In this lesson you learn how to end your memo with an action plan that details what needs to happen based on the rest of the information you've presented.
When you've written a recommendation, the final section of your document, called the Next Steps section, should lay out the action plan you will follow if the recommendation is accepted. The plan should include the following information:
What, specifically, needs to happen next.
Who is, or should be, responsible for ensuring the completion of each step.
When each step will be complete.
Consider the recommendation discussed in Lesson 6, "Making Your Recommendation or Conclusions," to nationally expand the marketing plan that had been successfully tested in a small part of the United States. If management agrees to fund the national expansion, there are a number of things that need to happen right away. These include …
Immediately increasing production of the test market shampoo in order to have enough inventory on hand to supply national distribution needs.
Updating the materials the sales force will use to sell the shampoo to your customers.
Buying the media time needed to air your commercials nationally.
Given these immediate requirements, your next-steps section could look like this:
Note that the preceding example does not include much detail—just the task to be completed, the date it will be done, and the names of the people who are responsible for it. The level of detail you include in the Next Steps section depends on how much detail your readers need.
If the readers need only to be assured that you've thought of the required steps and assigned responsibility for them, a very brief section like the preceding example will suffice.
Caution
Don't assume everyone knows what steps are needed to complete the plan and who is responsible for each step, even if it seems obvious. Include all the steps needed so your memo can serve as a guide for the appropriate people.
Tip
Be sure to send a copy of your memo to everyone who is responsible for a next step. This will serve as a reminder to them about their responsibility, as well as documentation of who's supposed to do what.
In some cases, however, you may want to spell out the specifics of the plan in more detail. For example, producing and inventorying Brand X in sufficient quantities to support a national rollout may entail significant coordination of manufacturing schedules, and thus require a much more detailed action plan, such as the following.
Plain English
The sell-in is the period at the start of a new product introduction in which the product is first sold into the stores that will carry it. Since stores must usually build up an inventory of a new product, the sell-in can be a significant percentage of total sales for a new product introduction.
In cases where a detailed plan is needed, you may wish to put a brief description in the Next Steps section and include the more detailed plan as an appendix. You would, of course, reference the appendix in the appropriate place in the Next Steps section.
Caution
If you don't specify who's responsible for making sure each of the steps occurs, you run the risk of everyone assuming it's someone else's job and nothing getting done.
When you write summaries or analyses of data, you won't be requesting that specific steps be taken, since you're not recommending a plan. However, there are usually some actions that appear to be appropriate next steps, based on the information you've presented in your summary or analysis.
Suppose you're the market research director of a company that organizes and manages golf tournaments. You've recently completed research on what spectators most like to see at golf tournaments, and you wrote the research summary.
Caution
Be careful when you set deadlines for next steps or indication actions to ensure that those deadlines are realistic, particularly for items not directly in your control. Your reader will probably expect you to meet the deadlines you set, and be disappointed if you don't.
Tip
When listing next steps or indicated actions, use a bulleted or numbered list. Use bullets if the order of the actions isn't important, and numbers if the actions need to be in a specific order.
Let's assume your findings are as follows (in part):
These and other findings may have some implications for how you set up the golf courses you use for your tournaments. While this memo is intended to summarize the research findings, not to recommend a plan to improve spectator enjoyment of your tournaments, you may wish to provide a preview of the kinds of actions you believe would be appropriate. The place to do this is in the Indicated Actions section. In this example, your Indicated Actions section may look like this:
Notice that you've cited specific actions you may wish to take based on what you've learned. As with Next Steps sections, you've also laid out who will be taking the initiative to complete any actions indicated, and when those actions will be taken.
Tip
Sometimes you can't initiate the actions indicated by your findings. Nonetheless, you should describe what you plan to do, even if it's only to bring your findings to the attention of the individuals in the organization who can initiate action.
By writing a thorough, well-documented Next Steps section as outlined in this lesson, you can ensure that your recommendation is carried out the way you planned. You've not only provided a step-by-step process for each responsible individual to follow, but also created a written record of who is supposed to do what and by when.
For memos in which you propose a plan of action, conclude with a Next Steps section.
Your Next Steps section should include what needs to be done to implement the plan, who is responsible for doing it, and when it will be complete.
Conclude summaries and analyses with an Indicated Actions section.
Your Indicated Actions section should describe actions that may be appropriate for the organization to undertake, based on the findings or analysis you've done.
The Indicated Actions section should lay out what you plan to do to initiate each action, along with when you plan to do it. If you are not the person initiating the action, you should state who that person is.