Planning: Keep it Simple, Focused, and Relevant
Written by The One Page Business Plan Company, on April 25, 2022
A successful planning process takes time, commitment, resources and leadership. Key features of a robust planning approach include:
- Commit to the notion that planning and plan review is a discipline worth investing in. Scrambling won’t scale!
- Appoint a company leader who likes planning and is a strong manager to be in charge of setting up the plans and driving regular review of those plans. An internal owner is needed.
- Select a resource, such as an outside planning tool, to help you develop the plan and follow a tried-and-tested methodology. Don’t re-invent the planning wheel.
- Stand up the plans quickly, so you can start using them early. They won’t be perfect, but that’s fine at the start.
- Establish a monthly plan review cadence. This is key. It’s the striving to stay on plan that creates the real value – not necessarily the plan itself. Many of our clients use our One Page System
- Every six months, reassess the plan, to incorporate continual improvements and make the plan and review process better. Continue this for 2-3 years, and planning will become increasingly effective, allowing for increasing rates of growth.
Instinct, hard work, good teams and great products – these assets can enable entrepreneurs to launch and sustain companies even without a clear strategy. The world changes minute to minute, and planning can sometimes feel like a luxury in the face of a dynamic environment.
Recent Articles
- 28 Minute Webinar: How the Best Midsized Companies Develop Top Talent
- Getting Strategic Partnerships Right
- Planning: Keep it Simple, Focused, and Relevant
- How to Avoid Strategic Planning Disasters
- Why Take the Time to Check Your Strategy When It’s Working?
- Business Plans Don’t Last Forever
- How Leaders Of Midsize Companies Can Drive Their Mission By Delegating
- How to Get Your Proposals Signed Faster and More Often
- ON DEMAND WEBINAR: How the Best Midsized Companies Hire the People They Need
- Great Vision Statements Just Don’t Cut it Anymore… Here is What Else Is Needed
- How Owners and CEOs Can Boost Growth: Four Lessons From a Client
- Three Ways to Supercharge Your Business Planning and Your Business
- Have You Outgrown Your Business Plan?
- How to Avoid This Dangerous Strategic Landmine
- Why it is Important to Coach to a Plan
- How to Make an Accurate Annual Forecast
- The Power of No
- Using Thought Leadership as a Talent Magnet
- Beat the Hiring Crunch by Growing Your Own Talent
- How to Write a Mission Statement for Your Midsized Business
- The Role of Leadership in Planning
- How to Clear the Way For a New Culture
- Four Ways Smart CEOs Can Drive Growth
- Have an Employee Shortage? Take a Clue From Your Sales Department
- Don’t Write Another Business Plan Until You Do This First…
- Four Ways Smart CEOs Can Drive Growth
- Grow Your Company By Hiring From Your Passionate Base
- No Time To Do Strategic Planning? Try This Instead…
- Seat-of-the-Pants Leadership Can’t and Won’t Grow Your Company… It May Even Kill It!
- Steve Jobs Proved that Business Strategy Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated…