Thoughts on Planning

General Eisenhower is credited with saying, "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable" and I agree with this sentiment. Plans written and placed on a shelf for a particular situation or an opportunity to develop only serve to gather dust.  However, living plans can be updated too frequently and if that happens they are also nearly useless because the goals and objectives will likely change from update to update leaving those using them uncertain as to the current goals and objectives.  So what’s the best compromise here?  Should we write grand plans that map out the next 5-10 years of our businesses?  Do we know what might or might not happen in that timeframe?   

 

To me there’s not that much certainty in the world and let's be honest, writing big plans that have little chance of execution is a painfully time consuming effort that likely will not pay big dividends.  Sun Tzu said that, “Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions” and planning is no different.  That said, I think there’s a compromise that provides clear overall guidance on the way forward with room for more exacting planning when the time is right.  For example, as one surveys the landscape of their particular corner of a market they could see a desired path emerging over the next five years.  But rather than mapping out each exact step over the next five years, I’d offer that this path should be developed somewhat vague which would allow for more detailed planning to be done in yearly increments.  Pushing planning to a yearly cycle will allow those doing the planning to leverage more accurate information for the particular timeframe in question vice using generalizations which might/might not prove accurate. 

 

Plans conceived on a tighter annual timeline will allow planners to take the overarching vision of the five year plan and examine the key goals for that given year, develop accurate assumptions, adjust goals and objectives to the current situation, and take into account the events of the previous year that either negatively or positively impact the next year.  Additionally, a yearly planning cycle will allow management to communicate clearly with their staff on the annual goals and objectives which could build a more inclusive staff that understands how their efforts impact the overall success of the organization. 

 

In the end, planning as a process is worthwhile even if a grand strategy is not realized.  A formal planning process will force an organization to think about situations from different angles and likely will bring out aspects not before considered.  A rigorous planning methodology will tease out truths, shine light on falsehoods, and ultimately will improve the quality of an organization.