How to make a 5W2H problem solving action plan
Have you ever seen a team get together to initiate a project and try to put the ideas on paper. But none of them work or go ahead?
If you’ve experienced this, you know it’s part of the procrastinators’ club.
So, if you want to end this cycle, it’s time to find out how to make a 5W2H problem solving action plan.
But what is 5W2H analysis?
The acronym comes from each letter corresponding to the initials of 7 questions.
A working method was created to correspond to questions that are targeted in such a way that all the information of a project is clearly defined, so that it avoids any hold ups or stoppages along the way.
The reasoning is that when setting up your action plan, the team will answer these 7 questions.
Learn how to make a 5W2H problem solving action plan (and what the letters mean):
- What?
- Why?
- Who?
- Where?
- When?
- How?
- How much?
Within a company’s routine practice, each team will need to establish the answers for these questions to its staff, that is:
Who will do what, why will they do it, who exactly will complete each task, in what place, when (set a deadline), how to do it and, if applicable, how much it will cost the company.
Therefore, knowing how to make a 5W2H analysis action plan is the manager’s obligation to his team.
He should draw up a timetable concerning the why, with each stage a task for company development.
These tasks will be delegated to an employee and through this proceed to the “how” and the way in which the work should be implemented.
See also: Improve your projects and teamwork with 7 tips
Importance of the 5W2H analysis spreadsheet
How to make a 5W2H problem solving action plan work?
This involves collaborating information between the staff.
As they say, time is money and before the staff are lost in their projects, potentially becoming idle and unproductive without a clear direction. Develop the knowledge of how to make a 5W2H analysis action plan, enabling the company to benefit from a new agility and fulfill deadlines.
The importance of the spreadsheet is also in the fact that there is no need for sophisticated and complex training carried out by specialized professionals.
Just follow the answers to the questionnaire that the employee who already knows how to make a 5W2H action plan will set out. Applying the self explanatory mechanics of the spreadsheet itself.
How to make a 5W2H problem solving worksheet
The 5W2H spreadsheet (or 5W2H matrix) is practical and simple to put together.
The method was created to streamline company processes, providing the organization and planning of tasks so that they can be fulfilled through the process of clear reasoning.
Because everything is very clear on the spreadsheet, which can be completed and shared so that all the staff can follow what has been set out, communication is much more agile and efficient.
To start making a 5W2H spreadsheet, keep in mind a few points:
- What’s the cause of problems in your company?
- Identify what are the work stages currently carried out in the company.
- Who does what throughout the work process?
It’s now time to arrange the spreadsheet itself.
It should look like the example below (“What” should always come first. The rest of the questions can be in the order that best suits the specific project).
Check out this template and use it freely to organize your action plans:
- What? What will be done? Is it a production, a new stage of work, an increase in sales?
- Why? Why will it be done? Will it solve a problem? Solve or improve something?
- Where? Where will it be done? In what place? The exact location or where in the company or service will it be done. In which department?
- Who? Who is going to do it? Which professional will do the job?
- When? When are you going to do it? Set dates and deadlines
- How? How will you do it? Explain how the process will be. How the work will be done
- How Much? How much will it cost? Estimate the entire cost of the project. Operating, equipment and personnel costs.
Have you ever considered that by just answering 7 questions you could organize an action plan in such an agile and positive way?
It is important to set deadlines for weekly follow-up meetings.
During these meetings collect feedback, check the progress of the project and eventually, reestablish the answers of some of the points on the spreadsheet.
Siteware developed STRATWs ONE, a corporate performance management software that is capable of managing much more than isolated action plans, but all of a company’s business.
Our system is capable of transforming into procedures of management methodology adopted by your company. Thus, you can ensure a larger cohort in day to day planning and increase productivity. This results in more decision making certainty.
Currently, there are more than 162,000 users of our service, in more than 1,000 companies in 20 countries. One of our success stories is Dotz, which with our tool has succeeded in improving HR processes and strengthening the corporate culture.
Get to know STRATWs ONE and see that the tool could be the missing step for your company to prosper even more!
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