Process: Do, learn, and adjust
Introduction to Do, learn, and adjust
Do, learn, and adjust in OGSM.online
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An OGSM is a dynamic plan. As you implement it, you gain new insights and learn from the results. Therefore, you must regularly evaluate and adjust your plan. From practical experience, we have developed a method applicable to all types of OGSM plans: from project plans to annual plans, from personal plans to multi-year plans.
Divide the total duration of the plan into smaller segments, for example quarters. This creates manageable periods. During such a period, you monitor progress and evaluate the results at the end. This involves two types of team sessions:
- Action review session: Here, your team answers the question: are we doing things right? This periodic session focuses on the progress of the actions.
- Strategy review session: This session focuses on the progress of the strategies and answers the question: are we doing the right things?
Action review: progress of actions
The team regularly discusses the status of ongoing actions. The aim is to gain insight into actions not going according to plan and to determine how their implementation can be improved.
Action owners prepare for the session by updating the status of their action in a progress report. This preparation allows you to immediately pinpoint issues during the session and decide how to handle them.
Components of the progress report:
- Progress: What percentage of the work is completed?
- Assessment of progress (traffic light): Is the execution going according to plan?
- Explanation: Why is the action green/amber/red? What do you need from the team?
In the session, the team discusses the actions that are not going according to plan and how they can improve the implementation.
Action review in OGSM.online:
Scheduling the sessions
The process owner, in consultation with the team, determines when the action and strategy review will take place. In OGSM.online, the process owner schedules these in the calendar. This ensures that action and strategy owners automatically receive a reminder to fill in their progress reports.
Read the article: Scheduling action and strategy review sessions.
Preparation for the action review
A week before the action review, action owners receive an email requesting them to prepare their progress reports. The email contains a link to the relevant actions.
The process owner checks the dashboard to see if all owners have added their reports.
Read the article: Monitor the status of preparation.
Before the action review, all team members read the reports to be well-prepared for the session.
Conducting the action review
During the session, you can display the reports on the screen. This ensures that everyone has the correct information at hand and allows you to make changes directly in the OGSM.
Strategy review: progress of strategies
The goal of the strategy reviews is to learn from the results of the actions and to update the OGSM based on new insights and developments. The focus of the strategy review lies on the strategies and indicators. The owners report on the status prior to the session:
- Measurements of the indicators: What results have been achieved?
- Assessment of progress: Is the strategy going according to plan? What do you think of the results?
- Explanation: What are the results of the past period? Why is the strategy green/amber/red? What changes do you propose?
In the session, the team discusses the strategies and considers what changes need to be made in the OGSM. Are new actions required? Should priorities or deadlines change? Are some actions no longer relevant?
Strategy review in OGSM.online
Scheduling the sessions
Like with the action review, the process owner sets the schedule for the strategy review in OGSM.online.
Read the article: Scheduling action and strategy review sessions.
Preparation for the strategy review
A week before the strategy review, strategy and action owners receive an email requesting them to prepare their progress reports. The email contains a link to the relevant strategies and actions.
The process owner checks the dashboard to see if all owners have added their reports.
Read the article: Monitor the status of preparation.
Before the strategy review, all team members read the reports to be well-prepared for the session.
Conducting the strategy review
During the session, you can display the reports on the screen. This ensures that everyone has the correct information at hand and allows you to make changes directly in the OGSM.