INTRODUCTION
Actualizing change requires establishing a collaborative, safe, trusting, and empowering environment that allows for communication and authentic participation in exploring strategies and solutions. Having a clear shared vision and mission allows our efforts to be explicit in our focus. To that end, following are some resources and templates to help us get started on effective collaborative action planning. These problem solving steps will help us set the stage for planning, organization, and successful goal attainment. Click on links throughout this document for additional information & resources.
BEST-PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROBLEM SOLVING & ACTION PLANNING
This Action Plan Template is a good starting point for getting organized and facilitating open and clear communication among team members as we work towards meeting each SMART goal. It is particularly helpful in detailing goal-specific objectives for individuals, groups, or committees as it provides a template for detailing information about sequential / scaffolded tasks and incorporating the results of our SWOT analysis into a strategic “to-do list” format that identifies follow-up tasks/ next steps. Additionally, the action plan in and of itself can also serve as a tool for determining whether we are on-track to successfully achieve our SMART goals.
The Gantt Chart Action Plan is a great organizational tool for project planning as it can provide a big-picture view of the combined efforts of the organization. In addition to providing a place to clearly map out tasks, as well as a broader, “big picture” view as an at-a-glance progress tracker for the multiple goals and objectives of any given project being addressed contemporaneously by various groups or committees within the organization.
Problem-Solving Steps
1. Maintain an equity focus throughout the problem solving process (for all steps)
ANALYZE
2. Identify strengths/assets
3. Identify barriers / obstacles
IDENTIFY A SMART GOAL
4. Identify your goal (including the outcome measure)
5. Identify & match best practice interventions & supports to the needs identified
DECIDE ON NEXT STEPS
6. Determine how a SMART goal will be realized (the who, what, when, as well as the tool for tracking impact).
7. Identify next steps & establish a progress review date
REVIEW PROGRESS
8. Reflect on progress toward SMART goal
REMEMBER YOUR VISION, MISSION & VALUES
- define the purpose of the organization and instill a sense of belonging and identity to the members of that organization and motivates them to work harder in order to achieve success, and
- provide a focal point that helps to align everyone with the organization, thus ensuring that everyone is working towards a single purpose. This helps to increase efficiency and productivity in the organization.
The mission statement provides the organization with a clear and effective guide for making decisions while the vision statement provides the goal (or the destination) to be reached by following the direction in order to ensure that all the decisions made are properly aligned with what the organization hopes to achieve.
If you haven’t yet created a vision and mission statement, you can use the following resource to get started:
ANALYZE
IDENTIFY A SMART GOAL
It sounds simple, but it does take some thought and practice to write effective SMART goals. Following please find some resources to help facilitate the process:
IDENTIFY NEXT STEPS
REVIEW PROGRESS
As we work to complete the tasks and objectives that we have laid out to help us achieve our goals, we must be reflective and continuously return to asking questions such as what went well? What barriers or threats did we encounter along the way that we must now overcome? What additional strengths and opportunities were revealed or developed to help us to continue to grow and move forward? How can we shift our thinking and efforts to further enhance how we support our students, families, and each other?