Once a process improvement opportunity has been identified, it needs to be implemented. That implementation is organized using an action plan.
When we talk about process improvement we are talking about behavior change. Nothing substantial changes in an organization until the members of the organization change their behavior. An action plan designed to improve a process must focus on changing individuals’ behavior such that they contribute toward the desired result.
Thomas Gilbert has a compelling model of behavior change that he calls behavioral engineering. His model is powerful because it not only includes categories, but also a hierarchy.
Gilbert’s Behavioral Engineering
There are six categories of Gilbert’s behavioral engineering that are listed in order of importance. The most important have the biggest ability to change behavior and the least important have the smallest ability to change behavior. I list the categories from least important to most important.
#6 Motives
Individuals have desires, rationales, and personal interests that impact their behavior.
#5 Ability
Different individuals have different abilities and this changes the behavior they display.
Although tasks can and should be made accessible, not everyone can do every job.
#4 Knowledge
What an individual knows changes their behavior.
Training can provide knowledge. Prior experience is a source of knowledge.
#3 Incentives
Individuals can be incentivized to behave differently using financial resources and career progression opportunities. Individuals can also experience consequences for poor behavior through withholding incentives.
#2 Resources
Individuals change their behavior based on the resources they have available.
Access to proper tools changes behavior. How much time is allocated to perform tasks changes behavior. Guidance and mentorship change behavior.
#1 Information
Instructions and guides define how individuals should behave.
Clearly communicated expectations and requirements provide limits on acceptable behavior.
Personalized feedback helps individuals adjust their behavior to be more appropriate and effective.
My software development process improvement action plan template
My template eliminates the two least important categories of Gilbert’s behavioral engineering. Although relevant to behavior change, they have a low enough impact that they are not worth including.
My template lists Gilbert’s categories in order of importance. Additionally, my template uses darker colors for more impactful categories and lighter colors for less impactful categories. As a result, more impactful categories seem stronger whereas less impactful categories look watered down.
I include a special task in the action plan to evaluate results. After all items of the action plan have been completed there should always be a follow-up task to make sure that the results of the action plan were realized. If not, a postmortem can be filled out to understand why.
If you have not opened it yet, here is the template!
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