Have you got everything you need for your journey? What are the essential conceptual tools that you need to succeed? Do you have a checklist of everything you need?

Having gone through all seven questions in The Right Questions Framework we can now review all the tools. This acts as a checklist, ensuring that we have considered each tool and have the answers we need to proceed.

The Packing Checklist Tool: ensuring we have the kit we need for the journey

This is also why we have tools within the framework. On our journey, we can bring out the tools we need at any point to help us and update our plans. So, we can think of this stage as a bit like packing our bags ready for the journey.

”Be Prepared” – the Scouting Motto

Every time I set out on a journey, I carefully pack beforehand. To aid me in this I employ a kit list and check off each item as I go. The first time I was required to use a kit list was as a Scout. We were given a list of equipment and then we had to lay out each item smartly in front of us, ready for inspection.

The lesson I learnt in Scouts was reinforced in my military service and employed on my various adventures. I have found checklists so useful that I even create checklists for my family when we go on holiday. It might sound excessive, but it does work!

So now we are going to do something similar. We will follow a checklist of The Right Questions framework to ensure we have answered all the questions, to remind ourselves of the tools, and to reflect upon our answers. This will then allow us to bring everything together into one place and develop our action plan.

In summary, the questions and sections are:

1. Why – passions, priorities, personal stories and principles
2. Where – where from, now, going to, and the whole journey
3. What – mission, purpose, goal and success
4. Which – option, risk, fear, course of action
5. How – tasks, steps, resources
6. When – time, practice, prioritising
7. Who – self, network, guide and junto

So now let’s review each section and the related tool used to explore our answers.

Master the Tool:

• Make sure you have your workbook or notes to hand
• Follow through the list below and click on the hyperlinks to the tools if you want to refresh yourself on how to use the tool
• Review your previous answers for each tool. Edit, amend or supplement your work as you go as this iteration of thinking prompts deeper and layered insights.

The Quest

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The Right Questions Framework Checklist

The Right Questions

The first tool is actually the framework itself that acts like a backpack that encompasses all the other tools.

Why?

Passions

What are your passions? The Spark Tool helped us look at the idea of vocation. To identify our vocation, we look for the overlap between what we love to do, what people need help with and what we can get paid for.

Priorities

To understand our priorities, we use The Magnifying Glass Tool and analyse how we spend our time and money.

Personal story

Our personal stories give us insights into what shapes and motivates us. We examine our past using The Hero’s Journey Tool and think about:

• Departure. What were we like when we started?
• Initiation. What adversity did we overcome and how did it shape us?
• Return. How did we learn and grow through our experience?

Principles

We look at principles to identify that core values that inform our decisions. To do this we use The Moral Compass Tool. This tool helps us consider common principles and then work out our top 3-5 personal values.

Where?

From

When considering our situation the first question we ask is where have we come from? We do this using The Logbook Tool. By using our CV or resume we identify the key milestones in our life and work.

Now

To consider our present situation we use The GPS Tool and conduct a personal SWOT analysis. We identify our strengths and weaknesses and reflect upon the opportunities and threats that we face.

Going

To think about the future and where we are going we use The Picture Photo Tool to create a vision statement. To do this look at a snapshot of 1 day, 1 year and 1 life.

The big picture

We then assemble all the aspects of ‘where’ with The Map Tool, to capture our journey’s past, present and future.

What?

Mission

To create our personal mission statement we use The Binoculars Tool and craft something memorable and measurable.

Purpose

To think about our life purpose, we use The T-Shirt Tool to come up with a slogan that summarises what we are about.

Target/goal

To explore and decide upon our life goals we use The Torch Tool, asking illuminating questions to focus on what is important.

Success

Success is about achieving the right balance and to do this we use The Activity Monitor Tool to manage our heart, mind, body and soul.

Which?

Options

To consider the different possible options available to achieve our goals we use The Multi-Tool to help us brainstorm ideas.

Risk

To think about risk we use the Emergency Spare and Repairs Kit Tool and identify the critical risks and how we mitigate them.

Worst case/fear

To address our fears, we use The First Aid Kit Tool to consider what a worst-case scenario could be and remember to breathe, think and do.

Courses of Action (CoA)

Next, pulling all the facets of the ‘which’ question together, we use The Guidebook Tool and develop our best courses of action (CoAs).

How?

Tasks

The next step is to develop our outline course of action into a plan and we start doing this by using The Route Card Tool to identify the milestones, tasks and activities needed to achieve our goal.

Steps

We break down the plan even further to make it actionable. To do this we identify the next small but important action using The STEP Tool.

Resources

Now we can go back to The Route Card Tool and consider the resources needed for each task and activity. This gives us an idea of the money, muscle and material needed to succeed.

When?

Time

To think about when we act, we use The Watch Tool and start to turn actions into habits. This ensures that we make steady progress towards our goal.

Practice

Then we use The Sunglasses Tool to help us elevate our habits into deliberate practice and maximise the effectiveness of our time.

Schedule/programme

We can now use The Calendar Tool to prioritise our tasks, assess how much time they will take and schedule them into our diary or calendar.

Who?

Self

The passport or ID Card Tool helps us to understand ourselves better by utilising personal reflection, input from people who know us and personality tests.

Network

The Team List Tool highlights the key roles that a high-performing team needs and helps us consider who in our network can fulfil these functions.

Guide

The Guide is one of the most important roles to consider.  They act as a life coach, directly supporting us in achieving our goals, and the 4Cs help us to select the right person.

Junto

The Junto is a group of people who provide mutual support as they strive to develop themselves and their situations. Having a Junto can further accelerate your progress and improve your chances of success.

The Action Plan Checklist: The Complete Workbook

Having listed all the tools and the related answers in a workbook, we have created an action plan. This plan gives us the big picture and the immediate details. It has the vision of what we want to achieve and the steps we need to take.

Mastering the tool: reviewing your answers to The Right Questions

Remember, the action plan does not have to be fixed. The Right Questions approach is designed to be cyclical and iterative. In other words, we periodically review, amend and update our answers, taking into account changes in the situation or more information as it comes to light.

Therefore, the best thing to do now is to plan a 30 and 90 day review into your diary. Put aside at least an hour (and longer if you can manage it) when you can take some proper time out, without distractions, to reflect on your answers, your plan and your progress.

But before we don’t want to procrastinate and endlessly plan. We want action. And that is why it is time to take your next step forward. So, what are you waiting for? You know what you need to do; seize the day!

Good luck with your adventure! You can do it!

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)

If you want the best chance of successfully achieving your goals and dreams then you are going to need some sort of plan. Here are some tips, steps and templates to help you plan and achieve any goal.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Walt Disney

What is a goal?

A goal is something you want to achieve. It could be a personal ambition or a group objective. It is an idea that you envision and then plan and commit to fulfilling.

The Importance of goal setting

The process of setting goals helps us psychologically to encapsulate an idea and commit us to action. Working towards a goal gives us the feeling of positive forward movement.

It also helps practically as setting goals allows us to quantify our end-state and qualify our success. Having a set goal allows us to measure our progress and reflect and learn as we work towards it.

Setting goals allows us to know when we have succeeded in something and provides the opportunity to celebrate when we achieve the goal.

“We aim above the mark to hit the mark.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Importance of Plans

Whether you are an individual thinking about a career change or personal development, a team undertaking an innovative project, or a large organisation rolling out a new strategy you will need a plan of some sort.

Action plans do not need to be overly complicated. For example, at the simplest level, to-do lists and shopping lists can be crude but effective action plans.

If you are an individual aiming to achieve a simple goal such as going on holiday the details of the plan will, of course, be very different to a large multinational corporation making an action plan for launching their next product. But despite this, the initial questions that you need to ask are very similar.

The steps to making a plan and achieving your goals

To achieve the goals you just need to follow these simple steps and create your plan:

1. Ask yourself why do you want to do the thing you are thinking about?

Asking why helps to work out what you value and what motivates you.

To find out more about discovering your principles, passions and priorities go to the post ‘What are your personal values?’

2. Work out where you are and where you want to go

You need a start point and an endpoint. First think about your present situation, where you are now. This situational analysis helps to set the context for starting out with your goal.

Next, think about where you want to be when you have succeeded in your goal. This is the vision or dream you want to achieve.

If you want more help in developing your vision statement read ‘What is a vision statement and why are they important?’

3. Define what your overall mission is and what success looks like.

Now that you worked out where you want to get to you can define what the endpoint actually is.

Describe exactly what success looks like; the criteria that show exactly when you have achieved your goal. This is your goal or mission statement.

For more detail on this process have a look at ‘What is a mission statement and why do you need one?’

4. Think about which ways you could achieve success and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

There are different routes you can take to achieve the goal. Which one seems the best? Think about what the risks might be and what advantages and disadvantages there are to each option. Then you can work out what you believe to be the best option to choose.

For more help with this section have a look at ‘Which is your best course of action?’

5. Pick your preferred goal and work out how you are going to achieve the goal.

Now that you have considered the options and picked your favourite you can start to plan how you are going to achieve it. Think about: What are the steps you need to take? What resources might you need?

For more detail look at ‘How do you set goals, tasks and milestones for a plan’ and also ‘Setting goals and tasks the SMART way.’

6. Break the goal down into steps, noting who can help you.

You don’t have to do everything on your own, even if this is a personal plan rather than a group one. As you break down the goal into steps think about who might be able to assist you or give you advice.

If you would like to find out more about this step read ‘Networking and the power of relationships in building a team.’

7. Schedule the individual steps into your diary to define when you will achieve them.

Now that you have a list of steps you can put them into your diary. I tend to keep my list of goals and steps on my phone then prioritise them and put the most important next steps straight into my diary. A step should be easily achievable, something you can do in minutes or at most hours. The one most important thing you need to do should be the next thing in your diary, even if that’s a simple 5-minute task such as making a phone call.

Picking the right time is also important. For more on this have a look at ‘The secret of perfect timing.’

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

Confucius

Asking The Right Questions to achieve goals

This process reflects The Right Questions decision-making process and can be applied quickly – as a rapid problem-solving method – or in a more lengthy in-depth study to formulate a detailed plan or strategy.

The Right Questions planning process employs the seven basic interrogatives in the English language (why, where, what, which, how, who, when) to provide an easy to remember and holistic approach to problem-solving.

You can find out more about The Right Questions and how to apply them via the following link:

What are The Right Questions for Decision Making and Strategic Planning?

Goal setting and personal plan templates

Whether you are doing a quick appreciation of a situation or looking at a problem in greater detail it is useful to create a simple summary of your conclusions. Practically it is useful to have this summary on a single piece of paper that is quick and easy to refer to and easily communicated or shared.

A personal action plan template can help you achieve this headline view of the challenge you are facing and remind you of the critical factors you need to address. If you post the action plan in a prominent place – be it your noticeboard, fridge or computer screen – it will also help to keep you accountable to the next steps you need to take in your plan.

Here is a simple pdf template (pictured below) to capture your personal plan for achieving goals. You can download the template for your use below: