A successful planning process takes time, commitment, resources and leadership. Key features of a robust planning approach include:

  1. Commit to the notion that planning and plan review is a discipline worth investing in. Scrambling won’t scale!
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Stand up the plans quickly, so you can start using them early. They won’t be perfect, but that’s fine at the start.
  5. 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
  6. 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.