing to agree can take so much effort, it is easy to fall into the trap of ‘all talk, no action’ (or mainly talk and just a bit of action). That, in turn, can lead to greenwashing (which we talk about in section 5.3) because the truth behind the claim is actually much more flimsy than it sounds.
That is why it is crucial to agree a framework to demonstrate the progress of your action plan.
The best way to get started is to go back and review the findings of your sustainability self-audit from section 1.2. Your reactions and answers to the those questions will be the foundation on which you build your plan.
Eating the elephant
Many of you will have heard the old joke. Question: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: one mouthful at a time. Not the most hilarious joke, perhaps, but it makes an important point about transforming a modern business. And it’s helpful to keep in mind as you move into taking action.
You’ve reviewed your audit answers and as a result, you may have a long - possibly overwhelming - list of things you want to do. So the next step is to break it down into manageable chunks.
Just follow these steps - one at a time - for each action or initiative and you’ll see that list start transforming into an actual plan.
Getting your action plan underway
A: Pick a business area
Decide which business area the action or initiative falls under.
Move on to B →
B: Quick win or long-term goal?
Establish if this is a quick win or a more strategic, longer-term goal. The minimum effort vs maximum impact framework in the next section helps with this.
Move on to C →
C: Assign a target timeframe to each action or initiative.
Quick wins
| Long-term
|
Move on to D →
D. Is it SDG-aligned?
Is this initiative aligned with a particular Sustainable Development Goal? You can find the list of SDGs in section 2.1.
Move on to E →
E. What resources will this require?
Put a realistic financial or human resource implication against each action item.
Move on to F →
F. Who will be responsible?
Make one person responsible for each action item. If more than one person is specified, it is unlikely to happen because each may wait for the other to act
Move on to G →
G. How will you measure progress/success?
Establish measurement criteria/KPI to ensure you know when it is deemed to have been achieved. For help selecting KPIs, review section 2.18.
Move on to H →
H: What challenges are there?
Start noting potential barriers as discussed in section 4.1.
Move on to I →
I: Track progress and share
Add a final line to note when it has been completed. Once it has, make sure you have the right data to verify it, and file it for potential future certification or accreditation. Then decide if you want it to be part of your overall sustainability impact report, such as the one described in section 5.1.
Reminder: Download your Action Planning Framework Spreadsheet here.
