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An action item refers to a specific task that is defined by a clear and concise roadmap detailing how, when, and who needs to accomplish it within the specified time. In simple terms, action items typically consist of the following details pertaining to a particular action, task, or course of action:
An essential feature of an action item is that it cannot be vague, abstract, or have other irrelevant tasks added into the mix. Action items are independent tasks, commonly listed in the form of bullet points. These can then be combined to achieve a larger, more complex objective.
Examples of action tasks are as follows:
There are various benefits of integrating action items within an organization. They include the following among many others:
Generally, a set of actionable items are combined together with the mission to achieve a broader or more comprehensive objective.
A relevant example may include taking meeting minutes during a client meeting. In order to track and follow up on the details of the discussion, client requirements, and deliverables, the project manager will create actionable items for the rest of the team with concise details of who needs to accomplish what and within which date.
An effective, and clearly-defined action item will have the following:
Following up is essential to accomplish any given task successfully. It is not unusual for errors, pending issues, or miscommunication to take place when you are working on a broader objective with multiple actionable tasks.
Having a process to follow up with deliverables is an effective way to mitigate missing deadlines and stick to the set timeline. There are many ways to monitor and track everyday tasks and overall performance in business.
A common approach is to follow a daily reporting routine, with time-tracking tools. An example would be having a list of tasks assigned to employees individually on an excel spreadsheet or any other project management tool, with dates of tasks being assigned, details of the tasks, and due dates.
Once a team member is assigned a new task, it will show up on their dedicated dashboard or sheet. If they click on it to begin working on it, the sheet will automatically update it to “work-in-progress” or “currently working on.”
This kind of tracking practice in business is great to keep a smooth workflow between employees, with no gaps in communication, and the line managers have real-time progress reports on their screens too. But in order to ensure such monitoring and real-time tracking is a success, one has to start with a clear, concise, and yet well-defined list of action items.