I think that I’ve shared with you in the past that I like a one page plan that breaks its elements into the following time frames:
Vision|3 years Goals|12 months
Projects|3 months Actions|this week
I find that this is a terrific format for getting your current action plans focused while keeping and eye on the big picture and the space in between. This can be a document that drives the implementation from your more formalised strategic plan.
Right now, I’d like to give you the overall framework for what the elements of what your plan should be and over the next few weeks help you fill in the blanks with guidance on how to build up your plan in more detail.
This brings me back to the basic planning process: NOW|WHERE|HOW
If first we look at where we want the business to go, we need to focus and fine-tune our long term plans and will this will require us to to address:
1.Vision 2.Mission 3.Values 4.Objectives.
Our next step would be to take an honest assessment of where the business is at at the present time and identify the issues that we are facing and have to address in order for us to successfully move forward. At this stage a quick prioritisation can be done to highlight the issues with the biggest impact on the business and that need to be solved in the immediate term.
The final step in your planning session is identifying you strategies for moving forward and then the specific actions and priorities that need to be taken.
All sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? Well then why is it so hard in practice or why doesn’t it get routinely done and documented? To make your task a little easier I’ll take these components one by one over the coming weeks and expand upon them to make your job easier. How does that sound?
For the remainder of this post let’s just start with Vision. Our vision for the business should be the big goal that inspires us to be in business.It should be concise and be something that describes the organisation’s ideal future. It should be inspiring but at the same time measurable and achievable. I like to refer to it as the ultimate destination of the business.
To help with your vision, and your business statement, a good start is to consider the answers to these questions:
- How good do you want the organisation to be?
- What are you providing in terms of specific products and services?
- Which customers or which markets do you serve?
- What is the geographic scope of your business?
Once you can answer these questions, you can refine your vision statement to be something that you find inspiring and highly motivational. Above all though make it measurable so that you know how you are going in terms of reaching your destination!
Next time I’ll take you through the 3 remaining”where” elements of the plan being mission, values and goals.
Have a crack at revisiting the vision for your business with these few tips in mind. However if it does become all too overwhelming, you know exactly where to find me and I am certain to be able to help you clarify and document your thoughts. Until next time, happy planning.
Richard Coumans
m: 0412 119 232
e: richard@coumans.com.au
w. www.coumans.com.au
