I planned writing this article. There was a time when I was going to do it and a place. I knew the resources I would bring into play (my training and experience) and how it would be published. I knew why I was writing it and my expected return on investment (more traffic to my website and more prospective clients who I hope will sense the value I can add to their businesses).

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you planning… a rational deployment of simple logic and common-sense that sets out how one or more objectives will be reached.

Right?

Well no, actually. Wrong.

Apparently, corporate planning has to be a lot more challenging than that. It’s got to be a tortuous, tough, man-hours consuming nightmare with output measured in double-figure iterations of elaborate documents that no-one ever refers to because they’re over-written, full of jargon and exhausting long sentences just like the one you’ve just read.

In other words, it’s got to be a waste of time.


Let me suggest some strategic planning guidelines for you

• don’t feel it has to be a democratic process that involves everyone. It doesn’t.
• do feel that it should be driven by the marketing department (and not the finance department, please) – because marketing and strategic planning should be one and the same
• don’t feel comfortable with a 100 page document that’s destined for dust gathering on a nice appointed shelf in your office
• do feel comfortable with a simple plan that analyses your marketplace and the development of your offering within it
• don’t keep it to yourself
• do share it with everyone (yes, that’s what that conference is for).

I could go on… but I don’t need to. And neither do you at the next planning round.

Tags: common sense corporate planning deployment finance department iterations jargon ladies and gentlemen man hours marketing department nightmare page document planning guidelines prospective clients return on investment sentences simple logic simple plan strategic planning tough man waste of time