Process: Do, learn and adjust
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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:
- Doing session: Here, your team answers the question: are we doing things right? This periodic session focuses on the progress of the actions.
- Steering session: This session focuses on the progress of the strategies and answers the question: are we doing the right things?
Doing session: 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.
Doing session in OGSM.online:
Scheduling the sessions
The process owner, in consultation with the team, determines when the doing and steering sessions 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 doing and steering sessions.
Preparation for the doing session
A week before the doing session, 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 doing session, all team members read the reports to be well-prepared for the session.
Conducting the doing session
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.
Steering session: progress of strategies
The goal of the steering sessions is to learn from the results of the actions and to update the OGSM based on new insights and developments. The focus of the steering session 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?
Steering session in OGSM.online
Scheduling the sessions
Like with the doing sessions, the process owner sets the schedule for the adjust sessions in OGSM.online.
Read the article: Scheduling doing and steering sessions.
Preparation for the adjust session
A week before the adjust session, 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 adjust session, all team members read the reports to be well-prepared for the session.
Conducting the adjust session
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.