13 Action Plan Templates for Excel, Word, PDF, and Google Docs

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Have you figured out what you want out of life?

Do you have a clear heading for where you want to go, what you want to achieve, or what your legacy will be?

You’ve probably heard of the quote attributed to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.

This is a great reminder that you must have a solid plan for achieving your goals. Otherwise, you will only be daydreaming and you’ll be left with nothing once the dreaming ends.

Today, we’d like to share with you a collection of templates for crafting an action plan for your major goals. Some of these templates are in printable PDF format, while others are in editable formats, such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Docs.

We hope they will inspire you to take action in life, despite any challenges you might face.

What Are Action Plan Templates?

An action plan template is a ready-made structure for goal setting. You can write down all the details, such as the specific goals you want to achieve, steps you’ll take, and resources you need for achieving them.

When applicable, action plans also indicate the people who will be helping you achieve your goals, milestones that signal progress, and the timeframe for each specific goal.

Companies and organizations usually use action plans for major projects. However, this goal-setting system can also be used in your personal life.

What Are the Benefits of Having an Action Plan?

Here are some of the ways you can benefit from a personal action plan:

  • Distills your goal, putting emphasis on what’s important to you
  • Provides an overview of your resources
  • Identifies areas where you need help so you can tap the right people to give you a hand
  • Promotes accountability for the goals you’ve set
  • Prevents procrastination, considering that you’ll most likely be working within a timeline
  • Motivates you to accomplish your goals
  • Maintains your motivation, even when you’re faced with challenges
  • Lessens the feeling of being overwhelmed due to the steps you need to take to achieve your goals

Keep on reading to check out some templates that will help you achieve your goals.

1. Goal Setting Action Planner

This action planner helps you create a step-by-step process for tackling your goals. It comes in MS Word format and is fully editable.

The template was designed for business or marketing goals. However, it can easily be edited to become a personal action planner.

Scroll down the original post until you reach the section “Download your own action planner template.” Click on the download link found in this section and you’ll instantly have an editable copy of the template with designated spaces for the following:

  • Goal
  • Action step
  • Responsible person
  • Deadline
  • Necessary resources
  • Potential challenges
  • Result

2. Templates for a Solid Action Plan

Creately offers several template designs to help with your goal setting. These templates are editable online. Signing up and logging in are necessary to save the changes you have made to the templates.

Some of the templates from this source are action plans for different purposes. Each one has unique features to give you as much detail as possible for achieving your goal.

3. PPT Templates for Action Plans

This collection of action plan templates is available for purchase and helps create a system for achieving deliverables and major work projects.

The collection contains visually appealing PPT slide templates that help lay out your action plans in different work scenarios.

4. Action Plan Google Slides Templates

SlideUpLift has a vast library of stunning PowerPoint templates for creating action plans for different goals. These templates help you deliver riveting presentations.

You can choose from a wide array of designs and specific purpose for your template.

A paid membership is required to access the full collection of resources and download the templates you need. Pricing differs for each template design, which can also be purchased individually.

5. A Robust Action Plan

This template shows an example of an action plan in full force. It is set up with monthly goals, tasks to do, person responsible, desired outcomes, etc., to help organize and keep track of everything related to goal setting.

The template from Monday.com also features a progress bar that shows, at a glance, how close to completion a goal is.

6. 90-Day Action Plan

An action plan is quite useful when you’re a new employee.

This template is designed to help plan the first three months of your new job or new role at work. It helps you prepare to do your job well and make improvements where they are needed.

Overall, this template is your guide to performing well and making positive contributions early on in your workplace.

7. Action Planner

This template helps clarify the goals you want to pursue. Spaces are designated for writing a list of up to four objectives or goals, tasks that propel the goals forward, success criteria, and the time frame for achieving them.

Clicking on the image of the template in the original post takes you to its PDF version, which you can download, edit, and print.

8. 3-Month Goals Action Plan

This PDF template has designated spaces for writing down your major goals for the next three months. Below each goal, there is space provided for listing down the mini-tasks that will help you achieve the month’s major goal.

The creator of this template compares the incremental actions that lead to a goal’s completion to the act of eating an elephant. It is something that can be accomplished one bite at a time.

9. Personal Plan Template

This simple template for creating your action plan encourages you to answer several key questions about the goals you want to achieve.

It lets you reflect on:

  • Why you want to achieve this goal
  • Where you are headed (your vision)
  • What success looks like for you
  • What options you have
  • How you’re taking the steps to accomplish your goals
  • Who will be helping you

10. “No More Excuses” Action Plan

Have you been procrastinating on your goals? Here’s a template that helps you get out of that rut and pursue your big goals.

The template helps you identify:

  • What needs to be done
  • Who will do it
  • When the deadline is
  • What you need (in terms of resources)
  • Potential barriers to your success
  • The results of your actions

11. 120 Day Action Plan Slides

This template is designed to help professionals create a comprehensive plan of action that covers 120 days. You can use it for creating your action plan for personal development, as a roadmap for the goals your team is set to achieve for the next four months, or for a major project at work.

The template is downloadable in PPT, Apple Keynote, or Google Slides format.

12. Project Goal Action Plan

Need a document template to guide you every step of the way toward accomplishing your goals? Here’s a PDF template from Guru.

The three-page template lets you create action plans for three major goals or projects. Every goal you specify has spaces designated for writing the deadline, stakeholder, and details of your project/goal.

The simplicity in this template’s layout makes it a useful document for easy reference of the goals you’re currently working on.

Signing up with an email address is required to get this template.

13. Daily Action Plan

According to the creator of this template, an effective action plan is one that uses action verbs to create the process for reaching your goals.

This template provides space for writing your daily actions that will bring you closer to your goals. It might involve contacting the right people who can help you move forward, creating meaningful content to share in social media, setting meetings for brainstorming, etc.

At the bottom of the template, space is reserved for writing down the results of the day’s actions that you can review and gauge for success.

Final Thoughts on Action Plans

An action plan is necessary to clarify the goals you want to achieve. It also serves as a roadmap on how to succeed, so you don’t lose motivation and feel overwhelmed along the way.

Hopefully, this action plan template collection can inspire you to begin writing down your goals and planning the steps you need to take to achieve them.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to visit the following resources for successful goal setting:

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals.

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