ACTION PLANNING

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With action planning the consulting process enters its third phase. This phase includes developing possible solutions to the problem diagnosed, choosing among alternative solutions, presenting proposals to the client, and preparing for the implementation of the solution chosen by the client.

The continuity between diagnosis and action planning cannot be overemphasized. The foundations of effective action planning are laid in excellent diagnostic work, i.e. in defining and analysing problems and purposes as well as the factors and forces that stimulate or hamper the change process in the client organization. Diagnosis provides a basic orientation for actionplanning efforts.

However, despite this emphasis on continuity and on the need to base action planning on diagnosis, there are significant differences in approach and methodology. The emphasis is no longer on analytical work, but on innovation and creativity. The objective is not to find more data and further explanations for the existence of a problem, but to come up with something new. Obviously, not all solutions to clients’ problems will involve totally fresh approaches. Often there will be no need to develop a new solution from scratch because a suitable one already exists somewhere. Yet, even transfer and adaptation require imagination and creativity. Ignoring the uniqueness of the client’s condition and mechanically transplanting solutions that have worked in other organizations is one of the worst (though not one of the rarest) consulting flaws.

The client’s involvement in action planning should be even more active than in the diagnostic phase. There are several reasons for this:

–Extensive conceptual, design and planning work on possible solutions should only be undertaken if the client is fully familiar and in complete agreement with the approach taken, and will be able to go along with the alternatives that are being pursued. This agreement can best be established by working jointly with people who are in a position to ascertain what the client organization will accept and be able to implement.