what is the optimal course of action

by Dr. Wilber Lockman 7 min read

A key technique for selecting the best course of action is to project the alternatives we are considering into the future to see what might happen if we implement each of these ideas.

Full Answer

What is a recommended course of action?

A Recommended Course of Action (RCOA) is that plan, but dives into the details, identifying who, what, when and how.    Developing an RCOA requires forethought and a true understanding of the organization.   The key steps to building a Recommended Course of Action include; Understand the Future State

How do I choose the best course of action for myself?

Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘ Blink ’ and Tony Buzan’s work on Mind Mapping are other good resources that can help you. Once you have come up with an appropriate number of alternative ways of achieving your task you can evaluate each in turn and choose the best course of action.

Is the right course of action so obvious?

Looked at in another way, the right course of action may be so obvious that the problem no longer exists.” The ‘Which’ question relates to selection. There are generally many roads we can choose to get to our destination.

What is a recommended course of action (RCoA)?

A Recommended Course of Action (RCOA) is that plan, but dives into the details, identifying who, what, when and how.    Developing an RCOA requires forethought and a true understanding of the organization.   The key steps to building a Recommended Course of Action include;

How do I find the best course of action?

Selecting the best course of actionCriteria. Selection is done through the application of some form of criteria, which may be consciously or subconsciously selected. ... Negative selection. Remember when you last bought or rented a home. ... Forecasting and risk analysis. ... Positive selection.

What do you mean by course of action in management?

In incident-level decision making, a Course of Action (COA) is an overall plan that describes the selected strategies and management actions intended to achieve Incident Objectives, comply with Incident Requirements, and are based on current and expected conditions.

What does potential course of action mean?

A possible plan open to an individual or commander that would accomplish, or is related to the accomplishment of the mission.

What is next course of action?

the procedures or sequence of actions that someone will follow to accomplish a goal. I plan to follow a course of action that will produce the best results.

What are the example of course of action?

Someone's course of action is what that person is going to do. For example, say you're listening to your friend's vacation plans. Your friend's course of action might be: Take a flight to Paris.

What are the common courses of action when making decisions?

The seven-step strategy is:Investigate the situation in detail.Create a constructive environment.Generate good alternatives.Explore your options.Select the best solution.Evaluate your plan.Communicate your decision, and take action.

What is course of action in research?

In the course-of-action method, researchers first collect a set of behavioural data relative to singular time stretches in the targeted naturally occurring learning situation.

What is a course of action mean?

Definition of course of action : the actions to be taken We're trying to determine the best course of action at this point.

Can we agree a course of action?

Answer: We agreed TO a certain course of action.

How to Translate an Assessment into an Action Plan

An assessment was performed and many opportunities identified, but it has been three months, and nothing has changed. Does this sound familiar? As discussed in a previous post, the goal of an assessment is to identify gap to best practices and provide the basis to develop a plan to move forward.

Understand the Future State

The first step after having the assessment completed is to understand the future state or vision of the site. This future vision can include;

Understand the Constraints

The constraints will play a large role in how quickly, or how effectively the RCOA can be implemented. Therefore, knowing what the current constraints are is critical to building a realistic RCOA. The constraints could include;

Understand the Culture

The culture of the site can make or break the improvement plan. So before developing a Recommended Course of Action, start with a stakeholder analysis. This does not have to be a long, technical process, as a little goes a long way. To conduct a simple stakeholder analysis, you can;

Understand the Quick Wins

To build momentum and make the RCOA a success, it is vital to ensure there are a few quick wins built into the plan. These quick wins could include;

Include a Governance Process

Regardless of who is in charge of the RCOA, there must be a process in place to escalate issues and hold all team members accountable. The RCOA should be reviewed weekly and include a simple Red/Green visual representation of the status. Make sure to build time for this process into the RCOA.

Tying it all Together

Once all of the above is understood, begin to build our a the RCOA. Often, I see organizations try to build a detailed plan for the next three years… while the intention is good, it is recommended that the RCOA be detailed for the first three months, less detailed for the next six months and just include key milestones beyond that.

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