Step 1 of 8
Before you start
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Turn a client request into an action plan.
- Identify missing information.
- Ask useful clarification questions.
- Determine priority, dependencies, and deadlines.
- Verify work before reporting completion.
Use the eight-stage workflow for every request, big or small:
Receive → Understand
Read the request carefully. Identify what, why, when, where, who, and how.
Identify the desired outcome, not just the literal action. "Clean this up" is incomplete unless you know what clean means.
Clarify → Plan
Ask specific questions about decisions that affect the outcome. Good questions are necessary, concise, and easy to answer.
Identify priority, deadline, dependencies, required tools, information, and approval requirements.
Execute → Check
Perform the work according to the instructions and any relevant SOP. Do not silently invent decisions outside your authority.
Review accuracy, completeness, format, links, file version, privacy, and whether the requested outcome was achieved.
Report → Close
Tell the client what was completed, what matters, what is pending, and the next step when relevant.
Update the task tracker, folder, calendar, follow-up list, or other system so the work does not remain mentally open.
Write your clarification questions
What is known? There is a contacts spreadsheet, it needs organization, there is a deadline, and the client expects a completed file.
What may be unclear? What "organize" means, how duplicates should be handled, the required format, where the file should be saved, and the actual deadline time.
Spot the skipped stage
Which stage of the workflow did the VA skip?
Work sample: Client Request → Action Plan
Turn a request into a plan. You can reuse the contacts-spreadsheet example, or write your own.
Nice work.
You've practiced turning a vague request into a real action plan using the eight-stage workflow. You'll use this same thinking in almost every lesson that follows.