Top 7 Action Plan Software of 2023

What is Action Plan Software?

Action plan software is a digital tool that aids businesses in planning quality management procedures and controls to ensure the proper and timely execution of measures instituted. Automating the fundamental processes involved, such as creating agendas with specific directives and assigning tasks to relevant personnel, allows organizations to effectively track KPIs, manage nonconformances, and maintain compliance. This could be a stand-alone application, a part of project management solutions, or a module of quality management systems (QMS). 

Benefits

Gone are the days of sitting down for hours with colleagues with dozens of notepads to strategize the required steps to achieve a particular goal. Task listing, prioritization, and assignment can all be accomplished with action plan software. And the results are proven to be much better. Here are some specifics:

• Improved task organization – Digitized data is easier to access and follow in a centralized system. Managers can easily prioritize critical tasks and schedule deadlines. This also allows them to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Employees can simply tick off completed assignments and create reports with digital checklists. 
• Smoother collaboration – Most digital solutions integrate mobile communication and monitoring technology. Managers can track the progress of the activities in real-time and get immediate feedback from their employees. For example, when a lone worker comes across a complicated incident, they can directly contact the supervisor and ask for recommendations about what to do next. This level of collaboration is impossible without emergency action plan software. 
• Time and cost-efficient – There is no need to visit the site or constantly pick up the phone to check on the tasks. The software sends out notifications and reminders to the staff on duty about what should be accomplished, and they can send back photos with annotations showing where they are on the job. And on top of allocating funds to physical resources (e.g., paper, pens, printing), the company won’t have to spend on costly reworks because of human error.  
• Comprehensive, accurate reporting – The aforementioned digital checklists can be immediately converted into completion reports, which may include photos and videos. These can be stored in the database for future reference, used in evaluating KPIs, or sent to regulators for compliance audits. 
• Increased productivity – Because this tool provides a clear view of the planned actions, the people responsible, and the time allotted for the job, the managers can free up their time, allowing them to focus on more important work. They also don’t need to dwell on pressing issues because incident action plan software ensures contingencies are prepared, preventing exacerbations due to delays. 

Key Features

A stand-alone action plan software is perfectly adequate when your organization can’t afford the entire QMS suite at the moment. Take note that this digital solution can only effectively manage tasks and projects when it has these essentials:

• Secure central repository
• Workflow and template builder 
• Task management 
• Resource management
• Tasks and subtasks checklists
• Task assignment and monitoring
• Time management (e.g., calendar, due dates, tracker)
• Collaboration, communication tools
• Reporting with analytics
• Customizable permissions or approvals
• Integrations with third-party applications
• Mobile access 

Selecting the Right Action Plan Software

The options detailed above can help your company develop better action plans and manage the activities required during the execution phase of the operations. Below is a summary of the seven digital solutions on the shortlist: 

*billed annually