Once goals are identified, you and your team need to undertake your planning. First, you will identify all intermediate steps and resources necessary (see Chapter 2 on budgeting), then you will determine the sequence in which these steps must be performed, and finally you will assign the appropriate people to assure task completion.
As you and your team set about planning, you should be aware of certain human tendencies, for they can interfere with even the best-laid plans. For instance, you may focus solely on the short term, giving little attention to the period beyond. Or you and your team may be too optimistic, believing that performance will improve over current levels.
You and your group may also oversimplify the internal or external environment. For instance, you may plan to find more distributors for your firm’s product line, ignoring the likely reality that your competitors will see what your firm is up to and do likewise. Maybe your own sales force may see an expanded distribution network as competition and put obstacles in your way.
If significant change within your unit will be needed to enact a plan, you may even get opposition during planning. If the plan might threaten job security, your staff may not want to face that tough issue.
Actually, your staff may be a major obstacle to operational planning. You will have to sell some individuals on the idea that planning can make achievement of goals more likely—that it isn’t just time consuming.
The support you can expect from your staff will influence how detailed your plan will need to be. If your staff members have been involved in planning in the past, you can keep your plans relatively broad. Other factors that will influence the nature of your plans are the difficulty of the plans and the ability of those involved to follow them.
If this is your first time planning, I’d advise you to be more specific than you think you need to be. Also, don’t get so wrapped up in the planning that you lose sight of where you are trying to go. Keep in mind that the plan is a means, not an end. Remember, too, that as you work your plans, you may encounter problems. Spend time with your team identifying the kinds of problems you may encounter and how you can respond to these.
Keep in mind that the most important factor in the success of the planning process is the plan itself. To ensure you have a well-constructed plan, ask your employees:
- Is it clear? Do you understand it? How about your peers?
- Does it agree with the values and purpose of the organization?
- Does the plan deal effectively with both threats and opportunities, those identified by top management for the organization and by the unit?
- Does it identify the items of importance to our work unit?
- To what extent does it contain specific, measurable goals and objectives?
- Is the plan a real basis for action?
- Does the plan contain contingencies in case of a serious internal or out- side event?
- Does the plan include a way of obtaining feedback on its success?
- Is the plan flexible in case it needs to be changed?
In essence, you want a plan that is workable, because an impossible goal does not motivate. You also want a plan that is flexible so that you can adjust to changes beyond your control. And you want to tie your plans to corporate objectives and tactical goals. Your manager’s involvement in building the plan may be considerable at first, until you demonstrate your ability to manage this responsibility on your own.
You need to be ready to tell your manager who will be responsible for what aspect of the plan. Pin down assignments. Put numbers and dates on everything you can, too. Plans work best when employees know how much or how many are required. Because plans are for the future—tomorrow, next week, or next month—due dates are essential.
Once you have completed your plan, you will review it with your manager to assess its completeness and accuracy. Your manager, in turn, will review your plan with a supervisor. Top-down planning begins at the top, cascades down to the smallest units, and then goes upward for final review.
To ensure that your staff is committed to your unit goals, you should align their performance goals to your unit plans (see Chapter 7, “Performance Appraisals”). The final plan will include the following:
- The deliverables (the goal)
- Processes to achieve the goal or a plan to develop processes
- Constraints
- Tasks involved
- Involvement of others
- Budget needs
- Staff requirements