I’ll be joyfully celebrating two marriages this year with the weddings of both my son and daughter. You may think that sounds stressful, but all truth be told, I’m as cool as a cucumber. Weddings are one of the best examples of good planning, and why a comprehensive plan is required. So how is a business like a wedding? Both require the same level of planning.
Planning
When I work with clients in developing their One Page Business Plan ®(OPBP) they immediately see the application to building a business, but they struggle with using it to build a department, or even to complete a project. So I’ll use the wedding as an example of a ‘project’ as I walk you through the OPBP over the next 11 posts.
For today, let’s just imagine a wedding without planning. The union may occur as long as there is a marriage license, and a certified officiant, but even that takes planning. How far in advance do you need to obtain the license? Where do you obtain the license? Who can officiate? When are they available, and how much does everything cost? That’s just for a simple plan of getting the job done in the most basic way. Now add 100-200 guests, a venue, flowers, music, etc. and it’s more complex, requiring the next level of planning.
Planning for Projects
Why wouldn’t you make as much planning effort to successfully execute a project within your organization? Frequently, I find that a goal is established, and perhaps some meetings are set up to discuss expectations. Beyond that, the level of planning falls short. Sometimes it’s not even a clearly articulated goal, but more of a ‘wish’. The meetings don’t lay out specific action items with dates of completion, nor who actually owns the tasks, and before you know it the project is off track and behind schedule.
If you want to learn more about how to put a top notch plan in place, watch for my upcoming weekly posts. Get ready to learn all the ins and outs of The One Page Business Plan®. Together, we’ll help you get that plan established and you can be the shining star of your organization!
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