The Mighty Action Plan

It has often been said that you can’t manage that which you can’t measure.  Measurement certainly is a powerful enabler in and of itself.  Measurement allows trends to emerge, repeat unacceptables to stand out and performance to be aggregated and sorted.  However, the benefits of field audits span well beyond measurement.  How good is measurement unless you apply correction?  How good is a report unless you weave continuous improvement into the process?  How good is problem discovery without resolution and closure?

At its core, the action plan is a vehicle for improvement.  Success in retail hinges largely on execution. The action plan is, by design, execution.  The action plan is an opportunity to apply corrective actions to problem areas.  It designates an individual responsible for rectifying each problem and a target date.  It allows district managers and store staff to work collaboratively, view each other’s notes and add their own.  It allows for corrections to happen without incurring large time and labour overheads.

Building efficiencies into the action plan generation and follow-up is critical to the success of the field audit program and the return on investment of such a program.  Given the importance we place on the action plan, it should come as no surprise that, for every store visit,  the organization saves $73 when using Compliantia with much of the savings attributable to action plan efficiencies.

The action plan is the continuation of the visit, the key to getting resolution and closure and a prime area for generating time and labour savings and greater return on investment.  If each  problem area is an ailment, the action plan is the cure.  Don’t leave the store without one!