He who fails to plan, plans to fail.

How good are you at planning? Are you a thorough planner or the kind of person who thinks on their feet, maybe you are someone that falls somewhere in between?

Planning is the process of defining aims and objectives, developing strategies and setting goals and then determining the distinct tasks and timescale that it will take to accomplish the aims, objectives and goals. How do you determine strategic plans for your organisation? What mechanisms do you use to communicate those plans effectively throughout the business?

Many organisations develop a network of “to do lists” and “action plans”, but simply keep regurgitating the same issues and keep moving them from one list to another never closing any out. Do your action plans initiate effective action or just sit on a desktop and gather dust until the next review?

Take a look at your business plan and ask these questions, is it a strategic plan that outlines the vision and direction of the organisation? Have you planned where your business will be next week, next month, at the end of the year or five years time? Do you develop the framework strategy into an operational plan that defines realistically how the strategy is going to be implemented, breaking the activities down into distinct responsibilities and focused tasks with measurable performance indicators?

Effective implementation of strategy requires an organisation to have the right balance of individual plans in all departments and at all levels of the organisation and these plans must then interrelate and cross-reference too. It is important to determine who in the organisation is going to co-ordinate the activities and ensure that the relevant personnel have adequate resources, training and support to understand, take ownership of and implement the strategy and operational plans. There must also be a defined feedback mechanism so that weaknesses, problems and failure to meet targets and milestones are identified and prompt action taken to resolve the issues. Appropriate contingency plans should also be in place to address organisational risks that could impact on the successful implementation of the strategy.

Lots of questions, but do you have all the answers?