OGSM personal development plan:
Example explained in 5 easy steps
Creating and executing your strategic plan with OGSM is simple, but not obvious. Most people search for OGSM examples to learn the method.
Below we explained how you can make a personal development plan using OGSM. This is an example of an initial strategic OGSM plan resulting from a brainstorming session. Explore the potential of OGSM for personal growth with this step-by-step guide. Learn to set clear objectives, define achievable goals, develop actionable strategies, and track progress. Whether for self-improvement, career growth, or personal fulfillment, OGSM is your structured framework. Let’s unlock your aspirations and turn them into achievements.
Would you like to access this example in your free OGSM Software workspace and play around with it? Let’s explore!
Watch more videos on our YouTube channel
1
Personal development plan: Objective (what-by-how)
To create your personal development plan using OGSM, start by writing your objective using the “What-by-How” format. Define what you want to achieve, which could be feeling more fit and confident. Identify the key aspect, like working on body and mind, to address in order to achieve your objective. Set a goal that aligns with your strategic plan, aiming to feel more fit and confident. Determine a general strategic direction, focusing on exercising regularly, eating healthy, resting sufficiently and working on mindfulness.
2
Personal development plan: Goals (what needs to be true)
Now let’s make your ambitious vision more concrete by turning it into measurable goals. Ask yourself, “What specific things need to happen for me to be more fit and confident?”
For instance, you can measure your objective of becoming more fit and confident by deciding upon a well being score, aiming for this score to be above 8.0. As for the do part, the following goals can be set: getting to your target weight, rating your body an 8.0 or higher and rating your mindfulness abilities an 8.0 or higher. It is best to make your goals as measurable as possible, however when it comes to personal development it is sometimes difficult to express the success in numbers.
3
Personal development plan: Strategies (up to 5, further elaborating the ‘how')
To ensure clarity and simplicity in your plan, it’s advisable to incorporate your key “doing” strategy into a few underlying strategies. Limiting yourself to five strategies will help keep everything concise and on a single page.
When developing your strategies, there are various approaches you can take. in this case, we focused the strategies on different areas that influence your physical and mental health. Therefore the strategies are based on exercising, eating healthy, night rest and maintaining good mental health.
By selecting a focused set of strategies and aligning them with relevant areas of your life, you can effectively work on your plan while maintaining clarity and coherence. This approach will enable you to follow your efforts and achieve your objective more efficiently.
4
Personal development plan: Dashboard Measures (direct and indirect measures / indicators)
Then it comes to measuring progress, there are two types of indicators to consider:
- Lagging indicators: These indicators are connected to the Action Measures and help set goals and measure the effects of the Actions. They show the outcomes and results achieved. For example, in your personal development plan, a lagging indicator could be the positivity index of an 8.0 or higher.
- Leading indicators: These indicators focus on measuring the Actions themselves or the processes undertaken. They provide insights into the effectiveness and progress of the Actions. For instance, if the supermarket has a strategy of growing on a personal level by practicing positive thinking, surrounding myself with supportive people and practicing mindfulness. A leading indicator could be that you attend a mindfulness workshop at least once a week.
By using both lagging and leading indicators, you can get a complete picture of your progress. Lagging indicators show the results of your actions, while leading indicators measure how well the processes are working.. This allows you to evaluate both the outcomes achieved and the actions taken, giving you a well-rounded understanding of your success.
5
Personal development plan: Action Measures (projects to reach your goals)
When creating Action Measures, use the “What-by-How” format to describe your Actions. These Actions are connected to each strategy in an OGSM plan and are usually executed as projects that contribute to the stated goals. The effectiveness and progress of these projects are measured through dashboard Measures in the fourth column of the OGSM plan.
Action Measures are specific to each strategy and should be linked to at least one dashboard Measure to monitor project effectiveness. It’s important to note that Action Measures are strategic projects separate from regular operations. The column containing Action Measures is the most dynamic part of the OGSM plan and should be regularly updated to track progress and ensure alignment with overall organizational goals.
Personal development plan: Steps
To make your Action Measures more achievable, break them down into smaller steps.
When we say an Action Measure is a project, it means it takes time and effort to complete. Not every meeting or phone call should be an Action Measure in your plan. Instead, focus on larger projects that require more effort. For instance, when you set an Action Measure to practice positive affirmations daily and surround myself with supportive people, this is a long running project. To make these projects easier to handle, divide each Action Measure into smaller tasks or steps. In this case, you can add smaller tasks. You can plan dates with people that make you feel good about yourself. By using this approach, your OGSM plan becomes dynamic and helps you reach your goals step by step.
To refine the plan, you will make the names of your Actions & Goals more specific and provide more measures and detailed steps. This process takes time, but this will ensure clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished by everyone involved. You will see that you and your team will get better at with each refinement. Please contact us if you need assistance in this process!
Want more examples?
On our website you can find the best examples for your industry. We have shown a couple of example but we have a whole range of examples we can share with you. Send us a request to info@ogsmsoftware.com to get a detailed example uploaded in your trial workspace
On the OGSM Software website you will find OGSM examples explained in a unique way. By visualizing the relationship between the different elements of OGSM people get a much better understanding on how OGSM actually works and how to apply the logic themselves.
Start a free trial in OGSM Software and ask for the Personal Development example to be included. You will get more insights in the underlying data and how the OGSM is built up. It will also give you access to other views like a timeline, a kanban and a performance dashboard.
OGSM Software is a cloud-based tool designed for effective strategy design and execution. It’s secure, flexible and user-friendly, and can be used by any organisation that wants to take their performance to the next level. Try it for free here!