Successful Planning

Planning is clearly an integral part of executing a successful strategy, however simply having a plan is not enough to achieve this. There are many factors to take into account to ensure the plan is as clear and efficient as possible.

First of all, the plan should have a clear purpose set out from the start, often referred to as a mission statement. For example, “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” However, for a shorter strategy it is important to include specifics, such as the current level of performance and the level which you are aiming to achieve. You might say employee turnover is currently 15% and you aim to reduce this to 10% within 12 months. It is also important to break the plan down into small sections and timescales in order to ensure each part receives enough attention.

Inclusion of all relevant stakeholders is also crucial for effective planning. This ensure maximum knowledge is brought to the plan, all areas of the business are covered, effective delegation can occur and capital for the project can be secured.

A high level of communication throughout the project is also important to ensure all tasks are being completed and everyone is aware of their roles. This supplement a monitoring and reviewing system that is used during and after the completion of the task.