By Cammie Scott
There is an African Proverb that says that “Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” It’s a good quote, but when it comes to practicality and application: How do you prepare? What do you do? How do you do it? When do you do it? That’s where planning comes into play.
What’s a plan and what is planning?
Plan is a noun, which you may remember from school is a person, place or thing. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as the following:
- A method for achieving an end
- A detailed formulation of a program of action
- An orderly arrangement of parts of an overall design or objective
- A detailed program
Planning is a verb or action word. The dictionary defines planning as:
- Arranging the parts
- To devise or project the realization or achievement of
- To have in mind
- To make plans or plan ahead
- To have a specified intention
The words plan, strategy, and goal are often used together, however, they are different. A goal is what you hope to accomplish, it is where you want to end up, or it is the destination. A strategy is the method you will use to accomplish the goal. It is high level, flexible, and adaptable. Strategy guides how you will use resources to accomplish the task. A plan is the “how”. It is the actions you will need to accomplish in order to achieve your goal. Plans are detailed, concrete in nature, and inflexible. They provide the “goal posts”, “milestones”, or “targets” you must hit along the way to reaching your goal.
The goal is the destination, the strategy is the alternate routes, and the plan is the specific route chosen. Planning involves thinking about and breaking down the steps needed to reach a goal. It is plotting the specific course of action to be taken.
Why plan?
Whether you are in a leadership position or not planning is important. Planning is about organization. It is about managing resources and priorities in an organized fashion. Planning makes management and leadership easier and improves productivity. Improve your planning and you will improve your managing and leadership skills.
How does planning work in organizations?
In organizations, upper management sets the goals for the organization. They determine the mission and the resources that are available. Division presidents, senior vice presidents, managers, or department heads often develop plans for their group to hit the goals associated with their part of reaching the organizational goal. They figure out how to make it all work.
Planning always has a purpose otherwise it is not planning. It helps organizations improve efficiency, reduce risks and reach their maximum potential. It makes reaching goals easier and faster and helps keep you from doing random activities that don’t contribute to the advancement of the organization.
In the workplace
While there are a variety of different types of plans there are three main types of plans that will be used when working towards company goals: 1) Operational, 2) Tactical, and 3) Strategic. The success of these plans build upon one another. The order of planning: start with Strategic and work to Operational. In terms of success you must have success at the Operational level in order to have success at the Tactical Level, and ultimately at the Strategic level.
Strategic Plans direct the entire organization. Top level managers, such as CEOs or presidents work together to design and execute strategic plans that depict the long–term goals of the organization. They look ahead to where the organization wants to be in 3, 5, or 10 years. These are the framework for lower level planning. Common long-term goals include strategies for achieving growth, improving productivity, increasing profitability, improving customer service, and finding ways to give back to the community.
Strategic plans require multilevel involvement. Each level of the organization plays a significant role in achieving the long-term goals. Top level managers develop the organizational objectives so that middle and lower level managers can create compatible plans aligned with those objectives.
Tactical Plans support strategic plans. They convert broad strategies into relevant, specific plans for distinct areas of the organization. They are concerned with the responsibility and functionality of departments to fulfill their parts of the strategic plan.
After the strategic plan is revealed, middle managers must craft tactical ways the strategic plan may be accomplished. They put together a plan with purposeful actions that take a shorter amount of time and are narrower in scope than the strategic plan, but still help to bring the organization closer to the long–term goals.
Operational Plans are focused on the specific procedures and processes that occur within the lowest levels of the organization. This is where you “get into the weeds”. Operational plans focus on the routine tasks of each department using a high level of detail. Operational activities include things like scheduling employees each week; assessing, ordering and stocking inventory; creating a monthly budget; developing a promotional advertisement to increase sales of a certain product; or outlining an employee’s performance goals for the year.
How do you do it in your professional life?
In your career or your professional life, begin by reviewing the organization’s mission. Organizations bring in planning consultants and spend copious amounts of time, effort, and energy on establishing mission statements, vision statements, and values only to have them mentioned at orientation and then pushed aside. It is rare to have someone who isn’t responsible for this area to really know and be able to fully articulate these things. By knowing them, being able to clearly communicate them, and how they relate your position to upper management you will immediately separate yourself from others.
Next, review the organization’s goals. Think carefully about where it is going and how you fit into the plan. Having a clear understanding of the overall operation and the operational goals is important in helping advance your career. Few people have the ability to see the big picture and understand how all of the pieces fit together.
Think about your position. Where do you fit into the plan? What can you do to advance the cause? Are you responsible for others? What resources do you manage? How do you define success with regards to your position within the organization and how does that mesh with the overall plan?
Answering these questions helps you know what you need to do and what goals you need to set. From there, planning involves envisioning the results the organization, your department or you personally want to achieve, and determining the steps necessary to arrive.
All organizations large and small have limited resources. Planning helps management make effective decisions about how to allocate resources. Productivity is maximized when resources are not wasted. Remember time is the most valuable resource.
How does it work personally?
Most of us start out the year with New Year’s resolutions only to have them fade quickly. Research conducted by Strava, the social network for athletes, has discovered that January 12th is the day most people drop their resolutions and that only 8% of people ever reach their New Year’s goals.
One of the biggest reasons that goals fail is because they are unrealistic. Start by reviewing your own goals. Are they realistic? Are your timelines realistic? We live in a “get it now” society, however, know you can’t have it all right now! Think about where you want to go and when do you want to be there? What are the timelines? What are your resources? Do you need to delegate? Do you need to recruit help? Set aside some quiet, uninterrupted time to really think about what you need to do and how you need to do it. Lay out the steps needed to advance. Outline the milestones you need to reach in order to meet the deadlines.
Closing Thoughts
Planning is all about efficiency. It is about achieving more with less and reaching greater success in a shorter amount of time. It takes on various forms both in the workplace and in your personal life. No matter the name for it or the format it takes, planning is important. Planning keeps you organized and focused. It provides clarity and direction. It guides action and provides motivation. It helps you move more quickly, decisively and maximizes your mental energy. It helps you create your own journey instead of becoming a part of someone else’s journey.
President CK Harp & Associates cscott@ckharp.com www.ckharp.com