Appendix C: Action Item Tracking Process

Systematically identifying, tracking, and completing action items is critical to advancing any project. Action items are the second-class citizens of project management that often get relegated to scribbles in the margin of your pad or on Post-it notes. This process describes a method for efficiently tracking action items by integrating their management with that of the (more prominent) tasks that appear on the project Gantt chart. An electronic copy of this process and template can be downloaded from http://www.xocp.com.

Definitions

Overview	There are many nuances in the way project managers define and treat action items and tasks. A strict definition may make action items and tasks synonymous; however, for the purposes of agile PM and this workflow, we will adopt the following definitions:
Task	A task is an undertaking assigned during the planning stage of the project and appears as a line item on the Gantt chart. An undertaking that is assigned during the execution stage is an action item until it is added to the Gantt chart, at which time it becomes a task.
Action item	An action item is an undertaking that gets assigned during the project execution phase (versus the planning stage) and is generally too small to warrant being added to the formal project Gantt chart, yet still needs to get done in order for the project to advance. If an action item is eventually added to the Gantt chart, it can be removed from the action item list. Action items often get assigned at meetings where issues are being discussed. Spontaneous brainstorming on issue resolution often happens so fast that formal planning is unnecessary or would be unproductive. In these cases, the issue resolution is accomplished by an organized sequence of action items.

Why We Track Action Items

Maintain visibility	One of the most valuable contributions that a project manager can make is simply to keep all key project indicators visible. Once projects leave the planning phase and enter the execution phase, things can start to get very chaotic. Providing and maintaining a single action item list for the team can be invaluable.
Organization	Action items are usually critical to moving the project forward, even though they do not appear on the formal project plan. Organized tracking of action items is necessary to keep this key element of project management under control.

Integration

Action items and tasks	As mentioned previously, action items and tasks are very similar. As such, it is efficient to have an integrated system to track them together, instead of maintaining two separate systems or lists. Developing simple systems to integrate these administrative duties will free up valuable time for more pressing responsibilities.

Organization of Template (three alternatives)

Action items and tasks are fully integrated	Ideally, both action items and tasks should be managed together in a single document. This allows for better sorting capabilities and efficiency. For instance, sorting information according to a particular time period would yield a sequential list of all action items and tasks due in that period. This is an excellent way to track project details. Updates to this document should be linked to updates in the Gantt chart. A fully integrated document can be cumbersome to manage manually, but it can be easily accomplished using specialized project management software.
Action items and tasks are partially integrated	Alternatively, the template can be divided into two sections: one for action items and the other for tasks. The columns are the same for both sections, so it is easy to correlate the data. Having one document with two distinct sections (as illustrated in the example template) makes this process easier to manage manually, but you will still have to reference the two different sections of the report. I find that this is the best solution for organizations without specialized PM software.
Action items only	Finally, you could decide to use this list, or one like it, to manage only action items. Tasks would be managed using the Gantt chart. However, this approach requires two different documents (and software programs), which increases the chances of one or the other not being current at any given time, or team members not always having the same versions of each document.

Using the Action Item and Tasks Template

Template reference	The example template included with this workflow is used when action items and tasks are partially integrated, as described above. The template and process can be modified, if necessary, to address the alternative scenarios.
Done	Put a checkmark in the Done column and gray-out the row when an action item or task has been completed. Move the whole row to the bottom of the section to keep only open action items or tasks visible at the top.
Action item or task	Provide a name and short description of the action item or task. For tasks, this data can be pulled directly from the Gantt chart.
Priority	Assign a priority to the action item or task, such as High, Medium, or Low. This will enable the reader to quickly identify the high-priority line items. If needed, you can sort the list of open action items or tasks by priority.
Owner	Assign ownership for completing the action item or task to an individual. For tasks, this data can be pulled directly from the Gantt chart.
Date logged	Enter the date that the action item or task was added to the list. If needed, you can sort the list of open action items or tasks by the date on which they were logged. For tasks, this is the start date on the Gantt chart.
Date due	Assign a target date for completion of the action item or task. For tasks, this is the finish date on the Gantt chart.
Notes	Enter any comments or plans related to the action item or task.

[Project Name] Action Items and Tasks

Done	Issues	Priority (H-M-L)	Owner	Date Logged	Date Due	Notes
	Action item #2	M	Wilson	May 3	Jun 5	Enter comments here
	Action item #5	M	Price	May 15	Jun 10	Enter comments here
√	Action item #1	M	Chin	May 3	May 30	Enter comments here
√	Action item #3	L	Smith	May 5	May 22	Enter comments here
√	Action item #4	M	Smith	May 12	Jun 20	Enter comments here
Done	Tasks (from timeline)	Priority	Owner	Date Logged	Date Due	Notes
	Task #1		chin	May 3	May 9	Enter comments here
	Task #2		Kane	May 7	May 25
√	Task #3		Smith	May 14	Jun 12	Enter comments here
√	Task #4		Mac	May 24	Jun 18
√	Task #5		Chin	Jun 1	Jun 20