It is widely accepted that in order to achieve something you need some form of plan that breaks down the ultimate objective into manageable, specific tasks. This applies in business whether you are a Director, owner, head of department or team leader, and whether you have just started trading or been doing so for many years.
It is also readily acknowledged that a significant factor contributing to the failure of many businesses is their tendency towards ‘short-termism’, that is focussing on dealing with today’s challenges and not thinking about the future. This is often attributed to a lack of time and sometimes justified by referring to the rapid pace of global change – ‘why should I bother trying to plan for the future when I know everything will be out of date tomorrow?’
I firmly believe there is a need to allocate regular and sufficient time for longer term thinking when running a business. The more focussed you can be on your ultimate aims and overall vision for the future the better. However, this is provided you understand you will need to adjust your aims and approach according to the changing marketplace and that you proactively and specifically set out to monitor and review your business plan on a regular basis.
So it is vital we have access to a embed system for planning that:
– is time effective
– is flexible
– encourages and enables regular plan reviews
– can be adapted to reflect the changing needs of the business and external environment