YOU HAVE PROBABLY heard it before but as the old saying goes “If you fail to plan – you plan to fail”. Like it or not, you have to plan. This involves establishing clear objectives and deciding the appropriate actions to achieve them.
What needs to be done? What results do you expect? By when? Who is best equipped to do it? What is the best way of doing it? Unless these things are crystal clear in your mind, there is little chance you will get the results you need.
Just because you plan, of course, does not mean that you will achieve your objective. However, without planning, the probability that you will achieve your goal, other than by accident, is remote. Knowing precisely what is required and how it will be achieved will greatly increase your probability of success.
There are six steps to planning:
- Establish a realistic target.
- Use the 5ws and 1 H triggers – What? Who? Where? When? Why? And How? to determine what needs to be done, who will do it etc.
- Sequence the activities in the order in which they should occur. Prioritise.
- Communicate your plan to those who will be involved in it or affected by it.
- Implement your plan.
- Check progress against the plan to make sure that your original target is being achieved.
By thinking things through in plenty of time, you will find that there is less need to resort to crisis supervision – responding quickly and under pressure.
Most managers lament that they don’t plan because they don’t have time. However, these are the people who usually need it the most. They are usually too busy putting out “bush fires” but should spend time developing a “fire prevention” plan. Time spent in planning, pays off, because it prevents these emergencies and crisis situations. A flexible plan lets you adjust quickly to changing conditions and still move towards achieving the desired objective.
We need to put the plan on paper so that we can study it, spot any flaws, and make changes. A written plan is also easier to communicate to others, and may be referred to by others, it we are not available.
In order to plan, you will need to have clear objectives and targets and a logical step-by-step sequence of events which should occur in order to reach your targets. Don’t forget the 5W’s and 1 H triggers and use these to make sure your plans have not omitted anything important.
The rewards of planning are better control over your job and the increased effectiveness and efficiency of your team.
Source: RSM Prince and Partners – Trial Balance Newsletter