Show that you understand the current state of research on your topic.
The length of a research proposal can vary quite a bit. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations or research funding are usually much longer and more detailed. Your supervisor can help you determine the best length for your work.
One trick to get started is to think of your proposal’s structure as a shorter version of your thesis or dissertation , only without the results , conclusion and discussion sections.
Download our research proposal template
Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We’ve included a few for you below.
Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:
The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why.
Your introduction should:
To guide your introduction , include information about:
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As you get started, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review shows your reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said, but rather using existing research as a jumping-off point for your own.
In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to ongoing conversations in the field by:
Following the literature review, restate your main objectives . This brings the focus back to your own project. Next, your research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.
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To finish your proposal on a strong note, explore the potential implications of your research for your field. Emphasize again what you aim to contribute and why it matters.
For example, your results might have implications for:
Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list . To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator .
Some institutions or funders require a detailed timeline of the project, asking you to forecast what you will do at each stage and how long it may take. While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project.
Here’s an example schedule to help you get started. You can also download a template at the button below.
Download our research schedule template
Research phase | Objectives | Deadline |
---|---|---|
1. Background research and literature review | 20th January | |
2. Research design planning | and data analysis methods | 13th February |
3. Data collection and preparation | with selected participants and code interviews | 24th March |
4. Data analysis | of interview transcripts | 22nd April |
5. Writing | 17th June | |
6. Revision | final work | 28th July |
If you are applying for research funding, chances are you will have to include a detailed budget. This shows your estimates of how much each part of your project will cost.
Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover. For each item, include:
To determine your budget, think about:
If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Methodology
Statistics
Research bias
Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .
Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.
I will compare …
A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.
Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.
A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.
A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.
A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.
All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.
Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.
Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.
The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.
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What is action research.
Action research is a methodology that emphasizes collaboration between researchers and participants to identify problems, develop solutions and implement changes. Designers plan, act, observe and reflect, and aim to drive positive change in a specific context. Action research prioritizes practical solutions and improvement of practice, unlike knowledge generation, which is the priority of traditional methods.
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Action research stands out as a unique approach in user experience design (UX design), among other types of research methodologies and fields. It has a hands-on, practical focus, so UX designers and researchers who engage in it devise and execute research that not only gathers data but also leads to actionable insights and solid real-world solutions.
The concept of action research dates back to the 1940s, with its roots in the work of social psychologist Kurt Lewin. Lewin emphasized the importance of action in understanding and improving human systems. The approach rapidly gained popularity across various fields, including education, healthcare, social work and community development.
Kurt Lewin, the Founder of social psychology.
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In UX design, the incorporation of action research appeared with the rise of human-centered design principles. As UX design started to focus more on users' needs and experiences, the participatory and problem-solving nature of action research became increasingly significant. Action research bridges the gap between theory and practice in UX design. It enables designers to move beyond hypothetical assumptions and base their design decisions on concrete, real-world data. This not only enhances the effectiveness of the design but also boosts its credibility and acceptance among users—vital bonuses for product designers and service designers.
At its core, action research is a systematic, participatory and collaborative approach to research . It emphasizes direct engagement with specific issues or problems and aims to bring about positive change within a particular context. Traditional research methodologies tend to focus solely on the generation of theoretical knowledge. Meanwhile, action research aims to solve real-world problems and generate knowledge simultaneously .
Action research helps designers and design teams gather first-hand insights so they can deeply understand their users' needs, preferences and behaviors. With it, they can devise solutions that genuinely address their users’ problems—and so design products or services that will resonate with their target audiences. As designers actively involve users in the research process, they can gather authentic insights and co-create solutions that are both effective and user-centric.
Moreover, the iterative nature of action research aligns perfectly with the UX design process. It allows designers to continuously learn from users' feedback, adapt their designs accordingly, and test their effectiveness in real-world contexts. This iterative loop of planning, acting, observing and reflecting ensures that the final design solution is user-centric. However, it also ensures that actual user behavior and feedback validates the solution that a design team produces, which helps to make action research studies particularly rewarding for some brands.
Designers can continuously learn from users’ feedback in action research and iterate accordingly.
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Action research in UX design involves several stages. Each stage contributes to the ultimate goal: to create effective and user-centric design solutions. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of the process:
This could be a particular pain point users are facing, a gap in the current UX design, or an opportunity for improvement.
Designers might need to devise new design features, modify existing ones or implement new user interaction strategies.
Designers put their planned actions into practice. They might prototype the new design, implement the new features or test the new user interaction strategies.
As designers implement the action they’ve decided upon, it's crucial to observe its effects and collect data. This could mean that designers track user behaviors, collect user feedback, conduct usability tests or use other data collection methods.
From the collected data, designers reflect on the results, analyze the effectiveness of the action and draw insights. If the action has led to positive outcomes, they can further refine it and integrate it into the final design. If not, they can go back to plan new actions and repeat the process.
An action research example could be where designers do the following:
Identification : Designers observe a high abandonment rate during a checkout process for an e-commerce website.
Planning : They analyze the checkout flow to identify potential friction points.
Action : They isolate these points, streamline the checkout process, introduce guest checkout and optimize form fields.
Observation : They monitor changes in abandonment rates and collect user feedback.
Reflection : They assess the effectiveness of the changes as these reduce checkout abandonment.
Outcome : The design team notices a significant decrease in checkout abandonment, which leads to higher conversion rates as more users successfully purchase goods.
Action research splits into three main types: technical, collaborative and critical reflection.
Technical action research focuses on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a system or process. Designers often use it in organizational contexts to address specific issues or enhance operations. This could be where designers improve the usability of a website, optimize the load time of an application or enhance the accessibility of a digital product.
Collaborative action research emphasizes the active participation of stakeholders in the research process. It's about working together to identify issues, co-create solutions and implement changes. In the context of UX design, this could mean that designers collaborate with users to co-design a new feature, work with developers to optimize a process, or partner with business stakeholders to align the UX strategy with business goals.
Critical reflection action research aims to challenge dominant power structures and social injustices within a particular context. It emphasizes the importance of where designers and design teams reflect on the underlying assumptions and values that drive research and decision-making processes. In UX design, this could be where designers question the design biases, challenge the stereotypes, and promote inclusivity and diversity in design decisions.
Like any UX research method or approach, action research comes with its own set of benefits and challenges.
Real-world solutions.
Action research focuses on solving real-world problems. This quality makes it highly relevant and practical. It allows UX designers to create solutions that are not just theoretically sound but also valid in real-world contexts.
Action research involves users in the research process, which lets designers gather first-hand insights into users' needs, preferences and behaviors. This not only enhances the accuracy and reliability of the research but also fosters user engagement and ownership long before user testing of high-fidelity prototypes.
The iterative nature of action research promotes continuous learning and improvement. It enables designers to adapt their designs based on users' feedback and learn from their successes and failures. They can fine-tune better tools and deliverables, such as more accurate user personas, from their findings.
Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Professor Alan Dix explains personas and why they are important:
Time- and resource-intensive.
Action research involves multiple iterations of planning, acting, observing and reflecting, which can be time- and resource-intensive.
It can be difficult to implement changes and observe their effects in real-world contexts. This is due to the complexity and unpredictability of real-world situations.
Since action research involves close collaboration with stakeholders, there's a risk of subjectivity and bias influencing the research outcomes. It's crucial for designers to maintain objectivity and integrity throughout the research process.
It can be a challenge to ensure all participants understand the nature of the research and agree to participate willingly. Also, it’s vital to safeguard the privacy of participants and sensitive data.
The iterative nature of action research might lead to expanding goals, and make the project unwieldy.
The contextual focus of action research may limit the extent to which designers can generalize findings from field studies to other settings.
1. define clear objectives.
To begin, designers should define clear objectives. They should ask the following:
What is the problem to try to solve?
What change is desirable as an outcome?
To have clear objectives will guide their research process and help them stay focused.
It’s vital to involve users in the research process. Designers should collaborate with them to identify issues, co-create solutions and implement changes in real time. This will not only enhance the relevance of the research but also foster user engagement and ownership.
To conduct action research means to observe the effects of changes in real-world contexts. This requires a variety of data collection methods. Designers should use methods like surveys, user interviews, observations and usability tests to gather diverse and comprehensive data.
UX Strategist and Consultant, William Hudson explains the value of usability testing in this video:
Action research is all about learning from action. Designers should reflect on the outcomes of their actions, analyze the effectiveness of their solutions and draw insights. They can use these insights to inform their future actions and continuously improve the design.
Lastly, designers should communicate and share their findings with all stakeholders. This not only fosters transparency and trust but also facilitates collective learning and improvement.
Quantitative data.
Action research involves both qualitative and quantitative data, but it's important to remember to place emphasis on qualitative data. While quantitative data can provide useful insights, designers who rely too heavily on it may find a less holistic view of the user experience.
Professor Alan Dix explains the difference between quantitative and qualitative data in this video:
Designers should focus action research on understanding user needs and preferences. If they ignore these in favor of more technical considerations, the resulting design solutions may not meet users' expectations or provide them with a satisfactory experience.
It's important to seek user feedback at each stage of the action research process. Without this feedback, designers may not optimize design solutions for user needs. For example, they may find the information architecture confusing. Additionally, without user feedback, it can be difficult to identify any unexpected problems that may arise during the research process.
Action research requires time and effort to ensure successful outcomes. If designers or design teams don’t permit enough time for the research process, it can lead to rushed decisions and sloppy results. It's crucial to plan ahead and set aside enough time for each stage of the action research process—and ensure that stakeholders understand the time-consuming nature of research and digesting research findings, and don’t push for premature results.
Contextual factors such as culture, environment and demographics play an important role in UX design. If designers ignore these factors, it can lead to ineffective design solutions that don't properly address users' needs and preferences or consider their context.
Professor Alan Dix explains the need to consider users’ culture in design, in this video:
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Overall, in the ever-evolving field of UX design, this is one methodology that can serve as a powerful research tool for driving positive change and promoting continuous learning. Since to do action research means to actively involve users in the research process and research projects, and focus on real-world problem-solving, it allows designers to create more user-centered designs. These digital solutions and services will be more likely to resonate with the target users and deliver exceptional user experiences.
Despite its challenges, the benefits of action research far outweigh the risks. Action research is therefore a valuable approach for UX designers who are keen on creating a wide range of impactful and sustainable design solutions. The biggest lesson with action research is to ensure that user needs and preferences are at the center of the research process.
Take our User Research: Methods and Best Practices course.
Take our Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead with Victor Udoewa, Service Design Lead, NASA SBIR/STTR Program.
Read more in-depth information in 3 things design thinking can learn from action research by Amin Mojtahedi, PhD .
Find additional insights in What Technical Communicators and UX Designers Can Learn From Participatory Action Research by Guiseppe .
Discover more insights and tips in Action Research: Steps, Benefits, and Tips by Lauren Stewart .
Action research and design thinking are both methodologies to solve problems and implement changes, but they have different approaches and emphases. Here's how they differ:
Objectives
Action research aims to solve specific problems within a community or organization through a cycle of planning, action, observation and reflection. It focuses on iterative learning and solving real-world problems through direct intervention.
Design thinking focuses on addressing complex problems by understanding the user's needs, re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, creating many ideas in brainstorming sessions, and adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing. It emphasizes innovation and the creation of solutions that are desirable, feasible and viable.
Process
Action research involves a cyclic process that includes:
- Identify a problem.
- Plan an action.
- Implement the action.
- Observe and evaluate the outcomes.
- Reflect on the findings and plan the next cycle.
Design thinking follows a non-linear, iterative process that typically includes five phases:
- Empathize: Understand the needs of those you're designing for.
- Define: Clearly articulate the problem you want to solve.
- Ideate: Brainstorm a range of creative solutions.
- Prototype: Build a representation of one or more of your ideas.
- Test: Return to your original user group and test your idea for feedback.
User Involvement
Action research actively involves participants in the research process. The participants are co-researchers and have a direct stake in the problem at hand.
Design thinking prioritizes empathy with users and stakeholders to ensure that the solutions are truly user-centered. While users are involved, especially in the empathy and testing phases, they may not be as deeply engaged in the entire process as they are in action research.
Outcome
Action research typically aims for practical outcomes that directly improve practices or address issues within the specific context studied. Its success is measurable by the extent of problem resolution or improvement.
Design thinking seeks to generate innovative solutions that may not only solve the identified problem but also provide a basis for new products, services or ways of thinking. The success is often measurable in terms of innovation, user satisfaction and feasibility of implementation.
In summary, while both action research and design thinking are valuable in addressing problems, action research is more about participatory problem-solving within specific contexts, and design thinking is about innovative solution-finding with a strong emphasis on user needs.
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To define the research question in an action research project, start by identifying a specific problem or area of interest in your practice or work setting. Reflect on this issue deeply to understand its nuances and implications. Then, narrow your focus to a question that is both actionable and researchable. This question should aim to explore ways to improve, change or understand the problem better. Ensure the question is clear, concise and aligned with the goals of your project. It must invite inquiry and suggest a path towards finding practical solutions or gaining deeper insights.
For instance, if you notice a decline in user engagement with a product, your research question could be, "How can we modify the user interface of our product to enhance user engagement?" This question clearly targets an improvement, focuses on a specific aspect (the user interface) and implies actionable outcomes (modifications to enhance engagement).
Take our Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead with Victor Udoewa, Service Design Lead, NASA SBIR/STTR Program.
Designers use several tools and methods in action research to explore problems and implement solutions. Surveys allow them to gather feedback from a broad audience quickly. Interviews offer deep insights through personal conversations, focusing on users' experiences and needs. Observations help designers understand how people interact with products or services in real environments. Prototyping enables the testing of ideas and concepts through tangible models, and allows for immediate feedback and iteration. Finally, case studies provide detailed analysis of specific instances and offer valuable lessons and insights.
These tools and methods empower designers to collect data, analyze findings and make informed decisions. When designers employ a combination of these approaches, they ensure a comprehensive understanding of the issues at hand and develop effective solutions.
CEO of Experience Dynamics, Frank Spillers explains the need to be clear about the problem that designers should address:
To engage stakeholders in an action research project, first identify all individuals or groups with an interest in the project's outcome. These might include users, team members, clients or community representatives. Clearly communicate the goals, benefits and expected outcomes of the project to them. Use presentations, reports, or informal meetings to share your vision and how their involvement adds value.
Involve stakeholders early and often by soliciting their feedback through surveys, interviews or workshops. This inclusion not only provides valuable insights but also fosters a sense of ownership and commitment to the project. Establish regular update meetings or newsletters to keep stakeholders informed about progress, challenges and successes. Finally, ensure there are clear channels for stakeholders to share their input and concerns throughout the project.
This approach creates a collaborative environment where stakeholders feel valued and engaged, leading to more meaningful and impactful outcomes.
To measure the impact of an action research project, start by defining clear, measurable objectives at the beginning. These objectives should align with the goals of your project and provide a baseline against which you can measure progress. Use quantitative metrics such as increased user engagement, sales growth or improved performance scores for a tangible assessment of impact. Incorporate qualitative data as well, such as user feedback and case studies, to understand the subjective experiences and insights gained through the project.
Conduct surveys or interviews before and after the project to compare results and identify changes. Analyze this data to assess how well the project met its objectives and what effect it had on the target issue or audience. Document lessons learned and unexpected outcomes to provide a comprehensive view of the project's impact. This approach ensures a holistic evaluation, combining numerical data and personal insights to gauge the success and influence of your action research project effectively.
Take our Master Class Design KPIs: From Insights to Impact with Vitaly Friedman, Senior UX consultant, European Parliament, and Creative Lead, Smashing Magazine.
When unexpected results or obstacles emerge during action research, first, take a step back and assess the situation. Identify the nature of the unexpected outcome or obstacle and analyze its potential impact on your project. This step is crucial for understanding the issue at hand.
Next, communicate with your team and stakeholders about the situation. Open communication ensures everyone understands the issue and can contribute to finding a solution.
Then, consider adjusting your research plan or design strategy to accommodate the new findings or to overcome the obstacles. This might involve revisiting your research questions, methods or even the design problem you are addressing.
Always document these changes and the reasons behind them. This documentation will be valuable for understanding the project's evolution and for future reference.
Finally, view these challenges as learning opportunities. Unexpected results can lead to new insights and innovations that strengthen your project in the long run.
By remaining flexible, communicating effectively, and being willing to adjust your approach, you can navigate the uncertainties of action research and continue making progress towards your goals.
Professor Alan Dix explains externalization, a creative process that can help designers to adapt to unexpected roadblocks and find a good way forward:
Action research can significantly contribute to inclusive and accessible design by directly involving users with diverse needs in the research and design process. When designers engage individuals from various backgrounds, abilities and experiences, they can gain a deeper understanding of the wide range of user requirements and preferences. This approach ensures that the products or services they develop cater to a broader audience, including those with disabilities.
Furthermore, action research allows for iterative testing and feedback loops with users. This quality enables designers to identify and address accessibility challenges early in the design process. The continuous engagement helps in refining designs to be more user-friendly and inclusive.
Additionally, action research fosters a culture of empathy and understanding within design teams, as it emphasizes the importance of seeing the world from the users' perspectives. This empathetic approach leads to more thoughtful and inclusive design decisions, ultimately resulting in products and services that are accessible to everyone.
By prioritizing inclusivity and accessibility through action research, designers can create more equitable and accessible solutions that enhance the user experience for all.
Take our Master Class How to Design for Neurodiversity: Inclusive Content and UX with Katrin Suetterlin, UX Content Strategist, Architect and Consultant.
To ensure the reliability and validity of data in action research, follow these steps:
Define clear research questions: Start with specific, clear research questions to guide your data collection. This clarity helps in gathering relevant and focused data.
Use multiple data sources: Collect data from various sources to cross-verify information. This triangulation strengthens the reliability of your findings.
Apply consistent methods: Use consistent data collection methods throughout your research. If conducting surveys or interviews, keep questions consistent across participants to ensure comparability.
Engage in peer review: Have peers or experts review your research design and data analysis. Feedback can help identify biases or errors, and enhance the validity of your findings.
Document the process: Keep detailed records of your research process, including how you collected and analyzed data. Documentation allows others to understand and validate your research methodology.
Test and refine instruments: If you’re using surveys or assessment tools, test them for reliability and validity before using them extensively. Pilot testing helps refine these instruments, and ensures they accurately measure what they intend to.
When you adhere to these principles, you can enhance the reliability and validity of your action research data, leading to more trustworthy and impactful outcomes.
Take our Data-Driven Design: Quantitative Research for UX course.
To analyze data collected during an action research project, follow these steps:
Organize the data: Begin by organizing your data, categorizing information based on types, sources or research questions. This organization makes the data manageable and prepares you for in-depth analysis.
Identify patterns and themes: Look for patterns, trends and themes within your data. This might mean to code qualitative data or use statistical tools for quantitative data to uncover recurring elements or significant findings.
Compare findings to objectives: Match your findings against the research objectives. Assess how the data answers your research questions or addresses the issues you set out to explore.
Use software tools: Consider using data analysis software, especially for complex or large data sets. Tools like NVivo for qualitative data or SPSS for quantitative data can simplify analysis and help in identifying insights.
Draw conclusions: Based on your analysis, draw conclusions about what the data reveals. Look for insights that answer your research questions or offer solutions to the problem you are investigating.
Reflect and act: Reflect on the implications of your findings. Consider how they impact your understanding of the research problem and what actions they suggest for improvement or further investigation.
This approach to data analysis ensures a thorough understanding of the collected data, allowing you to draw meaningful conclusions and make informed decisions based on your action research project.
Professor Ann Blandford, Professor of Human-Computer Interaction, UCL explains valuable aspects of data collection in this video:
Baskerville, R. L., & Wood-Harper, A. T. (1996). A critical perspective on action research as a method for information systems research . Journal of Information Technology, 11(3), 235-246.
This influential paper examines the philosophical underpinnings of action research and its application in information systems research, which is closely related to UX design. It highlights the strengths of action research in addressing complex, real-world problems, as well as the challenges in maintaining rigor and achieving generalizability. The paper helped establish action research as a valuable methodology in the information systems and UX design fields.
Di Mascio, T., & Tarantino, L. (2015). New Design Techniques for New Users: An Action Research-Based Approach . In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services Adjunct (pp. 83-96). ACM.
This paper describes an action research project that aimed to develop a novel data gathering technique for understanding the context of use of a technology-enhanced learning system for children. The authors argue that traditional laboratory experiments struggle to maintain relevance to the real world, and that action research, with its focus on solving practical problems, is better suited to addressing the needs of new ICT products and their users. The paper provides insights into the action research process and reflects on its value in defining new methods for solving complex, real-world problems. The work is influential in demonstrating the applicability of action research in the field of user experience design, particularly for designing for new and underserved user groups.
Villari, B. (2014). Action research approach in design research . In Proceedings of the 5th STS Italia Conference A Matter of Design: Making Society through Science and Technology (pp. 306-316). STS Italia Publishing.
This paper explores the application of action research in the field of design research. The author argues that design is a complex practice that requires interdisciplinary skills and the ability to engage with diverse communities. Action research is presented as a research strategy that can effectively merge theory and practice, linking the reflective dimension to practical activities. The key features of action research highlighted in the paper are its context-dependent nature, the close relationship between researchers and the communities involved, and the iterative process of examining one's own practice and using research insights to inform future actions. The paper is influential in demonstrating the value of action research in addressing the challenges of design research, particularly in terms of bridging the gap between theory and practice and fostering collaborative, user-centered approaches to design.
Brandt, E. (2004). Action research in user-centred product development . AI & Society, 18(2), 113-133.
This paper reports on the use of action research to introduce new user-centered work practices in two commercial product development projects. The author argues that the growing complexity of products and the increasing importance of quality, usability, and customization demand new collaborative approaches that involve customers and users directly in the development process. The paper highlights the value of using action research to support these new ways of working, particularly in terms of creating and reifying design insights in representations that can foster collaboration and continuity throughout the project. The work is influential in demonstrating the applicability of action research in the context of user-centered product development, where the need to bridge theory and practice and engage diverse stakeholders is paramount. The paper provides valuable insights into the practical challenges and benefits of adopting action research in this domain.
1. Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (Eds.). (2001). Handbook of action research: Participative inquiry and practice . SAGE Publications.
This comprehensive handbook is considered a seminal work in the field of action research. It provides a thorough overview of the history, philosophical foundations, and diverse approaches to action research. The book features contributions from leading scholars and practitioners, covering topics such as participatory inquiry, critical action research, and the role of action research in organizational change and community development. It has been highly influential in establishing action research as a rigorous and impactful research methodology across various disciplines.
2. Stringer, E. T. (2013). Action Research (4th ed.) . SAGE Publications.
This book by Ernest T. Stringer is a widely recognized and accessible guide to conducting action research. It provides clear, step-by-step instructions on the action research process, including gathering information, interpreting and explaining findings, and taking action to address practical problems. The book is particularly valuable for novice researchers and practitioners in fields such as education, social work, and community development, where action research is commonly applied. Its practical approach and real-life examples have made it a go-to resource for those seeking to engage in collaborative, solution-oriented research.
3. McNiff, J. (2017). Action Research: All You Need to Know (1st ed.) . SAGE Publications.
This book by Jean McNiff provides a comprehensive guide to conducting action research projects. It covers the key steps of the action research process, including identifying a problem, developing an action plan, implementing changes, and reflecting on the outcomes. The book is influential in the field of action research as it offers practical advice and strategies for practitioners across various disciplines, such as education, healthcare, and organizational development. It emphasizes the importance of critical reflection, collaboration, and the integration of theory and practice, making it a valuable resource for those seeking to engage in rigorous, transformative research.
What is a primary characteristic of action research in UX design?
Which type of action research improves system efficiency and effectiveness?
What role do stakeholders play in collaborative action research?
How do users in action research benefit the design process?
What is the purpose of the reflection stage in the action research process?
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Here’s the entire UX literature on Action Research by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:
Take a deep dive into Action Research with our course User Research – Methods and Best Practices .
How do you plan to design a product or service that your users will love , if you don't know what they want in the first place? As a user experience designer, you shouldn't leave it to chance to design something outstanding; you should make the effort to understand your users and build on that knowledge from the outset. User research is the way to do this, and it can therefore be thought of as the largest part of user experience design .
In fact, user research is often the first step of a UX design process—after all, you cannot begin to design a product or service without first understanding what your users want! As you gain the skills required, and learn about the best practices in user research, you’ll get first-hand knowledge of your users and be able to design the optimal product—one that’s truly relevant for your users and, subsequently, outperforms your competitors’ .
This course will give you insights into the most essential qualitative research methods around and will teach you how to put them into practice in your design work. You’ll also have the opportunity to embark on three practical projects where you can apply what you’ve learned to carry out user research in the real world . You’ll learn details about how to plan user research projects and fit them into your own work processes in a way that maximizes the impact your research can have on your designs. On top of that, you’ll gain practice with different methods that will help you analyze the results of your research and communicate your findings to your clients and stakeholders—workshops, user journeys and personas, just to name a few!
By the end of the course, you’ll have not only a Course Certificate but also three case studies to add to your portfolio. And remember, a portfolio with engaging case studies is invaluable if you are looking to break into a career in UX design or user research!
We believe you should learn from the best, so we’ve gathered a team of experts to help teach this course alongside our own course instructors. That means you’ll meet a new instructor in each of the lessons on research methods who is an expert in their field—we hope you enjoy what they have in store for you!
We believe in Open Access and the democratization of knowledge . Unfortunately, world-class educational materials such as this page are normally hidden behind paywalls or in expensive textbooks.
If you want this to change , cite this page , link to us, or join us to help us democratize design knowledge !
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What is an oer advocacy action plan.
Your OER advocacy action plan provides you with a step-by-step structure to help you achieve your goals for promoting the use of OER within your institution and in higher education more broadly. With the goal of gaining support for greater OER use in educational institutions, you need an effective plan to communicate to key stakeholders the message that your OER activities have significance. An OER advocacy plan will keep you on track to convince those with influence to make the changes needed to promote the use of OER. Your plan can be a living document that you revisit as you review the results of your advocacy activities and refine your advocacy strategy.
'OER Advocacy – Create an Action Plan for OER Advocacy' in the CAUL OER Advocacy Toolkit by CAUL , licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license, adapted from OER Advocacy Plan Worksheet by SPARC , used under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Planning your OER advocacy will help you tailor your activities for a particular purpose and audience. An advocacy plan will help you identify what you need to prepare before you implement your strategy. This allows you to focus on what's important in a specific situation so that you achieve your intended outcomes. Once you have evidence of the benefits of using OER to support your advocacy, you can communicate your tailored message to your stakeholders.
Your OER advocacy plan will need to include a number of key elements, which will be discussed in more detail throughout this section of the Toolkit . Resources designed to help you understand these elements, what you need to consider in your plan and what a completed plan should look like include:
Long-term plans.
These opportunities will require some long-term planning to set up but can deliver a high impact:
These opportunities will need some short-term planning to arrange the sessions and activities:
Prepare some talking points in case any spontaneous opportunities arise in the course of your day to advocate for OER. At work events, before or after meetings or in the elevator you may have an opportunity to quickly talk about the value of OER.
Lumen Learning's OER Champion Playbook provides more ideas to build on these strategies.
Micro activities can be implemented quickly to garner small wins. You can use them to spread the message about OER at your institution or to gather feedback you can use to further your OER agenda.
'Micro Activities for Quick OER Advocacy Wins' in the CAUL OER Advocacy Toolkit by CAUL , licensed under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
Some examples of micro activities for OER advocacy include:
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An Action Research Plan for school including pre, during and final implementation
Flordelez Cailing
ABSTRACT This research is a reading comprehension intervention, a total class of grade I and II pupils in Multigrade class, on the reading comprehension level of ten pupils out of 20 grades I and II pupils at risk for reading failure. They belong to the Frustration Level of their reading comprehension. Pre-test and Post reading was administered to Grade I and II pupils using set of passages from the PHIL-IRI and Developmental Reading Power to determine the reading comprehension skills of each pupils. This study aimed to improve the comprehension skills of grades I and II pupils in Multigrade class. The result showed that ten of the pupils significantly improved in their reading comprehension skills using graphic organizer. All target pupils’ in reading comprehension scores on the standardized PHIL-IRI passages and from the Developmental Reading Power were higher in the post test than at the pre-test. More comprehension gains were found in Phil-IRI passages that did not found in the intervention. Social validity measures taken from the teachers, parents, and pupils revealed positive evaluations of the intervention. Limitations, future direction on research, and applied inferences are discussed.
Joenel Demegillo
This descriptive research study was conducted to determine the relationship of reading comprehension and mathematics performance of the 302 pupils at Anecito Panolino Elementary School of Division of Passi City for the school year 2014-2015. The Phil-IRI test, the profile questionnaire and first periodical grade of pupils in Mathematics were used as the data gathering tool. The statistical tools used were frequencies, means, standard deviation, t-test, one-way Analysis of Variance, and Pearson Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation. Acceptance or rejection of the null hypotheses was based on the.05 alpha level. The pupils of Anecito Panolino Elementary School were males and were in ages six to ten years old. They belong to a family that is earning below the poverty line and were enrolled in Grade V. They have a weak reading comprehension as to speed level, reading level, and comprehension level despite of gender, age, grade level and family income. In gender and family income there is almost a significant difference however in age and grade level it showed almost no significance on reading comprehension. Regardless of groupings, mathematics performance of the pupils was an “unsatisfactory” rating. Significant difference in mathematics performance of the pupils was found on gender however, there is none with respect to age, family income and grade level. The positive correlation between the pupils speed level, reading level, comprehension level and mathematics performance was determined in the study.
Jestoni Jest Pestaño
pilar limin
DepEd Malolos - Region III
Joey R . Cabigao, PhD
This study primarily aims to determine the relationship of teachers’ organizational commitment and instructional competence. Organizational commitment is measured using four dimensions (Celep, 2000) while instructional competence is quantified using DepEd’s Instructional Tool. The study hypothesizes (Ho)that teachers’ organizational commitment and instructional competence have no significant relationship. Descriptive correlational method is utilized with 32 teachers of Malolos City High School-Santisima Trinidad as respondents for SY 2016-2017. Pearson r is employed to identify the degree of relationship at .05 level of significance. Among the four dimensions, the study reveals that only teachers’ Commitment to School (p-value= .020) has a significant relationship with instructional competence. As teachers’ commitment to school becomes stronger, instructional competence goes higher. Other three dimensions have no significant relationships with instructional competence. The study suggests to (1) develop school-initiated program to enhance teachers’ commitment to school leading to higher instructional competence; (2) align school practices with DepEd standards to maximize resources in delivering quality services thus building a good image to school; (3) ensure that institutional vision, mission, and core values are properly articulated to teachers as their guides in the service; and (4) conduct similar studies with larger number of teacher-respondents to determine if the other three aforementioned dimensions have significant relationships with instructional competence. Keywords – organizational commitment; commitment to school; commitment to teaching work; commitment to teaching occupation; commitment to work; instructional competence
edna albaran
This study attempted to enhance the Oral Reading Competence of Grades Four to Six pupil respondents through Remedial Instruction. Specifically, this study sought to answers to the following questions: 1. What is the Oral Reading Competence of Grades Four to Six pupil respondents after conducting two months remedial reading instruction? 2. What is the profile of Grades Four to Six pupil respondents considering the following: sex, attitudes towards oral reading, teacher traits, teaching methodology, exposure to reading materials 3. What is the Oral Reading Competence in English of the Grades Four to Six pupil respondents on the following: pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, comprehension and overall results on enhancement oral reading skills after remedial instruction
salvador emproso jr
Kristine Chumacera
THE LEVEL OF ACADEMIC STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF GRADE SIX-BERYL PUPILS AT EM’S SIGNAL VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, S.Y. 2019-2020
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Haley De Korne
International Journal of Education and Evaluation
Bernardo Zabala Jr
International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS)
IAES Journals
michael maglaque
Frederick Edward Fabella
Roylan dela Cruz
Paul Delgado
maredy melo
SAMSUDIN N. ABDULLAH, PhD, Published in an International Journal of Science, Engineering and Management (IJSEM), ISSN (Online): 2456-1304, Volume 5, Issue 5, May 2020
SAMSUDIN N ABDULLAH, PhD
International Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR)
IJAR Indexing
MARILYN CASTRO
Jonny Viray
Julie Anne Carmona
Dalaguete PH
GEORGE LUMAYAG
Francis Dayrell Camba
Angelo Villanueva
Ernie Cerado , SAMSUDIN N ABDULLAH, PhD
reyzle armeza
Ryan Vincent Lañada
Ryan Vincent M Lañada
University of St. Lasalle
Melalyn Parales
Jenny Belza
Samsudin N. Abdullah, PhD, Instabright e-gazette Publication Journal, Volume 1, Issue 4
DR. DAVID C . BUENO
Maychelle Cuevas
Josefa V Gatdula
BERNARD EVANGELICOM JAMON
ACADEMIA.edu
Julieto Pelenio
Ariel Y Ramos , Prince Lunas , Tyrone Keine Paz , Angelica Manalaysay
Juliana Jalaludin
Cecilia L . Calub
Leonilo Capulso
Berta-Isabel Cuadrado Alvarez
Jedah Carrasco
Blog August 21, 2024
Viswakanth Makutam, PharmD, MS, ACRP-CP, Clinical Research Quality Associate
One of the most common and important types of quality management measures in clinical research is the Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) plan. Learning the CAPA process will provide insight into how corrective and preventive actions are handled, along with creating an effective game plan for your use of CAPAs.
The CAPA template can be used by manufacturers or providers of products, services, or goods who have identified a potential issue that may lead to compliance failures. CAPAs protect clinical research participants, taking into account their rights and welfare during a trial while also ensuring the accuracy and credibility of the data collected from their study experiences. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical firms rely on quality as the core of their operations, and one should not lose sight of this fact when implementing CAPAs because, with proper application, high standards will always be upheld.
What is CAPA in Clinical Research?
CAPA plans are essential for conducting clinical trials in terms of minimizing risks to participants and ensuring that their rights, as well as welfare, are protected. Moreover, these plans safeguard the study data by preventing any sort of breach affecting safety and efficacy, which is essential for upholding high-value research. Incorporating CAPAs in an organization allows for identifying the root cause of problems that arise, thereby preventing recurrence and providing effective project management.
Several basic steps constitute the CAPA process:
Corrective Actions
These are immediate responses taken to correct a problem/quality issue which has already occurred. One vital method involved is the utilization of tools such as the 5 WHYs to investigate whether a particular problem that arose was incidental, or if it might lead to some serious impacts in the future (more about this below). Important considerations when establishing corrective actions include distinguishing between real and perceived problems and understanding how big the problem is. Situation-specific details regarding a CAPA plan’s use must be recorded once any corrective action has been made. This documentation serves as a future reference while ensuring that corrective actions can be validated as working as intended and that duplicate issues do not occur.
The 5 WHYs Method
The 5 WHYs method is a problem-solving tool where you ask “Why?” five times to find the root cause of an event. In this example, the cause of a site coordinator’s failure to ship a blood sample is being investigated by a sponsor:
In this process, we found the root cause: Due to the limited staff recruitment budget, the site coordinator was overburdened and ultimately forgot about shipping the blood sample. Identifying the root cause allows for a proper corrective action that helps avoid a resurgence of the same issue later.
Preventive Actions
Preventive actions are performed to get rid of the root causes of real or potential defects and keep them from leading to first-time or repeat problems. This involves preparing a full-blown contingency plan—your risk profile for what could happen or potentially go awry. Everyone who has a task or role in reaching a resolution for a defect through preventive action should approve this CAPA plan (principal investigators, research coordinators, quality assurance managers, other site staff, etc.). That way the CAPA has a high chance of preventing a variety of future quality problems and not just any single problem.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers information about the design and use of CAPA plans for medical devices, which are also addressed in Subpart J of 21 CFR Part 820 in the Code of Federal Regulations . Details on CAPA within the Pharmaceutical Quality System are also available from the FDA.
Conclusion
To sum it up, CAPA plans represent a critical quality management system implemented in clinical research to close compliance issues and prevent their recurrence. With the central CAPA process, clinical research sites can maintain quality control and mitigate risk for participants by identifying areas of protocol non-compliance. Using corrective and preventive actions, in addition to proper documentation and validation, ensures that quality problems are fixed in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner. Develop and adopt your own CAPAs if you haven’t already to achieve better quality in your clinical research organization and greater success in your clinical trials.
Contributed by Viswakanth Makutam, PharmD, MS, ACRP-CP, a Clinical Research Quality Associate and volunteer peer reviewer for ACRP’s Clinical Researcher journal
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Blog Beginner Guides What is an Action Plan & How to Write One [With Examples]
Written by: Danesh Ramuthi Oct 26, 2023
An action plan is a meticulously structured strategy that pinpoints specific steps, tasks and resources vital to turning a goal into reality. It is extremely useful in any project management.
Crafting an action plan is like plotting a route for a cross-country journey. It’s the strategic map that outlines every step, decision and pitstop needed to reach your ultimate destination.
With a well-thought-out action plan, you’re not just shooting in the dark; you’re making informed, purposeful strides towards your goals. Dive deep with our guide and witness real-world examples that will inspire and guide you.
Need a tool to kickstart your planning? Try out the Venngage business plan maker and explore their extensive collection of action plan templates .
Click to jump ahead:
When to develop an action plan, 7 components of a actions plan, 15 action plan examples.
An action plan serves as a strategic tool designed to outline specific steps, tasks and goals necessary to achieve a particular objective.
Its primary purpose is to provide a clear roadmap and direction for individuals, teams or organizations to follow in order to efficiently and effectively accomplish their goals.
Action plans break down complex projects into manageable, actionable components, making it easier to track progress and stay on course.
Moreover, action plans play a crucial role in fostering accountability and coordination among team members. By assigning responsibilities and deadlines for each task or milestone, they ensure that everyone involved is aware of their roles and the overall timeline, reducing confusion and enhancing teamwork.
Additionally, action plans help in resource allocation, budgeting and risk management by enabling stakeholders to identify potential challenges and plan for contingencies.
Overall, the purpose of an action plan is to transform abstract goals into concrete actions, making them more achievable and measurable while ensuring that the resources and efforts are aligned with the desired outcomes.
Developing an action plan is crucial when you’re looking to achieve a specific goal or outcome. Here are instances when you should consider developing an action plan:
An action plan is a detailed outline that breaks down the steps necessary to achieve a specific goal. Here are the typical components of an action plan.
The cornerstone of your action plan is the objective or goal. This should be a clear and concise statement outlining the desired outcome or result. Having a well-defined objective provides a direction and purpose to the entire plan, ensuring all tasks and actions are aligned towards achieving this singular aim.
Once the objective is set, the next step is to list down the specific tasks or actions required to achieve this goal. These tasks should be broken down into detailed steps, ensuring no essential activity is overlooked. The granularity of these tasks can vary based on the complexity of the goal.
For each task or action, set a realistic and achievable deadline. This timeline ensures that the plan stays on track and that momentum is maintained throughout the execution. It also allows for monitoring progress and identifying potential delays early.
It’s crucial to recognize and list the resources you’ll need to complete the tasks. This can encompass financial resources, human resources, equipment, technological tool, marketing planning software or any other assets. Identifying these early ensures that there are no bottlenecks during execution due to a lack of necessary resources.
Assign a person or a team for each task. This designation ensures accountability and clarity. When individuals are aware of their responsibilities, it reduces overlap, confusion and ensures that every task has someone overseeing its completion.
Every plan will face challenges. By anticipating potential barriers or obstacles, you can be better prepared to address them. This proactive approach ensures smoother execution and less reactionary problem-solving.
Determine how you’ll measure the success of each task or the plan overall. KPIs are tangible metrics that allow you to gauge progress and determine whether you’re moving closer to your goals and objectives. They offer a quantifiable means to evaluate success.
Action plans serve as blueprints, guiding the steps and resources needed to achieve a specific goal.
They come in various formats, tailored to different scenarios and objectives. Here, we present a range of action plan examples that cater to diverse purposes and situations.
From business strategies to simple task lists, these examples illustrate the versatility and importance of well-structured planning.
A business action plan is essentially a strategy roadmap, meticulously tailored for realizing broader business objectives. By crafting a solid action plan, businesses can channel their resources, manpower and strategies in a direction that harmonizes with their larger vision.
Key to this plan is the identification and alignment of steps that resonate with the company’s comprehensive strategy, ambitions of growth and aspirations for operational enhancements.
While this might entail a myriad of specific steps based on unique business goals, some common elements include setting clear key performance indicators (KPIs), undertaking a thorough SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to grasp the current business landscape and establishing a timeline to keep track of progress.
Furthermore, allocating responsibilities to team members or individuals ensures that every aspect of the strategy has a dedicated focus. Budgeting, essential to the success of the action plan, ensures that every initiative is financially viable and sustainable.
Regular reviews and iterations based on feedback and changing market dynamics keep the action plan agile and relevant.
Related: 5 Steps to Create an Actionable Employee Development Plan [with Templates & Examples]
A comprehensive company action plan serves as the strategic linchpin, ensuring a coherent and coordinated approach to realizing organizational goals. Central to this plan is the incorporation of rigorous market research and analysis, which provides insights into consumer behaviors, market trends and potential opportunities.
Equally vital is the focus on product development and procurement, ensuring that the offerings align with market demands and stand out in terms of quality and relevance.
Alongside, adept legal and financial management safeguards the company’s interests, ensuring compliance with regulations and prudent fiscal oversight.
Moreover, the essence of any successful company action plan lies in its sales and marketing strategies. These define how the products or services are positioned and promoted in the market, ensuring visibility and engagement with the target audience.
However, while acquisition is crucial, retention plays an equally significant role. Hence, impeccable customer service and nurturing relationships become indispensable components, fostering loyalty and ensuring that clients remain ambassadors for the brand long after the initial transaction.
Related: 30+ Project Plan Examples to Visualize Your Strategy (2023)
A well-structured sales action plan serves as the backbone for systematic and efficient progress. Central to this plan is the identification and utilization of the most effective sales channels, whether they are direct, online or through third-party avenues.
Clarity on the products and services on offer, combined with their unique selling propositions, facilitates tailored and resonant sales pitches.
Budget considerations ensure that resources are judiciously allocated, balancing the act between expenditures and potential returns. This financial prudence is complemented by setting realistic sales projections, which act as both a motivational target and a yardstick for success.
Timelines, or proposed deadlines, infuse the process with a sense of urgency, ensuring that the momentum of the sales drive is maintained.
However, the true measure of the action plan’s efficacy lies in its key performance indicators (KPIs). These metrics, be it lead conversion rates or customer retention figures, serve as tangible markers, highlighting the plan’s strengths and signaling areas that might require recalibration to increase sales.
The essence of a corrective action plan lies in its meticulous structure, tailored to address and rectify deviations or inefficiencies identified within an organization. At its core, each action item serves as a focal point, detailing specific areas or processes that require intervention.
Accompanying each action item is a clear description that provides a comprehensive understanding of the issue at hand.
However, merely identifying a problem isn’t enough; delving deep into its origins through root cause analysis ensures that solutions target the fundamental issues, rather than just addressing superficial symptoms.
This analysis then paves the way for defining the corrective action, a tangible step or series of steps designed to mitigate the identified problem and prevent its recurrence.
Besides, to ensure the plan’s effectiveness, assigning a responsible person to each action item is paramount. This individual or team is entrusted with the task’s execution, ensuring accountability and focus.
The status of each action keeps stakeholders informed about the progress, be it in the planning phase, ongoing, or completed.
Lastly, setting a due date for each corrective action introduces a sense of urgency and purpose, ensuring that issues are addressed in a timely manner, minimizing disruptions and maximizing operational efficiency.
A simple action plan strips away the layers of complexity, offering a concise and direct approach to achieving a goal or addressing an issue. This type of plan is characterized by its straightforward structure, devoid of extraneous details, yet powerfully effective in its clarity.
It is specifically designed for tasks or objectives that don’t necessitate elaborate strategies or multi-layered approaches.
The core components of a simple action plan usually include a clear statement of the task or objective at hand, followed by a sequence of actions or steps to be taken.
Each step is described succinctly, ensuring that anyone involved has a clear understanding of what is expected. Responsibilities are defined clearly, with each task allocated to an individual or a team, ensuring accountability. Timelines might be integrated, providing a clear framework for completion, even if they’re just broad milestones.
Regular check-ins or assessments, although minimal, might be incorporated to monitor progress.
The beauty of a simple action plan lies in its agility and adaptability, making it particularly suited for individual projects, short-term tasks or situations where a rapid response is required.
Creating an effective action plan is a foundational step towards turning aspirations into tangible results. It provides a clear roadmap, ensuring that each step taken aligns with the overall objective.
Whether you’re aiming to enhance a business process or achieve a personal goal, a well-drafted action plan can be your guiding light. Here’s key steps on how you can craft one:
An action plan is more than just an action steps, it’s a strategic blueprint that bridges the gap between aspirations and realizations.
Through this comprehensive guide, I’ve walked you through the purpose, ideal timings, core components, and practical examples of action plans across various domains.
Leveraging tools of project management , you can track progress, assign tasks and ensure every team member stays on the same page.
It’s not just about setting goals, but about strategically planning every step, ensuring tasks completed align with the larger project goals.
Remember, success isn’t just about having goals but about charting the right course to achieve them
And if you’re looking to supercharge your planning efforts, don’t miss out on the Venngage business plan maker.
Dive into their extensive collection of action plan templates and make your strategic planning both efficient and effective.
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In project management, an action plan is a document that lists the action steps needed to achieve project goals and objectives. Therefore, an action plan clarifies what resources you’ll need to reach those goals, makes a timeline for the action items and determines what team members are required. We’ll define what project goals, project objectives, action items and action steps are later in this guide.
An action plan is similar to a project implementation plan, and it’s very helpful during the project planning and project execution phases. That’s because an action plan documents the execution of the project plan; it’s a detailed list of the work that must be done to complete the project goals, from the start of the project to the finish.
Take a look at this sample of an action plan. We used our free action plan template for Excel and filled out some potential marketing tasks, phases and assignees. It’s a thorough action plan that accounts for progress, timelines, planned hours, resources and even costs. It’s a great place to start when making your own action plan. Download it and keep reading to make an ideal action plan.
An action plan answers the who, what and when of what you’re proposing. Those questions are answered by the various components that make up an action plan. The following are the basic building blocks of a successful action plan.
Not only are you figuring out the action steps and timeline, but you’ll also determine who you’ll assemble for your project team to work on those tasks. This requires robust project management software like ProjectManager . ProjectManager offers multiple action planning tools such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, project calendars and more. Best of all, these project planning views sync with project dashboards, timesheets and workload charts to keep track of progress, project resources and costs.
There are many different types of action plans that are used on various kinds of strategic initiatives. Each is similar in makeup but differs in their goals. Here are a few of the varieties of action plans.
A business action plan is used to set goals and tasks when you want to start a business or grow an existing business. It outlines the vision for the business and the actions you’ll take to achieve that vision.
An action plan for a project is really no different from a general action plan. The only difference is that it’s about producing a deliverable at the end of the plan, whether that be a product or service.
Again, a personal action plan differs little from any other action plan except for the goal. For example, a personal action plan might be for an individual to exercise more. Therefore, the goal might be to walk for a half-hour a day, say, during lunchtime.
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Use this free Action Plan Template for Excel to manage your projects better.
The benefits of an action plan are simple: you’ve now outlined what action steps and what resources are needed to reach your stated project goals. By having this collected in a single project management document, you can more successfully plan out how to execute your project plan.
People get overwhelmed by project management jargon when having to plan out a project, but the word “action” everyone can understand. The fundamentals to getting an action plan together for any project follow these four project planning basic steps:
There’s a difference between project goals and project objectives. Project goals refer to the high-level goals that the project will achieve. Those generally align with the strategic planning and business objectives of organizations.
The project objectives are much more specific than the project goals. Project objectives refer to the deliverables and milestones that need to be completed to achieve your project goals.
The action steps are a group of related tasks or action items that must be executed to produce project deliverables.
Action items are small, individual tasks that make up the action steps that are outlined in your action plan. First, you need to identify task dependencies among them, and then assign those action items a priority level so that they’re executed sequentially.
Now that you’ve divided the work required to accomplish your action plan, you’ll need to assign action items to your project team members and define their roles and responsibilities.
As with your project plan, your action plan has resource requirements. Having identified your action steps and action items will help you understand what resources are needed for each task and allocate them accordingly.
Your action plan needs to be monitored and controlled to measure its performance. That’s why it’s important that you set SMART goals for your action items, action steps and your project objectives. SMART goals stand for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.
As a project manager, you’ll need to do your best to estimate how long it’ll take to complete your action items and action steps. Once you do so, you’ll have a timeline. You can use project management techniques like PERT charts or the critical path method to better estimate the duration of your project action plan.
Create or use a simple action plan template to collect tasks, deadlines and assignments. This is the place where everything task-related goes in your project action plan, so you have a place for all this crucial information.
Writing an action plan template it’s a great idea because you’ll need to use that format throughout the project. That’s why we’ve created a free action plan template that you can download. There are also dozens of other free project management templates for Excel and Word that can help you with every phase of your project.
Use a project management tool to keep you on task. ProjectManager has project planning features that help you monitor and report on project progress and performance. Get a high-level view of the action plan with our live dashboards. Unlike other tools, we don’t make you set up the dashboard.
Once you’ve mapped out your action plan, you can use project planning tools to zoom into all the details about your action steps and action items. With ProjectManager, you can calculate various metrics, such as project variance, workload and more. They’re displayed in easy-to-read charts and graphs. Share them with stakeholders to give them updates on action steps whenever they want.
Once you have an action plan, how do you work with it to run a successful project? Here are some tips to help with implementing your action plan:
We’ve been talking a lot about an action plan, but let’s take a look at one in-depth. Below, you’ll see our free action plan template . It’s set up for the development of a website.
It’s broken down into phases, the first being the project planning phase , which includes the action steps, market research and the design of the site. You’ll see that tasks are outlined for each action step, including a description of that task, who’s assigned to execute it, the priority and even the status of its completion.
This is followed by the third action step, which is the launch of the site. This is the execution phase of the action plan, but it follows the same format, such as noting the priority, who’s responsible for the work, what that work is and its status.
There’s also a timeline to define the start dates of each of the tasks in the action steps, including the planned hours. This allows you to determine the length of each task and the duration of the entire action plan, from start to finish.
Finally, there’s a place to add your resources. They’re broken down into departments, for example, marketing, web development, etc. Then the materials that are required for each task are listed, including their costs. This allows you to estimate the cost of the plan.
Follow along with this action plan example to see how action plans are typically laid out using project planning software .
ProjectManager can help you build your action plan and then execute it. Collect all your action steps tasks on our list view, which does more than light-weight to-do list apps because it allows you to then map your action plan with Gantt charts , project calendars and kanban boards. These robust project management tools allow you to prioritize action items, customize tags and show the percentage complete for each task. Our online project management software gives you real-time data to help you create an action plan and stick to it.
Once you’ve mapped out your action plan steps with ProjectManager’s project planning tools , you can assign tasks to your team members and indicate what resources are needed for the completion of each action item. Indicate their roles and responsibilities and set priority levels for each task to ensure the work is carried out properly.
It’s important to note all the phases of the project timeline to know what action steps and tasks will take place and when. In addition, ProjectManager’s Gantt chart allows you to identify project phases, find the critical path, and set due dates for project milestones and deliverables
Once you start the project, you’ll need to chart the progress of the work being done. This leads us to the real-time project dashboard , where you’ll check whether your action plan is on schedule and under budget.
Getting a plan together is only the first part of managing a project . Remember, it’s not something to write and put away, but rather it’s a living document that should follow you throughout the project life cycle. Jennifer Bridges, PMP, offers more tips on how to write an action plan in the video below.
Here’s a screenshot for your reference:
If you’re looking to make an action plan and then take action on it by executing, monitoring and reporting on a project, then you’ll want ProjectManager. Our online project management software lets you make an action plan online with multiple project planning tools such as Gantt charts, task lists, kanban boards and project calendars. Then, you can use timesheets, project dashboards and resource management tools to keep track of progress, time and costs.
ProjectManager’s Gantt chart is ideal to map out your action plan on an interactive project timeline that helps you organize your tasks, link dependencies and set milestones. More than that, you can filter for the critical path. When you’re done scheduling your action steps you can set a baseline. This allows you to always see the planned versus actual progress of your action plan to help you stay on track.
Once you’ve used the Gantt chart to create a timeline for your action plan, you can zoom into the nitty-gritty details of everyday work with kanban boards , task lists and project calendars. With these tools, you can assign tasks and give teams a collaborative platform to comment and share relevant documents with unlimited file storage and real-time communication features.
ProjectManager’s real-time action plan dashboards sync with all its project management tools so you can check the status of your action plan at any time. You can check on your team members’ progress to see who’s over or underallocated, check labor costs and track whether your team is on schedule.
ProjectManager gives you all the tools you need to create and implement a successful action plan. Regardless of the type of action plan that you need to create, our award-winning project management software makes it easy to do so. Get started with a free 30-day trial today.
Start planning your projects.
Since issuing a formal apology in October 2021 for our historical role in promoting, perpetuating, and failing to challenge racism and human hierarchy, APA has been steadfast in its mission to rectify systemic inequities and foster an inclusive and equitable future. The apology marked the beginning of a profound transformation within our organization—one that acknowledges the previous actions and inactions of APA and psychology, improves coordination across the association and field, and commits to substantial, lasting change.
This Racial Equity Action Plan Progress and Impact Report describes the collaborative efforts undertaken to date and the tangible progress made toward dismantling systemic racism in psychology and society at large, as well as the strategic principles guiding this work. This report does more than highlight APA’s progress on this complex issue. It reaffirms our dedication to building a more equitable future for all.
As outlined in this report, APA’s work to help advance racial equity has relied on systematic engagement, continuous introspection, and the establishment of critical infrastructure to foster sustainability. Underlying all these strategies is the foundational belief that equity, diversity, and inclusion must be infused into our association’s fabric if we are to reach our goals successfully.
This journey has not been perfect. However, each day has been a learning opportunity, and we have remained committed to the process. APA remains dedicated to taking responsibility for our role in perpetuating inequalities, and continuously learning and evolving as we move forward.
Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice President
Maysa Akbar, PhD, ABPP Chief Diversity Officer Chief of Psychology in the Public Interest
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APA’s EDI Framework and Racial Equity Action Plan
Demonstrating APA’s Work to Advance Racial Equity Aligned with the EDI Framework
Progress and Impact: From 2022 Audit on Racial Equity to Now
Detailed Impact Summaries Demonstrating Achievements in Advancing the REAP: Knowledge Production and Health Equity Priorities
Looking Ahead to 2025 and 2026
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Developing an action plan for your organization may help the process of incorporating and embedding research or community-based participatory research (CBPR) into your organization. This document includes a step by step guide on how to develop and maintain and action plan, a template action plan, and some sample goals/objectives.
Discover the key steps to creating an effective research plan for your business or project, from understanding your objectives and setting timelines to staying organized.
Action research is a method that investigates and solves an issue at the same time. Learn about its types, models, examples, advantages, disadvantages and how it differs from traditional research.
Action research is an approach to qualitative inquiry in social science research that involves the search for practical solutions to everyday issues. Rooted in real-world problems, it seeks not just to understand but also to act, bringing about positive change in specific contexts. Often distinguished by its collaborative nature, the action ...
The action plan is essentially a proposed strategy for implementing the results of your action research project. As the action plan is implemented, its effectiveness must continually be monitored, evaluated, and revised, thus perpetuating the cyclical nature of action research.
Learn how to design your research plan for action research, including what, when and who questions. Find out how to choose your research participants, data collection strategies and timeline.
Learn more about extensive research by exploring how to write a research plan with a step-by-step guide and some examples to help you get started.
The action plan is essentially a proposed strategy for implementing the results of your action research project. As the action plan is implemented, its effectiveness must continually be monitored, evaluated, and revised, thus perpetuating the cyclical nature of action research.
The Action Research Process. Module 1: Action Research. There are various models of the action research process. Some models are simple in their design while others appear relatively complex. Essentially, most of the models share similar elements with small variations. Action research models begin with the central problem or topic.
Action research - which is also known as Participatory Action Research (PAR), community-based study, co-operative enquiry, action science and action learning - is an approach commonly used for improving conditions and practices in a range healthcare environments (Lingard et al., 2008; Whitehead et al., 2003). It involves healthcare practitioners conducting systematic enquiries in order to ...
Action research is a systematic approach researchers, educators, and practitioners use to identify and address problems or challenges within a specific context. It involves a cyclical process of planning, implementing, reflecting, and adjusting actions based on the data collected.
Action research A type of applied research designed to find the most effective way to bring about a desired social change or to solve a practical problem, usually in collaboration with those being researched.
A general definition of action research is the following: "Action research brings together action and reflection, as well as theory and practice, in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern" (Bradbury, 2015, p. 1). Johnson (2019) defines action research in the field of education as ...
This brings us back to the essential steps of action research: identifying the problem, devising an action plan, implementing the plan, and finally, observing and reflecting upon the process. Your action research report should comprise all of these essential steps. Feldman and Weiss (n.d.) summarized them as five structural elements, which do ...
Individual Action Research allows for more control over the focus and the plan of the Action Research project. Individual Action Research can be accomplished on a small and efficient scale.
Research Action Plan Template Details File Format Google Docs MS Word Pages Size: A4, US Download To guide you in creating a research action plan, we have provided some examples (in PDF format) as well as tips on how to create a research action plan.
The action plan is essentially a proposed strategy for implementing the results of your action research project. As the action plan is implemented, its effectiveness must continually be monitored, evaluated, and revised, thus perpetuating the cyclical nature of action research.
A research proposal serves as a blueprint and guide for your research plan, helping you get organized and feel confident in the path forward you choose to take.
Action research is a methodology that emphasizes collaboration between researchers and participants to identify problems, develop solutions and implement changes. Designers plan, act, observe and reflect, and aim to drive positive change in a specific context. Action research prioritizes practical solutions and improvement of practice, unlike ...
OSU'S CENTER FOR TEACHING & LEARNING Action research is a systematic progressive process of meaningful investigation to improve an identified problem within one's own teaching practices. "Action research is characterized as research that is done by teachers for themselves" (Mertler, 2014, p.4). As a critical self-reflective process it may involve the individual working alone or ...
Activity 2: Using the research road map below, create your research plan. This should include your system for taking and keeping your research notes, as well as a calendar or timeline. Journal Question: What hindrances do you think you might have or will have to overcome to complete your research project?
An action plan template [43KB] - Use this template (adapted from the SPARC OER Advocacy Plan Worksheet by SPARC, used under a CC BY 4.0 licence) to start your plan and make it relevant to your situation and institution. Explanations of elements of the action plan: identifying OER advocacy opportunities; micro activities for quick wins
An Action Research Plan for school including pre, during and final implementation
This involves preparing a full-blown contingency plan—your risk profile for what could happen or potentially go awry. Everyone who has a task or role in reaching a resolution for a defect through preventive action should approve this CAPA plan (principal investigators, research coordinators, quality assurance managers, other site staff, etc.).
An action plan is a meticulously structured strategy that pinpoints specific steps, tasks and resources vital to turning a goal into reality. It is extremely useful in any project management. Crafting an action plan is like plotting a route for a cross-country journey. It's the strategic map that outlines every step, decision and pitstop ...
Learn how to write an action plan with steps and tips from Jennifer Bridges, PMP. Watch the video or read the text guide to action plans.
This Racial Equity Action Plan Progress and Impact Report describes the collaborative efforts undertaken to date and the tangible progress made toward dismantling systemic racism in psychology and society at large, as well as the strategic principles guiding this work. This report does more than highlight APA's progress on this complex issue.