Actioning

Actioning is the act or process of turning plans, directives, or decisions into concrete actions. In organizational and project management contexts, actioning refers to the execution phase in which tasks are assigned, resources allocated, and steps implemented to achieve defined objectives.

As a noun, actioning denotes the act or result of carrying out actions; as a verb, to action is used in some varieties of English to mean to implement or carry out. The term is common in business, information technology, and government sectors, particularly in British English and other environments with heavy use of directive language. It is more frequent in internal documents and operational dashboards than in formal external writing.

Etymology and usage notes: The word combines action with the -ing participle, reflecting its status as a gerund or process noun. It emerged in late 20th century as managerial jargon and has since become recognizable but debated: some view it as precise shorthand for making plans actionable, while others criticize it as vague or stylistically clumsy.

In practice: Actioning typically involves assigning owners, setting deadlines, initiating tasks, and tracking progress. It is distinct from planning or strategizing, which precede actioning; and from execution at the broader project level. Examples: "We will action the remediation tasks today," or "Actioning the change requests started after approval."

See also: action item, action plan, implementation, execution, operationalization.