Action Planning Workshop Guide
A good action planning process converts an integrated evidence review into decisions. The workshop should not begin with survey results alone or become a defensive debate about whether employees are right.
Required preparation
Before the workshop, prepare a structured view of:
- employee insights, including X-Factors, EOF Key Drivers, question patterns and relevant group differences;
- current WMS commitments, organisational plans and existing initiatives;
- relevant HR, workforce and operational data; and
- the questions, context and hypotheses requiring leadership and SME reflection.
If these inputs are not available, use the session as a current-state review rather than asking participants to lock in detailed actions.
Suggested workshop outcomes
By the end of the workshop, participants should have:
- agreed the current-state story across all four inputs;
- identified the strongest and weakest EOF drivers;
- selected 3 to 5 priority focus areas;
- agreed which issues require enterprise action, local action or deeper diagnosis;
- identified owners, timeframes and measures;
- agreed what will be communicated to employees.
Suggested agenda
| Segment | Purpose | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|
| Context and purpose | Remind participants why the survey was run and how results will be used. | 10 min |
| Employee insights | Review the material X-Factors, dimensions, Key Drivers and question patterns. | 20 min |
| Current commitments and evidence | Review WMS commitments, current initiatives and relevant workforce and operational data. | 25 min |
| Leadership and SME reflection | Test the combined evidence, causes, gaps, constraints and practical influence. | 40 min |
| Priority selection | Apply the agreed criteria and select 3 to 5 focus areas. | 35 min |
| Action design | Define actions, owners, dependencies, measures and review points. | 45 min |
| Communication and close-the-loop | Agree what employees will be told and when. | 20 min |
Workshop questions
- What does the combined evidence tell us about the current state?
- What has Council already committed to through the WMS and existing plans?
- What workforce or operational data confirms or challenges the survey pattern?
- What do leaders and SMEs know that changes the interpretation?
- What should Council protect, improve or investigate?
- Which Key Drivers are most likely to move the X-Factors?
- Which issues are enterprise-wide and which are local?
- What would employees expect to hear from us after seeing these results?
- What can we credibly commit to in the next quarter?
Output template
Use Action Planning Template and Improvement Register Template.