Planning for Results

View or download the printable version of the Quick Guide to Planning for Results (PDF).

Planning for results involves identifying all relevant steps, actions, and considerations needed in order to achieve meaningful, high-quality results.

Why is planning for results important?

Planning for results is creating a roadmap of how you can achieve important results in an efficient and timely manner. A well-thought-through plan will provide focus and clarity to you, your team, and other stakeholders by:

Identifying concrete steps, actions, and milestones
Identifying key stakeholders
Aligning resources
Establishing realistic timelines, and
Planning for contingencies.

How do I plan for results?

Once you’ve determined the key results and priorities, follow the steps below to create a plan by identifying what needs to happen by when, who needs to be involved, and how you might adjust your plan if faced with unexpected challenges.

01. Identify action steps, key stakeholders, and resources

Work backward from results to identify action steps

A clear vision of what your team is trying to accomplish for the University and what that looks like when done well will help you identify what actions need to happen to deliver the result.

To begin:

Define the major steps your team will need to take to achieve results.
Break down those steps into more manageable tasks. Repeat this until you have concrete, critical action steps.
Share your preliminary plan with a few key stakeholders and solicit their feedback:
- What questions and concerns do they have about each step?
- What steps are missing? What can be eliminated?
Consider their feedback and adjust your plan as appropriate.

*See the Quick Guide to Orienting to Results for more information on clarifying your team’s purpose

Identify key stakeholders

With any project or task, there will be others who you or your team must work with for approval, input, or collaboration.

Who are the key stakeholders for this project?

What leaders are championing your work? How much do they need to be involved or kept “in-the-know”?
Who could derail your efforts if they aren’t involved?
What other teams or departments might you need to coordinate with?
Who will be affected by this work?

Align resources to action steps

With your action steps in mind, identify what resources you will need for your team to accomplish these steps.

Who are your team members?
What skills do team members have? Which skills are best suited to accomplishing which action steps?
What tools are needed?
How much time will each task take?
What budget considerations do you need to make?

Challenge assumptions

When identifying action steps and aligning resources, it’s important to avoid getting bogged down in the current process or status quo. Sticking with what you know may appeal to your comfort, but it’s often necessary to commit to disrupting the status quo in order to drive high-quality results. Consider:

Appointing a “devil’s advocate”* to ask questions and challenge the team in order to avoid complacency and “groupthink.”
Inviting your team to voice their disagreement constructively. Setting norms that foster psychological safety** will allow your team members to voice their disagreement about the work.

*See the Quick Guide to Establishing Clear Decision-Making Processes for more information on groupthink.
**See the Quick Guide to Establishing Norms and Expectations for more information on fostering psychological safety.

03. Identify risks and plan contingencies

Managing risks and planning contingencies is an iterative process that will allow you to anticipate and adapt should anything go wrong in the execution of your plan.

Identify risks

Consult with colleagues, team members, or your manager about any blind spots in your plan. Ask yourself and your key stakeholders the following questions:

What are the high-impact, high-probability risks in this plan?
What assumptions are being made that may not be accurate or may change? How likely are they to change?

Plan contingencies

After identifying high-impact, high-probability risks, think through what you would do to lower the likelihood or impact of the risk by mitigating, avoiding, or transferring it. Consider these questions when you’re planning contingencies:

How will you adjust if you don’t have access to or lose the resources you need?
What if you lose the support of a key decision-maker?
What if an employee misses a deadline?

Having a fleshed-out plan or being prepared to adjust will help you avoid the common risks supervisors face in planning for results.

View or download the printable version of the Quick Guide to Planning for Resul…

Service Areas

Supervisory Development Program

Topics

Driving Results Through Others

Resource Type

Quick Guide

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Planning for Results

Why is planning for results important?

How do I plan for results?

Resource Type

Course Focus

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