Step 3: Process planning

Once there are clear aims - or a picture of what the future might look like - and there is understanding of the current situation, a process plan can then be developed. This plan will involve both high-level, long-term activities and short-term actions. The high-level plan will outline the journey and the short-term actions will indicate what has to be done between now and the next coaching session. Of course there may be a rough process plan in place before the aims are agreed, depending on the nature of the assignment. But whatever the case there will be a need for a process plan once aims are agreed and the current situation is understood.

Each process plan will be unique dependent on the circumstances. Whatever is included in each session, it's important to agree what actions need to be taken before the next session. This may be a task action or it may be some form of learning. It is important that the process plan is developed and agreed together, although the coach will inevitably have a view of what might be the most appropriate course of action based on experience.

When developing a process plan, the circumstances of the individual concerned should be central. Take account of skill and confidence levels, risks (real and perceived), time constraints, individual needs and preferences, and the culture and needs of the business.

Any process plan must ensure a focus on the agreed aims, and must also ensure milestones and measures are in place. This allows overall progress, as well as shorter-term agreed actions, to be reviewed. Coaching sessions should therefore follow a 'plan - implement - review' format.

As a guide, each coaching session should last two to four hours, and the interval between each session should be enough to allow the individual sufficient time to put any resulting plans into action. It may also be helpful to have telephone conversations between sessions. From time to time coaching sessions could even be conducted on the telephone, although this does increase risk and is not ideal.

Step 2: Understanding the current situation  Step 4: Implementation