Planning Skills

Introduction
How to Use this Handbook

Congratulations — you h av e tak e n th e f irst ste p tow ard im p rov ing your p lanning sk ills by p urc h asing th is
h and book ! H e re ' s h ow to ge t th e m ost out of it:
1. Brie f ly re v ie w th e e ntire h and book . G e t f am iliar w ith th e typ e of inf orm ation th at is p re se nte d .
2. U se th e h and book as a re f e re nc e guid e . Look up w h at you ne e d , w h e n you ne e d it.
Th is h and book c ontains m any p lanning tip s and te c h niq ue s. P lanning sk ills are alw ays ne e d e d — f or
organiz ing, f or p roj e c ts, f or p rioritiz ing — so tak e th is h and book w ith you w h e n you c h ange j obs or
assignm e nts. W h e th e r or not your j ob c alls f or sup e rv ising p e op le , good p lanning sk ills w ill im p rov e your
e f f e c tiv e ne ss. If you d o sup e rv ise oth e rs, you w ill be ne f it f rom p assing on your p lanning sk ills to th e
p e op le w h o w ork f or you!
W h e n a guid e d m issile is launc h e d , it h as a f inal d e stination im p rinte d on its m e m ory. Th is inf orm ation
alone , h ow e v e r, is not e nough to e nsure th at it w ill h it its targe t. Th e w ind , air p re ssure and oth e r f orc e s
sligh tly af f e c t th e m issile ' s d ire c tion and sp e e d . In ord e r to stay on trac k and on targe t, it f re q ue ntly
c om m unic ate s bac k to th e launc h unit and ask s ( in c om p ute r language ), "A m I on targe t? " In re sp onse ,
th e launc h unit te lls th e guid e d m issile to alte r its c ourse "a little th is w ay and a little th at w ay" ( in
c om p ute r language again, of c ourse ). Th rough out th e j ourne y, th e guid e d m issile alte rs its c ourse
h und re d s of tim e s. H av ing d one so, it h its th e targe t p e rf e c tly m ost of th e tim e . H ad it not f re q ue ntly
ask e d , "A m I on targe t? " it w ould not h av e h ad a v e ry good c h anc e of c om p le ting its m ission suc c e ssf ully.
S o it is w ith your p roj e c ts — w ith out c are f ul p lanning and f ollow up , th e lik e lih ood of ge tting your m ission
ac c om p lish e d turns into m ission im p ossible !
C h a p te r 1 : H ow D oe s P l a nning Im p a ct M y S ucce s s
"To do great, important tasks, two things are necessary: a plan and not quite enough time."
—A nonym ous
T he N atu r e of P l anning
P lanning is d e f ine d as th e ac t or p roc e ss of m ak ing or c arrying out th e e stablish m e nt of goals, p olic ie s,
and p roc e d ure s f or a unit of w ork .
U nf ortunate ly, p e op le d on' t talk or th ink about p lanning too m uc h , and p lanning sk ills are ge ne rally only
m e ntione d w h e n th e y are p oor or sore ly inad e q uate . H ow e v e r, a lac k of p lanning of te n c ause s a p roj e c t
to f ail be c ause "C hanges occur that were not anticipated". Y ou m ay re c all h ow bad p lanning h as gotte n
you into bind s and j am s. "U nrealistic time lines result in stress f or you, and they make customers
unhappy when you miss a deadline". O r inc om p le te p lans m ay rob you of suc c e ssf ully re ac h ing your goal.
"The lack of a contingency or b ackup plan lef t you scramb ling when your original plan f ell through".
G ood p lanning sk ills m ay not be th e h ot top ic at th e of f ic e w ate r c oole r, but p e rh ap s th e y sh ould be .

P lanning sk ills are surv iv al skills f or busy p e op le be c ause th e y are ne c e ssary to se e a suc c e ssf ul
c onc lusion to a p roj e c t. P lanning sk ills e nable you to chart th e c ourse of a p roj e c t, steer it tow ard
c om p le tion, and f ocus on your v ision and goals lik e a lase r be am . W ith good p lans you c an p rioritiz e
task s, m inim iz e w aste , and c ap italiz e on op p ortunitie s th at c om e your w ay.
P lanning sk ills re q uire th e logical ev aluation of p roj e c ts or p roble m s. Logic te lls you to look at th ings in
b road-to-narrow te rm s. W h e n p lanning a p roj e c t you m ust look at th e ov e rall goal, th e broad ram if ic ations,
and th e re sourc e s th at you ne e d . Th e n, as you d e f ine th e broad p ic ture , a m ore d e taile d analysis w ill
naturally f ollow . G ood p lanne rs d on' t f orge t e ith e r th e "big p ic ture " or th e d e tails. S e v e ral tip s and
te c h niq ue s on broad -to-narrow p lanning w ill ap p e ar in f ollow ing c h ap te rs.
Y our p lans f orm a f oundation f or h ow you ap p roac h your w ork . Th is f ound ation c an be e ith e r strong or
w e ak . A strong f ound ation is a build ing bloc k f or suc c e ss, w h ile a w e ak f ound ation h ind e rs your suc c e ss.
P l anning Hel p s Y ou D o M or e with L ess

W h e n w as th e last tim e you w e re told th at you h ad as m uc h tim e as you w ante d to c om p le te a p roj e c t?
H av e you e v e r be e n told th at you h ad unlim ite d re sourc e s to ac c om p lish a j ob? A re you able to staf f
e x tra e m p loye e s to c ov e r p e ak s in your w ork load ? S h ould q uality e v e r be c om p rom ise d f or m e e ting a
q uota?
If you answ e re d "ne v e r, " "not in th is lif e tim e , " "c e rtainly not, " and "no w ay" to th e se q ue stions, you are not
alone . A t som e p oint in tim e w e all h av e be e n ask e d to c ut e x p e nse s, p rod uc e f aste r, and / or inc re ase
c ustom e r satisf ac tion. Th e re ality of tod ay' s busine ss c lim ate is th at you ne e d to d o m ore w ith le ss.
U nf ortunate ly, you p robably w ill be ask e d to d o m ore w ith le ss many times in th e f uture . Tom orrow ' s
suc c e ssf ul e m p loye e s w ill be th e one s w h o h av e c om e to te rm s w ith th is c h alle nging c lim ate and h av e
planned f or it. Consid e r th e f ollow ing e x am p le s:
"Th e bud ge t num be rs j ust c am e in, and w e ne e d to c ut our p ayroll …"
"O ur bigge st c lie nt w ants us to im p rov e our turnaround to tw o d ays w ith out it af f e c ting h is
p ric e s …"
"Tw o load e rs j ust c alle d in sic k , and it' s too late to c all anyone to c ov e r f or th e m …"
"W e are at a c ritic al p oint in th e p roj e c t, w h e re m ak ing a w rong d e c ision c an th row us of f
c ourse …"
S ound f am iliar? N ow c onsid e r som e of th e p lanning sk ills you ne e d to d e al w ith th e se c h alle nge s:
"Th e bud ge t num be rs j ust c am e in, and w e ne e d to c ut our p ayroll …"
Planning skills: f ore c asting, p rioritiz ing, P are to analysis
"O ur bigge st c lie nt w ants us to im p rov e our turnaround to tw o d ays w ith out it af f e c ting h is
p ric e s …"
Planning skills: syste m s and p roc e ss analysis, se tting obj e c tiv e s, strate gic p lanning.
"Tw o load e rs j ust c alle d in sic k , and it' s too late to c all anyone to c ov e r f or th e m …"
Planning skills: c ontinge nc y p lanning, re d e f inition of w ork task s, c h e c k ing f or p rogre ss
"W e are at a c ritic al p oint in th e p roj e c t, w h e re m ak ing a w rong d e c ision c an th row us of f

c ourse …"
Planning skills: d e f inition of v ision and goals, c ritic al p ath analysis, sim ulation ( v isioning)
Th e se and oth e r p lanning sk ills allow you to be tte r h and le th e tough d e m and s th at you f ac e . By le arning
to d o m ore w ith le ss, you w ill be tte r m anage th e c h ange s to c om e . ( S e e Ch ap te r 6 )
Y ou r P l anning S kil l s I nf l u enc e the P r odu c tiv ity of O ther s

Consid e r th e f ollow ing state m e nt: Y ou are responsib le f or making yourself and others around you more
successf ul and productiv e. If you be lie v e th is state m e nt, you ne e d to und e rstand th e im p ac t th at your
p lanning sk ills h av e on your w ork e nv ironm e nt. It sh ould c om e as no surp rise th at th e be tte r you p lan, th e
m ore suc c e ssf ul you and th ose around you w ill lik e ly be .
Th e m ore e f f e c tiv e ly you p lan your w ork , th e m ore c le arly your e m p loye e s w ill und e rstand w h at' s
e x p e c te d of th e m . A lac k of c le ar re sp onsibilitie s and goals is f rustrating and p uts th e m at a d isad v antage .
Be f ore you be gin a ne w p roj e c t or assignm e nt, you sh ould giv e a gre at d e al of th ough t to h ow it w ill
im p ac t oth e rs. Be c ause w h e ne v e r th e re are c h ange s in th e w ork p lac e , a re e v aluation is ne e d e d .
E m p loye e s ne e d to k now h ow any c h ange s w ill af f e c t w h at th e y are d oing.
In ad d ition to h e lp ing d e f ine role s and re sp onsibilitie s, good p lanning h e lp s p rioritiz e ac tiv itie s. W ith out an
up f ront analysis of your w ork , you m igh t p rioritiz e base d on "w h o sc re am s th e loud e st." But w h e n you
p lan th e w ork up f ront, you look at h ow e ac h ac tion w ill im p ac t th e organiz ation and h ow m uc h f le x ibility
you c an build into e ac h c om p one nt of th e p lan. G ood p lanning allow s you to m ak e be tte r d e c isions w h e n
p rioritiz ing. Y ou c an m ak e your group m ore p rod uc tiv e by antic ip ating p ote ntial sh ortage s and / or
p roble m s and by tak ing ac tion to c om p e nsate f or th e m in ad v anc e . Th is se nse of ord e r d uring c h aos
allow s your e m p loye e s to be tte r h and le last-m inute c h ange s.
Y ou h av e alre ad y re ad h ow good p lanning sk ills p ositiv e ly af f e c t w h at you are w ork ing on tod ay.
H ow e v e r, th e y also h e lp sh ap e h ow you and your e m p loye e s ap p roac h f uture p roj e c ts, assignm e nts, and
p roble m -solv ing e f f orts. In oth e r w ord s, the things you do today set a precedent f or what you will do
tomorrow. If you se t h igh stand ard s f or q uality and p e rf orm anc e on c urre nt p roj e c ts, you are m ore lik e ly
to ge t top q uality and sup e rior p e rf orm anc e on oth e r p roj e c ts. W h e n you e x p e c t a lot f rom oth e rs, e x p e c t
th e sam e f rom yourse lf . In oth e r w ord s, se t a good e x am p le . Y our good p lanning sk ills w ill rub of f on your
c o-w ork e rs and subord inate s!
Th ink of th e sup e rv isors and m anage rs w h om you ad m ire and re sp e c t. W h at sk ills m ak e th e m

suc c e ssf ul? Ch anc e s are th e y are good at analyz ing th e ir w ork . Ch anc e s are th e y are good p lanne rs. If
you p lan w e ll, you w ill lik e ly be ad m ire d and re sp e c te d by oth e rs too. Th e f ollow ing ac c olad e s are all tie d
to th e ability to p lan.
"H e ' s got h is ac t toge th e r."
"H e se e m s to th ink of e v e ryth ing."
"H e re ac ts w e ll in th e f ac e of ad v e rsity."
"H is group se e m s to be v e ry f oc use d ."
"Th e y' re able to se e th e big p ic ture at all tim e s."
"H is p roj e c ts are e x e c ute d v e ry inte llige ntly."
"H e c an h and le c h ange s w e ll."
G ood p lanning c an m ak e you look lik e you are alw ays on top of th e situation. A s a re sult, you sh ould be
am ong th ose ge tting th e m ost c h alle nging p roj e c ts, th e be st assignm e nts, and th e m ost f re q ue nt
p rom otions!
T ake Y ou r P l anning S kil l s with Y ou
Th e good ne w s is th at p lanning sk ills are basic to all typ e s of busine ss. A s your c are e r p rogre sse s, you
w ill c ontinue to re ly on th e sk ills you h av e use d so f ar plus d e v e lop ne w one s. Y our d e v e lop m e nt sh ould
be sh ap e d by both h ow w e ll you be nc h m ark your suc c e sse s and h ow w e ll you le arn f rom your f ailure s.
W h e n you start a ne w j ob or w ant to re e v aluate your c urre nt p osition, tak e an inv e ntory of th e p lanning
sk ills you w ill ne e d v s. th e sk ills you alre ad y h av e m aste re d . Th e f ollow ing p lanning sk ills inv e ntory w ill
h e lp you d e te rm ine w h at ne e d s to be d e v e lop e d , and th e re m aining c h ap te rs of th is h and book w ill sh ow
you h ow to d o it.
PLANNING SKILLS INVENTORY
Open table as spreadsheet
1 –1 0 , 1 0 = v e r y im p o r ta n t 1 –1 0 , 1 0 = h ig h ly s k ille d
Pl a n n i n g Sk i l l Im p o r t a n c e Sk i l l Le v e l
U nderstandi ng the v i si o n _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _
D ev elo pi ng a v i si o n _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _
D ef i ni ng pro j ec t g o als _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5_ _ _ _ _
S etti ng o bj ec ti v es _ _ _ _ 10 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4_ _ _ _ _
B rai nsto rm i ng i deas _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6_ _ _ _ _
G etti ng o thers i nv o lv ed i n the analy si s _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3_ _ _ _ _
F o rec asti ng _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _
C o nti ng enc y planni ng _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _
P ro g ress rev i ew s _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2_ _ _ _ _
F o llo w -u p _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5_ _ _ _ _
P ro c ess i m pro v em ent _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _
D ay -to -day detai l m anag em ent _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2_ _ _ _ _
S trateg i c planni ng _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4_ _ _ _ _
D ev elo pi ng trend-setti ng plans _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _
D ehassli ng the w o rk plac e _ _ _ _ 6_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5_ _ _ _ _
C hang e m anag em ent _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3_ _ _ _ _
T i m e m anag em ent _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3_ _ _ _ _
P resenti ng plans _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _
T o o ls o f analy si s _ _ _ _ 6_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _
B o u nc i ng bac k w hen thi ng s g o w ro ng _ _ _ _ 5_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _
C hap ter S u m m ar y
P lanning sk ills are surv iv al sk ills. Y our p lans f orm a f ound ation f or h ow you ap p roac h your w ork . P lanning
also h e lp s you d o m ore w ith le ss. W h e n you p lan, you sh ould look at p roj e c ts in broad -to-narrow te rm s.
Y our p lanning sk ills af f e c t th e p rod uc tiv ity of oth e rs by e stablish ing c le ar role s and re sp onsibilitie s, and
by h e lp ing e v e ryone p rioritiz e m ore e f f e c tiv e ly. By using good p lanning sk ills tod ay, you w ill h e lp yourse lf
and your e m p loye e s p re p are f or th e f uture and , at th e sam e tim e , instill good p lanning h abits in e v e ryone .
P e op le notic e good p lanning sk ills, so you w ill be p e rc e iv e d as m ore suc c e ssf ul if you p lan w e ll. A nd
be c ause p lanning sk ills are ne e d e d at all le v e ls of any organiz ation, you sh ould e v aluate your sk ills as
your c are e r p rogre sse s.
C h a p te r 2 : Y our P e rs ona l P l a nning S ty l e
"W e are what we repeatedly do."
— A ristotle
O v er v iew
N o tw o p e op le ap p roac h p lanning in th e sam e w ay. E ac h p e rson is uniq ue in th e w ay sh e ap p roac h e s
organiz ing and analyz ing h e r w ork and w ork e nv ironm e nt. Y our ow n style d e te rm ine s w h ic h are as of
p lanning w ill be "se c ond nature " to you and th ose th at w ill be m ore baf f ling.
Th e be tte r you und e rstand your p e rsonal style ( s), th e be tte r you w ill be at d e v e lop ing th e p lanning sk ills
you ne e d at e ac h stage of your c are e r. S e lf -aw are ne ss c an m ak e you m ore suc c e ssf ul by h e lp ing you
id e ntif y w h at p lanning ac tiv itie s you are lik e ly to h av e m ore trouble c om p le ting.
W h e n it c om e s to p lanning, th e re are f our m ain be h av ioral typ e s: th e P e rf e c tionist, th e Ch aotic , th e

Tre nd se tte r, and th e R e f e re nc e r. To d e te rm ine your basic style ( s), tak e th e sh ort asse ssm e nt th at f ollow s.
Y ou' ll f ind inte rp re tations f or e ac h style af te r th e asse ssm e nt.
PERSONAL STYLE ASSESSMENT
O p e n table as sp re ad sh e e t
As s e s s m e n t i n s t r u c t i o n s : Circ le th e w ord or p h rase th at be st d e sc ribe s you and / or th e w ay
you be h av e at w ork . Y ou sh ould c irc le one of th e w ord s/ p h rase s p e r line .
Se c t i o n A:
C o lu m n 1 C o lu m n 2
1. S te p by ste p A ll at onc e
2. Calm und e r p re ssure E m otional und e r p re ssure
3. S low but ste ad y F ast and te nse
4 . A v e rage se nse of urge nc y H igh se nse of urge nc y
5 . P atie nt Im p atie nt
6 . Lik e to c onc e ntrate on one Lik e to h av e lots of th ings going on at onc e
7 . R attle d by sud d e n c h ange s U naf f e c te d by sud d e n c h ange s
8 . P e rsuad e d by f ac ts P e rsuad e d by e m otional c onte nt
9 . P re c ise E x c iting
10 . U se d e taile d d aily p lanne r U se "P ost-It" note s and / or a le ss d e taile d p lanne r
To t a l c i r c l e d i n C o l u m n 1 : _ _ 6_ _ _
To t a l c i r c l e d i n C o l u m n 2 : _ _ 4_ _ _
PERSONAL STYLE ASSESSMENTX
Se c t i o n B :
1. D e tail-orie nte d Big-p ic ture -orie nte d

2. F ac t-base d Logic -base d
3. Lik e to c om p are w ith th e p ast H ate to c om p are th e w ith th e p ast
4 . D o a lot of re se arc h D o w h at m ak e s se nse
5 . S e e k bac k up to th e orie s R e ly on p e rsonal e x p e rtise to m ak e d e c isions
6. T a k e s o m e t i m e t o m a k e d e c i s i o n s M ak e q uic k d e c isions
PERSONAL STYLE ASSESSMENTX
Se c t i o n B :
7 . Im p le m e nte r E ntre p re ne ur
8 . D e f e nsiv e S tubborn
9 . S e lf -c ritic al S e lf -c onf id e nt
10 . F law le ss M ay le av e out a f e w d e tails
To t a l c i r c l e d i n C o l u m n 3: _ _ 3_ _ _
To t a l c i r c l e d i n C o l u m n 4: _ _ 7_ _ _
A ssessm ent I nter p r etation
If you c irc le d six or m ore in Colum n 1, you h av e P E R F E CTIO N IS T te nd e nc ie s.
If you c irc le d six or m ore in Colum n 2, you h av e CH A O TIC te nd e nc ie s.
If you c irc le d six or m ore in Colum n 3, you h av e R E F E R E N CE R te nd e nc ie s.
If you c irc le d six or m ore in Colum n4 , you h av e TR E N D -S E TTE R te nd e nc ie s.
W rite your tw o stronge st te nd e nc ie s h e re :

PERFEC T I O N I S T T REN D -S ET T ER
If You're a Perfectionist
St r e n g t h s : Th e P e rf e c tionist is th e m ost m e th od ic al of th e f our style s. Y ou te nd to h av e good
organiz ational sk ills. Y ou p re f e r to tak e on one p roj e c t at a tim e . O th e rs p e rc e iv e your w ork as v e ry
p re c ise and of h igh q uality.
Po t e n t i a l w e a k n e s s e s : Th e P e rf e c tionist m ay h av e trouble ac c e p ting rap id c h ange s in th e w ork p lac e .
Be sure th at you are "in th e loop " so th at you k now w h e n c h ange is c om ing and you c an p lan f or it. A s a
P e rf e c tionist, you c an ge t f rustrate d w h e n ask e d to j uggle m any th ings at onc e .
D e v e l o p m e n t a l t i p s : Tak e a c h ange -m anage m e nt c ourse , d e v e lop a w ay f or you to h and le m any task s
at onc e m e th od ic ally, and m ak e sure th at you h av e op e n c om m unic ation line s w ith your m anage r.
Ex a m p l e : "I was j ust told that I' ll b e heading up the relocation proj ect. F irst I' m going to lay out a master
plan and then b egin looking at each indiv idual area that must b e mov ed. I' v e then got to delegate some
of my other proj ects so that I can concentrate on this. I certainly hope they don' t change things on me in
midstream like they did on the last proj ect — what a tense time that was! "
If You're a C h aotic
St r e n g t h s : Th e Ch aotic is th e m ost d ynam ic of th e f our style s. Y ou p re f e r to tak e on m any p roj e c ts at a
tim e . Y ou h av e a tre m e nd ous se nse of urge nc y and unlim ite d e ne rgy. O th e rs p e rc e iv e your w ork as v e ry
p e rsuasiv e and inte re sting.
Po t e n t i a l w e a k n e s s e s : Th e Ch aotic m ay h av e trouble f oc using on one p roj e c t at a tim e , so be sure th at
you d on' t re c om m e nd c h ange j ust f or th e sak e of c h ange . Th e Ch aotic also c an ge t bore d and lose
atte ntion e asily.
D e v e l o p m e n t a l t i p s : Tak e a tim e -m anage m e nt c ourse , d e v e lop your ability to be m ore p atie nt, and
m inim iz e d istrac tions w h e n w ork ing on h igh -p riority task s.
Ex a m p l e : "I was j ust told that I' ll b e heading up the relocation proj ect. W hat a great opportunity this is!
They say I should delegate some of the other proj ects that I' m working on, b ut I don' t think I' ll need to.
L if e will j ust b e a little craz ier ov er the nex t f ew months, and I can handle it. I certainly hope they let me
go at my own pace. The last proj ect I did took twice as much time as it should hav e b ecause I had to wait
f or other departments to do their share of the work. W hat a hassle! "
If You're a R eferencer
St r e n g t h s : Th e R e f e re nc e r is th e m ost d e tail-orie nte d of th e f our style s. Y ou te nd to v ie w th ings in
"m ic ro" te rm s, le av ing little out. Y ou p re f e r to d o an e v aluation or ge t ap p rov al be f ore m ak ing a d e c ision.
O th e rs p e rc e iv e your w ork as v e ry e x ac ting and th orough .
Po t e n t i a l w e a k n e s s e s : Th e R e f e re nc e r m ay h av e trouble se e ing th e big p ic ture and , th e re f ore , ge t
bogge d d ow n in th e d e tails. Be c ause R e f e re nc e s h ate to f ail, th e y m ay tak e too m uc h tim e analyz ing
alte rnativ e s, so tim e sc h e d ule s m ay suf f e r. R e f e re nc e rs also m ay be c om e d e f e nsiv e w h e n oth e rs c ritiq ue
th e ir p lans.
D e v e l o p m e n t a l t i p s : Tak e a risk -m anage m e nt c ourse , k e e p th e broad goals or obj e c tiv e s of your p lan
p oste d in f ront of your w ork are a so you c an se e th e m of te n and try to p ositiv e ly ac c e p t f e e d bac k to
m inim iz e your d e f e nsiv e ne ss.
Ex a m p l e : "I was j ust told that I' ll b e heading up the relocation proj ect. There is so much to do, so many
elements. I' v e already made an initial list of 3 0 indiv idual tasks that need to get done. I certainly hope
they take the time to ex plain to me what they want. O n the last proj ect I had a hard time f iguring out what
to do and how to do it — no one took the time to rev iew it with me. "
If You're a T rend setter

St r e n g t h s : Th e Tre nd se tte r is th e m ost innov ativ e of th e f our style s. Y ou te nd to ge ne rate lots of id e as
w h e n brainstorm ing alte rnativ e s f or a p lan. Y ou are v e ry c onf id e nt and d e c isiv e . O th e rs p e rc e iv e your
w ork as v isionary and anti-bure auc ratic .
Po t e n t i a l w e a k n e s s e s : Th e Tre nd se tte r m ay h av e trouble ac c e p ting oth e r p e op le ' s id e as and m ay be
stubborn. Be c ause Tre nd se tte rs are le ss d e tail-orie nte d , th e y m ay m ak e d e c isions w ith out look ing at all
th e angle s. Th e Tre nd se tte r also c an ge t f rustrate d w h e n ask e d to stic k to th e "status q uo."
D e v e l o p m e n t a l t i p s : Tak e a p roj e c t-m anage m e nt c ourse , d e v e lop your ne e d f or atte ntion to d e tail and
allow oth e rs to c ontribute sugge stions be f ore you m ak e your f inal d e c ision.
Ex a m p l e : "I was j ust told that I' ll b e heading up the relocation proj ect. This should b e f un. I' m already
thinking ab out how I' m going to approach it. I certainly hope they let me b e creativ e and take a f ew risks
on this one. O n the last proj ect they wouldn' t leav e me alone and let me do my j ob . It was f rustrating."
C om binations
If You're a Perfectionist and a R eferencer

If you f all und e r both of th e se style s, th e n you p robably are re gard e d as a "f law le ss im p le m e nte r" at w ork .
Th e w ork you d o ge ts d one righ t, as sp e c if ie d , and c om p le te ly.
D e v e l o p m e n t a l t i p s : Conc e ntrate on se e ing th e big p ic ture and on c h ange m anage m e nt.
Ex a m p l e : "I was j ust told that I' ll b e heading up the relocation proj ect. They said that 1 need to make
decisions a little quicker this time, that I spent too much time collecting data on my last proj ect. I don' t
know ab out that — I think it' s important to b e sure f irst. The last proj ect I did was perf ectly thought out
and implemented, and that takes time."
If You're a C h aotic and a T rend setter

If you f all und e r both of th e se style s, th e n you p robably are p e rc e iv e d as a c h arm ing and p e rsuasiv e
e ntre p re ne ur. Y ou h av e a p assion f or ne w w ays and ne w th ings.
D e v e l o p m e n t a l t i p s : Conc e ntrate on m anaging d e tails and le arning p atie nc e .
Ex a m p l e : "I was j ust told that I' ll b e heading up the relocation proj ect. They said that I need to inv olv e
others and not b e so eager to try something completely new. A pparently, my last proj ect wasn' t
“ mainstream” enough. H ey, b ut that' s progress, right? W hat' s more important — doing the right thing or
f eeling comf ortab le ab out it? "
A ssessm ent Interp retations

If you c irc le d six or m ore w ord s/ p h rase s in one c olum n, it d oe s not m e an th at you d o not h av e any of th e
q ualitie s c ontaine d in th e c olum ns f or w h ic h you c irc le d f our or f e w e r w ord s/ p h rase s. In f ac t, you m ay
h av e be h av ioral te nd e nc ie s f or all of th e typ e s; h ow e v e r, th e y w ill be m ore d om inant w h e re you c irc le d
th e m ost w ord s/ p h rase s.
D EV EOPI NG PLANNI NG SK I LLS
Ac t i o n s t o Ta k e t o D e v e l o p Yo u r Pl a n n i n g Sk i l l s
D e te rm ine tw o to f our p e rsonal d e v e lop m e nt goals base d on your asse ssm e nt re sults and w h at
you' v e le arne d about yourse lf . U se th e asse ssm e nt inte rp re tations w ith th e "P lanning S k ills
Inv e ntory" ( in Ch ap te r 1) to p rov id e you w ith id e as.
E x ample:
D e v e l o p m e n t G o a l : I h av e v e ry strong Tre nd se tte r te nd e nc ie s and w ould lik e to d e v e lop m y
atte ntion to d e tails.
A c tion to tak e : P lan tim e to re v ie w d e tails of e ac h p roj e c t.
A c tion to tak e : Bounc e m y id e as of f S am ; h e ' s d e tail-orie nte d .
A c tion to tak e : A tte nd a p roj e c t p lanning c ourse .
D e v e l o p m e n t G o a l # 1 : ___Ch ange M anage m e nt________
A c tion to tak e : ________________________________
A c tion to tak e : ________________________________
A c tion to tak e : ________________________________
D e v e l o p m e n t G o a l # 2 : ____P roj e c t m anage m e nt________
A c tion to tak e : ________________________________
A c tion to tak e : ________________________________
A c tion to tak e : ________________________________
D e v e l o p m e n t G o a l # 3: ____A tte ntion to D e tails__________
A c tion to tak e : _________________________________
A c tion to tak e : _________________________________
A c tion to tak e : _________________________________
W e are all uniq ue in th e w ay w e ap p roac h p lanning. Th e re are f our m ain be h av ioral p lanning typ e s: th e
P e rf e c tionist, th e Ch aotic , th e R e f e re nc e r, and th e Tre nd se tte r. S om e p e op le are a c om bination of th e se .
Y our style d e te rm ine s h ow you ap p roac h situations and p roj e c ts. U nd e rstand ing your p e rsonal p lanning
style w ill h e lp you f oc us your d e v e lop m e nt e f f orts.
C h a p te r 3 : T y p e s of P l a ns
"C hance f av ors the prepared mind."
— Louis P aste ur
O v er v iew
Th e re ality of h av ing to "d o m ore w ith le ss" m ay le ad you to be c om e m ore re ac tiv e th an p roac tiv e . Y ou
sim p ly w on' t h av e th e tim e to sp e nd p lanning f uture p roj e c ts! Th e good ne w s is th at c e rtain typ e s of p lans
allow you to p lan m ore f or th e f uture by sim p lif ying th e m anage m e nt of your w ork today.
F or e x am p le , p lanning c an be f oc use d on th e broad ne e d s of th e busine ss ( strate gic p lanning), th e v e ry

d e taile d nature of your d ay-to-d ay ne e d s ( p e rsonal p lanning) or on sp e c if ic p roj e c ts ( single -use p lans).
A d d itionally, you c an use m any p re -e stablish e d p lans to h e lp you m anage your w ork in a c onsiste nt
m anne r ( stand ing p lans).
S tr ateg ic P l anning
S trate gic p lans te nd to be long-range . Th e y inv olv e an analysis of th e w ork e nv ironm e nt, th e e c onom ic
issue s, th e tre nd s and th e e x isting c om p e tition. Th e inte nt of a strate gic p lan is to sh ap e th e f uture of
your organiz ation, e ith e r totally or p artially. Y ou sh ould base your d e p artm e nt' s strate gic p lan and your
ow n goals on th ose of th e ov e rall organiz ation, th e n d e v e lop p e rsonal p lans to ac c om p lish th e se goals.
In th e re gular c ourse of busine ss, you sh ould stud y th e long-range p lans of your c om p any or d iv ision and
c onsid e r h ow th e y im p ac t your w ork . S trate gic p lans are th e basis f or d e v e lop ing op e rating p lans, w h ic h
outline h ow your busine ss or d e p artm e nt is run on a d aily basis. O p e rating p lans usually tak e th e f orm of
e ith e r stand ing or single -use p lans.
B enefits of a S trateg ic Pl an
E stablish e s a v ision f or th e organiz ation
S e ts th e ov e rall d ire c tion
S e rv e s to unite d iv isions or d e p artm e nts und e r a single , ov e rall m ission
E x am p l es of S trateg ic Pl ans
Th re e -ye ar training p lan
Corp orate busine ss p lan
S tate or loc al gov e rnm e nt urban-re ne w al p lan
S tanding P l ans
A stand ing p lan is an e stablish e d routine or se t of ac tiv itie s. It is be st use d f or f re q ue ntly re p e ate d task s.
F or e x am p le , if you h av e e v e r be e n ask e d to se t a w ork p olic y or p roc e d ure , th e n you h av e d e v e lop e d a
stand ing p lan.
B enefits of a S tand ing Pl an

G re atly sim p lif ie s w ork th at ne e d s to be d one ov e r and ov e r again
S tand ard iz e s ac tions
G iv e s e m p loye e s a ge ne ral guid e line to f ollow ( th e y d on' t h av e to start f rom sc ratc h e ac h
tim e th e y d o an ac tiv ity)
Tak e s ad v antage of le ssons le arne d in p ast e x p e rie nc e s
E x am p l es of S tand ing Pl ans

P olic ie s and p roc e d ure s
Training p lans
S c h e d uling
P rod uc tion p lans
P e rf orm anc e -e v aluation p lans
S af e ty p lans
O rd e r-p roc e ssing p lans
S itu ational or S ing l e-Use P l ans

A single -use p lan is a one -tim e p lan d e v e lop e d f or a single p urp ose . It is be st use d f or uniq ue p roj e c ts.
Th e nature and im p ortanc e of th e p roj e c t w ill d e te rm ine h ow m uc h tim e you sh ould sp e nd on it. S ingle -
use p lans are of te n d e v e lop e d as p art of a m aj or c h ange tak ing p lac e in your busine ss or d e p artm e nt.
Be c ause th e situations and c om p one nts are uniq ue , d ata c olle c tion and c ontinge nc y p lanning are
e sp e c ially im p ortant.
B enefits of a S ing l e-U se Pl an

Brings struc ture and p re d ic tability to organiz ational c h ange s
Custom iz e s ac tions to f it a p artic ular situation or e v e nt
E nsure s ac c urac y be c ause d ata c olle c tion is tailore d to th e p lan' s ov e rall p urp ose or goal
H e lp s busy p e op le m anage th e ir w ork d e m and s w ith f oc us and c onf id e nc e
E x am p l es of S ing l e-U se Pl ans

Bud ge ts
R e organiz ation p lans
S p e c ial-e v e nt sc h e d ule s
P roble m -solv ing p lans
Im p le m e ntation p lans f or a ne w p olic y ( th e se m ay be c om e a stand ing p lan)
N e w c om p ute r-syste m s im p le m e ntations
M ost p roj e c ts
P roc e ss-im p rov e m e nt p roj e c ts
P er sonal P l anning : D ail y / W eekl y / M onthl y

A long w ith p roj e c t p lanning, p e rsonal p lanning sk ills h av e a tre m e nd ous im p ac t on your p rod uc tiv ity.
P e rsonal p lanning re f e rs to th e up f ront th ough t and ac tion you p ut into organiz ing your p e rsonal w ork . In
oth e r w ord s, it' s h ow e f f ic ie ntly you bring toge th e r your d aily re sp onsibilitie s and oth e r sp e c ial p roj e c ts. In
ord e r to d o m ore w ith le ss, busy p e op le ne e d sk ills to organiz e and p rioritiz e th e ir w ork .
Th e re are as m any ap p roac h e s to p e rsonal p lanning as th e re are typ e s of busy p e op le ! Th e k e y to
ge tting your w ork lif e organiz e d is doing what makes sense f or you. H e re are som e organiz ational d os
and d on' ts:
D on' t try to loc k yourse lf into a v e ry d e taile d and e laborate organiz ational syste m if you' re not
naturally d e tail-orie nte d . Y ou' ll ge t f rustrate d and p robably not use th e syste m anyw ay.
D on' t use "P ost-It" note s and sc rap s of p ap e r to k e e p trac k of your ac tiv itie s if you ne e d a
m ore struc ture d ap p roac h .
D o f ind an organiz ational syste m th at c om p le m e nts your style and m e e ts your ne e d s. S om e
p e op le f ind it e asie r to m ak e w e e k ly p lanning obj e c tiv e s w ith d aily to-d o lists th at tie into
th e ir w e e k ly goals, w h ile oth e rs p re f e r to se t m onth ly goals w ith w e e k ly and / or d aily
c h e c k lists. Th e re are , of c ourse , som e p e op le w h o d on' t lik e c h e c k lists or se tting goals at
all!
A gain, th e p oint is not h ow you organiz e but th at you d o it in a w ay th at m ak e s th e m ost se nse to you and
th at f its your p e rsonal style . H e re are som e q ue stions to ask yourse lf to d e te rm ine h ow you sh ould
ap p roac h ge tting organiz e d .
1. O n w h ic h tim e p e riod sh ould I f oc us — by p roj e c t m ile stone or on a m onth ly, w e e k ly or
d aily basis?
2. W h at sp e c ial organiz ational ne e d s d o I h av e ?
3. W h at tools c an I use to p rioritiz e ?
4 . W h at typ e of organiz ational tools be st suit m y p e rsonal style — d aily p lanne rs, w all
c ale nd ars, c h e c k lists, e tc .?
5 . H ow c an I c h ange m y organiz ing h abits in ord e r to be c om e m ore p rod uc tiv e and m aintain
m y sanity?
6 . W h at h av e I le arne d f rom th e p ast about organiz ing m y w ork ?
7 . S h ould I d e le gate m ore ? ( A sk f or f e e d bac k f rom your p e e rs and your m anage r. P e rh ap s
you c an be c om e be tte r organiz e d by d e le gating task s you d on' t d o w e ll or d on' t h av e tim e
f or.)
"G etting organiz ed is no end in itself ; it is a means to get where you want to b e."
— S te p h anie W inston.
The O rganiz ed E x ecutiv e
"In your daily planner, there should b e a place f or your personal mission statement so that you can
constantly ref er to it. There also needs to b e a place f or b oth your roles and short-term and long-term
goals."
— S te p h e n Cov e y.
The 7 H ab its of H ighly E f f ectiv e P eople
ARE YOU ORG ANI Z ED ?
I n s t r u c t i o n s : A nsw e r th e f ollow ing q ue stions to d e te rm ine h ow organiz e d you are .
1. H ow of te n d o you f orge t m e e tings or ap p ointm e nts?
_____N e v e r _____S e ld om _____som e tim e s
_____O f te n _____A lw ays
W h y? ______________________________________________
2. H ow of te n d o you f ind yourse lf sh uf f ling th rough p ile s of p ap e rs to ge t inf orm ation th at
you ne e d righ t aw ay?
_____N e v e r _____S e ld om _____S om e tim e s
3. Could you up d ate your m anage r on th e status of all your p roj e c ts or assignm e nts if h e
w alk e d up to you righ t now ?
_____Y e s _____N o
W h y or w h y not? _____________________________________
4 . W ould your p e e rs say th at you are an organiz e d p e rson?
_____Y e s _____N o
W h y or w h y not? _____________________________________
5 . H ow of te n h av e your p roj e c ts be e n c om p le te d on tim e ( ov e r th e p ast ye ar or so)?
_____N e v e r _____S e ld om _____S om e tim e s
F or th ose th at w e re not c om p le te d on tim e , w h at c ause d th e d e lay?
__________________________________________________
YOU R D EV ELOPMENT NEED S
In te r p r e ta tio n
E ac h of th e p re v ious q ue stions w ill h e lp you d e te rm ine h ow organiz e d you re ally are . Th e f ollow ing
q ue stions w ill h e lp you d iagnose your d e v e lop m e ntal ne e d s.
1. W h ic h of your answ e rs are you m ost c onc e rne d about? W h y?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
2. W h at asp e c t of organiz ing is m ost d if f ic ult f or you? W h y?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
3. H ow d oe s your ability to organiz e ( or lac k of ) im p ac t your w ork ?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
4 . W h at organiz ational sk ill w ould you lik e to d e v e lop f urth e r? W h at ac tion( s) sh ould you
tak e to d e v e lop in th is are a?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
N ow m ap out a d e v e lop m e nt p lan using w h at you h av e le arne d about your organiz ational sk ills. O f
c ourse , you w ill ne e d to d e te rm ine w h at ac tions w ill h e lp you ge t be tte r organiz e d . Th e n e stablish
w e e k ly goals to trac k your p rogre ss!
Pl a n o f Ac t i o n
W h at I' m going to d o:__________________________
W h e n I' m going to d o it:________________________
W h at m e asure m e nt I w ill use :____________________
C ase S tu dy
N ow th at you' v e le arne d about th e d if f e re nt typ e s of p lans, re ad th is c ase stud y and d e te rm ine w h at
ac tions sh ould be tak e n. A se t of q ue stions f ollow s.
S and ra is a ne w sup e rv isor of a sale s d e p artm e nt. S h e h as be e n h ire d by th e c om p any be c ause of h e r

e x c e lle nt sale s bac k ground and h e r loc al c ontac ts. H e r ne w c om p any w ould lik e to d ouble sale s in th is
d e p artm e nt ov e r th e ne x t ye ar or so.
Th is is S and ra' s f irst sup e rv isory assignm e nt. S h e f e e ls c onf id e nt about h e r m anage m e nt sk ills and is
look ing f orw ard to h e r ne w c are e r. M ost of th e p e op le in h e r d e p artm e nt h av e be e n w ork ing f or th e
c om p any f or se v e ral ye ars and k now w h at th e y' re d oing. Look ing at th e ir ind iv id ual f ile s, S and ra notic e s
th at th e v ast m aj ority of th e e m p loye e s w e re rate d v e ry good on th e ir last p e rf orm anc e re v ie w s. Base d on
th is inf orm ation, S and ra d e te rm ine s th at little d ire c tion is ne e d e d f rom h e r.
O v e r th e ne x t f e w m onth s S and ra h old s se v e ral m e e tings to talk about th e ne e d to inc re ase sale s.
S e v e ral id e as are d isc usse d , alth ough no f orm al p lans are e v e r p re se nte d . Inste ad , S and ra p uts in m any
h ours trying to m ak e ad d itional sale s h e rse lf .
D uring h e r six -m onth re v ie w , S and ra' s m anage r, J ac k , d e liv e rs som e bad ne w s. Th e d e p artm e nt' s sale s
h av e gone d ow n 5 p e rc e nt! W h e n J ac k ask s S and ra f or an e x p lanation, sh e re p lie s, "I d on' t und e rstand . I
gav e th e group se v e ral ne w id e as f or ge tting ne w c ustom e rs, but I d on' t k now w h y th e y are not using
th e m ! "
C ase S tud y Q uestions

1. W h at h as S and ra ne gle c te d to d o?
2. W h y d o you th ink S and ra h as re siste d d e v e lop ing a f orm al sale s im p rov e m e nt p lan?
3. W h at d if f ic ulty is S and ra h av ing th at m any ne w sup e rv isors e x p e rie nc e ? W h y?
4 . W h at sh ould S and ra te ll J ac k at th is p oint?
5 . W h at sh ould S and ra say to h e r staf f ? H ow w ill sh e ge t h e r e m p loye e s to c om m it to
w h at ne e d s to be ac c om p lish e d ?
6 . W h at typ e of p lan sh ould S and ra d e v e lop ?
Possib l e A nsw ers

1 . W h at h as S and ra ne gle c te d to d o?
2 . W h y d o you th ink S and ra h as re siste d d e v e lop ing a f orm al
sale s im p rov e m e nt p lan?
3. W h at d if f ic ulty is S and ra h av ing th at m any ne w
sup e rv isors e x p e rie nc e ? W h y?
4. W h at sh ould S and ra te ll J ac k at th is p oint?
5 . W h at sh ould S and ra say to h e r staf f ? H ow w ill sh e ge t h e r
e m p loye e s to c om m it to w h at ne e d s to be ac c om p lish e d ?
6. W h at typ e of p lan sh ould S and ra d e v e lop ?
An s w e r s
1 . S andra has neglected to prov ide the group with a plan f or improv ing sales. A s
a result, her employees are unf ocused and unclear ab out what is ex pected of
them and what they should do.
2 . B ecause S andra is a new superv isor, she does not realiz e the importance of
planning skills — how they relate to her work and the work of her employees.
S he assumes that since the employees know what they are doing they will
"read her mind" and do the right thing. E v en good employees need to
understand their goals and ob j ectiv es.
3. S andra is hav ing a prob lem making the transition f rom line employee to
superv isor. S he has gone b ack to what she f eels comf ortab le doing — selling.
M any f irst-time superv isors go through the same ex perience.
4. S andra should ask f or J ack' s adv ice and admit that she has not b een giv ing
the group much direction. P erhaps he can help her come up with a plan f or
improv ing sales and f or dev eloping her own superv isory skills!
5 . S andra needs to b e honest with her people. S he should admit that she has
not giv en them the direction and leadership that they need, that they hav e a
tremendous challenge ahead of them and that she needs their help in
dev eloping a plan f or improv ing sales.
6. S andra should dev elop a single-use plan.
Th e re are se v e ral typ e s of p lans: strate gic , stand ing, single -use and p e rsonal. S trate gic p lans are
ge ne rally long-range and broad e r in sc op e . S tand ing p lans are use d f or d ay-to-d ay or w e ll-e stablish e d
ac tiv itie s. S ingle -use p lans are be st f or sp e c ial p roj e c ts and m ak ing c h ange s. P e rsonal p lans bring
toge th e r your d aily re sp onsibilitie s in ord e r to c om p le te assigne d p roj e c ts. O rganiz ational sk ills are c ritic al
f or all typ e s of p lanning, e sp e c ially good p e rsonal p lans.
C h a p te r 4 : T h e B a s ics of P l a nning
"P lans are nothing; planning is ev erything."
— D w igh t D . E ise nh ow e r
O v er v iew
P lans e nsure th at your ov e rall d e sire d p urp ose w ill be ac h ie v e d e f f e c tiv e ly and e f f ic ie ntly. A c c ord ing to
Ch ris M ac d onald , auth or of The P roductiv e S uperv isor, "To be gin a w ork assignm e nt or p roj e c t of any
siz e or c om p le x ity w ith out th e p rod uc tiv e re sourc e s and inf orm ation you w ill ne e d — th at is, w ith out
planning it — is to run th e h igh risk of f ailure ."
A lth ough e ac h situation is d if f e re nt, th e re are c om m on p lanning e le m e nts th at you c an use f or m ost
situations. Th is c h ap te r re v ie w s th e basic e le m e nts of p lanning and h ow th e y f it into th e ov e rall p roc e ss
m od e l.
Th e P lanning P roc e ss M od e l—( f or single-use plans)
Th e p lanning p roc e ss is both line ar and c yc lic al. It is line ar be c ause c e rtain ac tions m ust be d one in a
c e rtain ord e r. F or e x am p le , th e ov e rall p urp ose m ust be d e f ine d p rior to d ata c olle c tion. It is c yc lic al
be c ause you m ust f re q ue ntly re f e r to your d e f ine d p urp ose or goal to e v aluate your p rogre ss. A lso, you
m ay ne e d to re turn to p re v ious ste p s of th e p lanning p roc e ss if you f ind th at th e y no longe r sup p ort th e
ov e rall p urp ose . In ge ne ral, th e f ollow ing ste p s sh ow h ow you m igh t typ ic ally m ov e th rough th e p lanning
p roc e ss, assum ing th e re are no m aj or glitc h e s!
S tep s in the P l anning P r oc ess

1. D e f ine th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal.
2. D e te rm ine th e m aj or c om p one nts or obj e c tiv e s of th e p lan.
3. M ak e sure th at your obj e c tiv e s align w ith ( sup p ort) th e ov e rall p urp ose .
4 . Colle c t and e v aluate th e d ata you w ill ne e d to d e te rm ine w h at it w ill tak e to c om p le te
e ac h c om p one nt of th e p lan.
5 . M ak e sure th at th e d ata you c olle c te d and e v aluate d sup p orts th e ov e rall p urp ose .
6 . D e v e lop a f ore c ast p lan.
7 . M ak e sure th at your f ore c ast p lan sup p orts th e ov e rall p urp ose .
8 . D e te rm ine ac tion ste p s.
9 . M ak e sure th at your ac tion ste p s sup p ort th e ov e rall p urp ose .
10 . D e v e lop c ontinge nc y p lans.
11. M ak e sure th at your c ontinge nc y p lans sup p ort th e ov e rall p urp ose .
12. Im p le m e nt your p lan.
13. M ak e sure th at your im p le m e ntation sup p orts th e ov e rall p urp ose .
14 . Ch e c k th e p rogre ss of your p lan f re q ue ntly.
15 . M ak e sure as your p lan is im p le m e nte d th at th e ov e rall p urp ose re m ains in f oc us.
S e e m s lik e a lot of ste p s! In re ality, you w ill f ind th at tak ing a f e w m om e nts to f oc us on th e p lan' s ov e rall
p urp ose w ill sav e you time ov er the lif e of your proj ect. M uc h m ore tim e is w aste d re w ork ing p roj e c t p lans
w h e n h alf w ay th rough you d isc ov e r th at th e p roj e c t is of f c ourse or d oe s not sup p ort th e ov e rall goal.
N ow le t' s look at e ac h c om p one nt of th e p lanning p roc e ss m od e l in m ore d e tail.

D e f i n e t h e Pu r p o s e o r G o a l
W h at : Ironic ally, th is f irst and m ost c ruc ial ste p is of te n th e m ost f orgotte n. F or any p lan to be suc c e ssf ul
you m ust h av e a c le ar und e rstand ing of th e d e sire d outc om e . S o until th e ov e rall p urp ose is und e rstood ,
noth ing e lse sh ould be d one . A s th e m od e l sh ow s, you re turn to th e p urp ose or goal be tw e e n e ac h ste p
of th e p lanning p roc e ss to e nsure th at you are on th e righ t trac k . M any w e ll-inte nd e d p lans go aw ry
be c ause p e op le lose sigh t of th e ov e rall goal.
H o w : A w e ll-d e f ine d p urp ose or goal tak e s som e th ough t. H e re are som e of th e m ain e le m e nts:
1. It state s in b road terms w h at th e d e sire d outc om e is.
2. It d e f ine s th e p roj e c t' s tim e sc h e d ule .
3. It d e sc ribe s th e re sourc e s th at w ill be use d . R e sourc e s sh ould be e x p re sse d in te rm s of
p e op le ' s tim e and f inanc ial c osts, am ong oth e rs.
4 . It state s any q uality stand ard s th at are ap p lic able ( ge ne ral ac c ounting p rac tic e s,
c ustom e r satisf ac tion guid e line s, no ne gativ e im p ac t on oth e r p roc e sse s, e tc .).
E x am p le : Be c k y' s w ork group w ants to be IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d . To be c om e c e rtif ie d , th e p roc e sse s th at
are use d in th e d e p artm e nt m ust be d oc um e nte d , f ully und e rstood and use d . Be c k y is in c h arge of th e
p lan. Th e p urp ose or goal is to "be c om e IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d w ith in six m onth s using 25 p e rc e nt of th re e
w ork e rs' tim e and no m ore th an $ 10 , 0 0 0 ."
D uring th e ne x t f e w m onth s, th e w ork of d oc um e nting th e d e p artm e nt' s p roc e sse s be gins. A s th is
h ap p e ns, it be c om e s c le ar th at m any of th e p roc e d ure s c urre ntly use d c ould be im p rov e d . H ere' s the
critical point in B ecky' s plan. If sh e re turns to th e p urp ose of th e p lan, to b ecome IS O 9 0 0 0 certif ied, sh e
w ill h av e to re d ire c t th e e f f orts of th ose w anting to im p rov e th e p roc e sse s to sim p ly d oc um e nting th e m . In
th is c ase , p roc e ss im p rov e m e nt is a se p arate goal th at sh ould be e x am ine d at a late r tim e . IS O 9 0 0 0
c e rtif ic ation c an be ac h ie v e d w ith th e c urre nt p roc e sse s. If Be c k y d oe s not re turn to h e r original p urp ose ,
th e n sh e and h e r te am w ill ge t sid e trac k e d by p roc e ss im p rov e m e nts, m e aning it w ill tak e m ore tim e and
m one y to be c om e IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d .
Be c k y also h as th e op tion of c h anging th e p urp ose of th e p roj e c t to inc lud e p roc e ss im p rov e m e nts;
h ow e v e r, sh e w ill ne e d to m ak e ad j ustm e nts to th e c e rtif ic ation tim e sc h e d ule and bud ge t. P e rh ap s h e r
d e p artm e nt' s p roc e sse s are so outd ate d th at im p rov e m e nts m ust be m ad e as d oc um e ntation tak e s p lac e .
If th at' s th e c ase , th e n Be c k y m ust re p h rase h e r p urp ose to inc lud e p roc e ss im p rov e m e nt and IS O 9 0 0 0
c e rtif ic ation. H e r p lan also m ust re f le c t th e longe r tim e line s and gre ate r re sourc e s th at are ne e d e d .
W h at is bottom line , as sh ow n in th is e x am p le ? D aily ac tiv itie s sh ould re f le c t your ov e rall p urp ose . Th at is
h ow you stay on trac k to m e e t your goals. If d e f ining your p urp ose or goal is so im p ortant, th e n w h y is it
so of te n le f t out? Th e re are th re e p ossible re asons:
1. P e op le of te n th ink th e y und e rstand th e issue and m ov e righ t to tak ing ac tion. A lth ough
you m ay be able to im m e d iate ly asse ss your ow n p oint of v ie w , you ne e d th e p e rsp e c tiv e
of oth e rs f or your initial analysis.
2. W h e n f ac e d w ith p re ssing busine ss p roble m s, p e op le of te n th ink th e y c annot tak e tim e
f or p rop e r p lanning. A gain, th e te nd e nc y is to m ov e d ire c tly to im p le m e nting th e p lan,
w ith out e nsuring th at your ac tions are aligne d w ith th e ne e d s of your organiz ation. In
re ality, p lanning sav e s tim e by re d uc ing th e ne e d f or re w ork .
3. If th e p lanning style s e x e rc ise in Ch ap te r 2 ind ic ate d th at you te nd to be a P e rf e c tionist or
a R e f e re nc e r, you m ay m ov e too q uic k ly th rough th e big-p ic ture p h ase of p lanning and
go righ t to th e d e tails. Y ou ne e d to look at th e broad p ic ture in ord e r to e nsure th at th e
goals of th e p roj e c t are c le arly und e rstood p rior to d e te rm ining ind iv id ual ac tion ste p s.
D ev el op a Purp ose or G oal S tatem ent
E x e r c ise : Th ink of a p roj e c t you are c urre ntly inv olv e d in or one in w h ic h you w ill be inv olv e d . U sing th e
f our e le m e nts of a good p urp ose or goal state m e nt as a guid e , d e v e lop a state m e nt th at f its your p roj e c t.
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Se t Ob j e c t i v e s
W h at : Base d on your w e ll-d e f ine d p urp ose or goal, you w ill w ant to se t broad obj e c tiv e s th at d e sc ribe th e
m aj or c om p one nts of your p roj e c t. M ak e a list of your broad obj e c tiv e s f or e asy re f e re nc e .
H o w : Y ou w ant to m ov e f rom your ov e rall p urp ose or goal state m e nt to th e d e tails of your p roj e c t. D o th is
by d e te rm ining th e m aj or "c h unk s" of th e p roj e c t.
E x am p le : In ord e r f or Be c k y' s d e p artm e nt to gain IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ic ation, h e re are th e m aj or c om p one nts
of h e r p roj e c t:
1. D e te rm ine w h ic h p roc e sse s are alre ad y d oc um e nte d .
2. D oc um e nt re m aining p roc e sse s as ne e d e d .
3. Com m unic ate th e p roc e sse s to th e p e op le w h o w ork w ith th e m .
4 . P e rf orm inte rnal aud its to e nsure th at th e p roc e sse s are be ing f ollow e d .
5 . M ak e ne e d e d ad j ustm e nts.
6 . A rrange f or th e outsid e c e rtif ic ation c om p any to e x am ine th e d e p artm e nt and its
d oc um e ntation.
E x e r c ise : Base d on th e p urp ose or goal you d e v e lop e d in th e p re v ious e x e rc ise , d e te rm ine th e m aj or
c om p one nts or obj e c tiv e s of your p lan.
1. _____________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
4 . ___________________________________________________________
5 . ___________________________________________________________
C o l l e c t a n d Ev a l u a t e D a t a
W h at : O nc e your broad obj e c tiv e s are se t, d ata c olle c tion be gins. F or e ac h m aj or c om p one nt of your
p roj e c t you ne e d to d e te rm ine w h at th e re le v ant f ac ts are and w h at ac tions are ne c e ssary to c om p le te
e ac h obj e c tiv e . Th e n d e v e lop a re alistic and f ac tual list of sp e c if ic d e tails or c ritic al suc c e ss f ac tors f or
e ac h obj e c tiv e of your p lan.
Be sure to inv olv e oth e rs th rough out th e p lanning p roc e ss, but e sp e c ially at th is p oint. Y ou ne e d
f e e d bac k f rom p e op le w h o w ill im p le m e nt th e obj e c tiv e s or be af f e c te d by th e m . By inv olv ing oth e rs now ,
you m ay p re v e nt m any p roble m s d ow n th e road , w h e re th e y are m uc h h ard e r to f ix .
H o w : To c olle c t th e d ata ne e d e d f or e ac h obj e c tiv e , you sh ould ask and answ e r th e f ollow ing q ue stions:
1. W h at w ork is re q uire d to ac c om p lish th is obj e c tiv e ?
2. W h o m ust p e rf orm th is w ork ?
3. W h at issue s or c h alle nge s w ill arise w h ile ge tting th is w ork d one ?
4 . A re th ose inv olv e d c om m itte d to th is p roj e c t?
5 . H ow long h as sim ilar w ork tak e n?
6 . W h at is a re alistic am ount of tim e to c om p le te th is obj e c tiv e ?
7 . A re th e re any risk s inv olv e d ?
Th e re are se v e ral tools you m ay w ant to use f or c olle c ting d ata. ( R e f e r to Ch ap te r 8 f or sp e c if ic s on
c h e c k sh e e ts, P are to analysis and f low c h arts.) A gain, m ak e sure th at your analysis sup p orts your ov e rall
p urp ose or goal state m e nt.
A note on risk : Th e f uture is alw ays m ore or le ss unc e rtain. Y ou re d uc e th e d e gre e of unc e rtainty — th e
risk — w h e n you c olle c t th e re le v ant d ata and ap p ly it to your f ore c ast, w h ic h is th e ne x t p lanning ste p .
E x am p le : Be c k y h as c olle c te d th e f ollow ing d ata f or h e r department' s plan f or achiev ing IS O 9 0 0 0
c e rtif ic ation.
O bj e c tiv e : D ocument the remaining processes.
1 . W h at w ork is re q uire d to ac c om p lish th is obj e c tiv e ?
2 . W h o m ust p e rf orm th is w ork ?
3. W h at issue s or c h alle nge s w ill arise w h ile ge tting th is w ork
d one ?
4. A re th ose inv olv e d c om m itte d to th is p roj e c t?
6. W h at is a re alistic am ount of tim e to c om p le te th is
obj e c tiv e ?
7. A re th e re any risk s inv olv e d ?
An s w e r s
1 . Thirty-eight of the department' s 5 5 processes must b e documented.
2 . E ach worker will need to participate in documenting the processes that she
regularly does.
3. The department is v ery b usy. Taking the time to document the processes will
b e challenging f or ev eryone. S ev eral processes will b e dif f icult to document
b ecause sev eral v ersions are currently used.
4. W hile B ecky and her superv isors are committed to b ecoming IS O 9 0 0 0
certif ied, the other workers don' t see the need f or it. They v iew certif ication as
a lot of ex tra work.
5 . B ecky' s department is the third in the company to seek IS O 9 0 0 0 certif ication.
It took approx imately three months f or the other two departments to complete
their documentation.
6. B ecky f eels that documenting the remaining processes should take no more
than three months, giv en the department' s current workload.
7. B ecky' s department f aces losing customers if it does not receiv e IS O 9 0 0 0
certif ication within the nex t year. D uring the last f ew months, sev eral of the
department' s largest customers hav e inquired ab out its certif ication status. If
the remaining thirty-eight processes are not documented, the certif ication
process cannot continue.
E x e r c ise : Base d on tw o of th e m aj or obj e c tiv e s you id e ntif ie d in th e p re v ious e x e rc ise , c om p le te th e
f ollow ing d ata c olle c tion q ue stions:
O bj e c tiv e : _________________________________________________
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O bj e c tiv e :__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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D e v e lo p a F o r e c a s t
W h at : F ore c asting is p e rh ap s th e m ost c re ativ e ste p of th e p lanning p roc e ss, be c ause se v e ral v ie w s
m ust be te ste d be f ore you d e c id e on a p roj e c t sc h e d ule . A t th is p oint in th e p lan, all of your d ata sh ould
be inte grate d into a c oh e siv e road m ap . N ow you w ill tak e th is d e taile d inf orm ation f or e ac h obj e c tiv e and
te st h ow it w ork s toge th e r in m e e ting th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal. Th is ste p is c alle d f ore c asting be c ause
it is th e f irst tim e th at you w ill h av e inf orm ation av ailable to p re d ic t th e p roj e c t' s sc h e d ule , th e re sourc e s
ne e d e d and ne c e ssary q uality m e asure m e nts.
A t th is p oint th e f e asibility of your p urp ose or goal state m e nt m ay be c h alle nge d . Q ue stions about tim ing
or re sourc e s ge ne rally w ill surf ac e as you look at e ac h m aj or c h unk of th e p roj e c t and se e h ow it re late s
to th e oth e r c h unk s. A t th e e nd of th is p lanning ste p you w ill h av e a d e taile d sc h e d ule of ac tiv itie s —
som e th at ne e d to be d one in a line ar f ash ion and som e th at c an be d one c onc urre ntly.
H o w : F ore c asting w ill be le ss d if f ic ult if you c om p are d if f e re nt p ossible sc e narios to f ind th e sc h e d ule th at
be st m e e ts th e ne e d s of th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal. To m ak e a sc h e d ule f or e ac h m aj or c om p one nt of
th e p roj e c t, answ e r th e se th re e q ue stions:
1. W h ic h ac tiv itie s m ust be d one ? E lim inate any d up lic ate task s or task s th at d o not ad d
v alue to th e p roj e c t. ( S e e Ch ap te r 8 .)
2. W h at m ust be c om p le te d ( or be gun) be f ore w ork starts on e ac h sp e c if ic obj e c tiv e ?
3. W h at oth e r ac tiv itie s are d e p e nd e nt up on th e c om p le tion ( or p artial c om p le tion) of th is
group of ac tiv itie s?
A f ore c ast w ith c onc urre nt ac tiv itie s c ontains a c e rtain am ount of risk . W h e n c om p aring p ossible
sc h e d ule s, your analysis sh ould inc lud e a risk asse ssm e nt. W e igh th e p ossible be ne f its against th e
p ossible c osts and p ossible c ontinge nc y ac tions. Th e m ore inf orm ation you h av e about e ac h obj e c tiv e ,
th e be tte r p re p are d you w ill be to asse ss th e p ossible risk s.
U nre alistic p lans c an c re ate m ore p roble m s th an th e y solv e ! To d e te rm ine if your p lan is re alistic , f ollow
th e se th re e ste p s:
1. H av e a truste d p e e r p lay d e v il' s ad v oc ate .
2. E v aluate h ow your p lan w ill im p ac t oth e r d e p artm e ntal p lans.
3. Inv olv e oth e rs — ge t th e ir inp ut!
E x am p le : In Be c k y' s p lan to ge t h e r w ork group IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d , sh e m ak e s a sc h e d ule using a G antt
c h art, w h ic h is e x p laine d in m ore d e tail in Ch ap te r 8 .
Th is f irst p roj e c t tim e line is base d on a stric tly line ar p rogre ssion of ac tiv itie s, w ith e ac h task be ing f ully
c om p le te d be f ore th e ne x t one be gins. N otic e th at th e e stim ate d p roj e c t c om p le tion tim e is se v e n and a
h alf m onth s. But Be c k y' s p urp ose state m e nt said th at sh e w ante d to h av e th e p roj e c t c om p le te d in six
m onth s! Be f ore c h anging th e p urp ose state m e nt to re f le c t a longe r c om p le tion d ate , Be c k y sh ould look at
th e p ossibility of d oing som e of th e ac tiv itie s at th e sam e tim e . H e re ' s a ne w tim e line th at sh ow s m ore
c onc urre nt ac tiv itie s.
N otic e th at th e p roj e c t c om p one nts th e m se lv e s d o not tak e any le ss tim e ; rath e r, m any are d one
c onc urre ntly. F or e x am p le , w h ile som e p roc e sse s are be ing d oc um e nte d , th ose alre ad y c om p le te d c an
be c om m unic ate d . A nd as p roc e sse s are c om m unic ate d , ind iv id ual aud its c an be d one and ad j ustm e nts
c an be m ad e . Th e only m aj or c om p one nts of th e p lan th at re m ain stric tly line ar are th e f irst and last.
N oth ing e lse c an re ally h ap p e n until Be c k y d e te rm ine s w h ic h p roc e sse s ne e d to be d oc um e nte d . A nd h e r
d e p artm e nt m ust f inish all of its w ork be f ore th e outsid e c e rtif ic ation c om p any arriv e s.
Base d on th is ne w , c onc urre nt sc h e d ule , th e p roj e c t c an be c om p le te d in le ss th an six m onth s. N ow
Be c k y' s j ob is to m ak e sure th at th e p lan is f e asible . S h e ne e d s to c onf irm th at sh e h as k e p t th e broad
goal in m ind w h ile e nsuring th at th e p e op le inv olv e d in im p le m e nting th e p lan c an p e rf orm th e ir ac tiv itie s
base d on h e r f ore c ast.
E x e r c ise : D e v e lop a f ore c ast base d on th e p lan you h av e be e n w ork ing w ith in p re v ious e x e rc ise s.
D e v e lop it using th is blank G antt c h art. A se t of q ue stions f ollow s.
Pr o j e c t Ti m e Li n e ( i n _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ )
Ob j e c t i v e s / t a s k s
E x ercise Q uestions
1. Is your f ore c ast re alistic ?
2. A re th e ac tiv itie s in your f ore c ast d one one at a tim e or c onc urre ntly?
3. D oe s your f ore c ast inc lud e all th e m aj or ac tiv itie s th at m ust be d one ?
4 . If you h and e d your f ore c ast to a c o-w ork e r, w ould sh e c le arly und e rstand w h e n
ac tiv itie s sh ould be w ork e d on and w h e n th e p roj e c t w ill be c om p le te d ?
D e t e r m i n e Ac t i o n St e p s
W h at : Base d on your f ore c ast and th e d e tails you gath e re d d uring d ata c olle c tion, d e te rm ine w h at
tac tic al ste p s ne e d to be tak e n and in w h at ord e r. D uring th is p art of th e p lanning p roc e ss, ac tiv itie s are
d e f ine d in a v e ry d e taile d m anne r. E v e ntually, you w ill d e v e lop d e taile d d aily, w e e k ly, and / or m onth ly
ac tiv ity c h e c k lists, and / or ac tion p lans. ( Ch ap te r 8 c ontains m ore inf orm ation on d e v e lop ing an ac tion
p lan.)
H o w : Th e k e y to suc c e ss d uring th is p art of th e p lanning p roc e ss is not le av ing anyth ing out! A s sim p le
as th is m ay se e m , th e tinie st f orgotte n ste p m ay som e tim e s stall an e ntire p roj e c t. D e p e nd ing on th e
nature of your p roj e c t, you m ay w ant to d e v e lop d aily or w e e k ly c h e c k lists. Th e re are c ountle ss w ays th at
you c an d o th is; h ow e v e r, you w ill w ant to use a f orm at th at m ak e s th e m ost se nse f or your p roj e c t. H e re
are a f e w sam p le ap p roac h e s:
1. U se d aily c h e c k lists th at tie into w e e k ly c h e c k lists and / or w e e k ly c h e c k lists th at tie into
m onth ly trac k ing sh e e ts f or your ac tion p lan.
2. K e e p all ac tiv itie s and th e ir d ue d ate s liste d on a m aste r ac tion p lan.
3. M aintain ind iv id ual c h e c k lists f or e ac h e m p loye e .
4 . P ost c h e c k lists w ith all e m p loye e s' nam e s and th e ir assigne d re sp onsibilitie s. ( P e e r
p re ssure is a gre at m otiv ator.)
5 . Tak e ad v antage of p roj e c t m anage m e nt sof tw are to trac k th e c om p le tion of ac tiv itie s.
E x am p le : F ollow ing is Be c k y' s ap p roac h to d e te rm ining and trac k ing th e ac tion ste p s ne e d e d f or h e r
d e p artm e nt' s p lan to be c om e IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d .
O p e n table as sp re ad sh e e t Ac t i o n Pl a n
P roj e c t IS O 9 0 0 0 Ce rtif ic ation P roj e c t

Le ad e r Be c k y
O v e rall P urp ose : To be c om e IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d w ith in sox m onth s using 25 p e rc e nt of th re e
w ork e rs' tim e and no m ore th an $ 10 0 0 0 .
S te p A c tion M e asure d R e sp onsibility
N o S te p S tat E nd Crite ria of
1 R e v ie w 11/ 13 11/ 18 G roup Be c k y J
and agre e m e nt
c om m unic of
ate p lan und e rstand
ing
2 D e te rm ine 11/ 18 12/ 1 S atisf ac tory Be c k y J
w h ic h Inte rnal
p roc e sse s aud it
ne e d to
d oc um e nt
e d
3 D oc um e nt 12/ 3 S atisf ac tory D ora P
p roc e sse s Inte rnal
( ord e r aud it
are a)
3 D oc um e nt 12/ 3 S atisf ac tory J oh n J .
( billing) aud it
3 D oc um e nt 12/ 3 S atisf ac tory S am Y .
( oth e r). aud it
1. Be c k y d e v e lop s a m aste r ac tion p lan th at id e ntif ie s th e w ork th at h as to be d one , by
w h om and by w h e n. S h e organiz e s th e ac tions both by obj e c tiv e and by tim e .
2. Be c k y d e v e lop s ind iv id ual c h e c k list f or e ac h p e rson th at id e ntif ie s th e w ork th at ne e d s
to be d one in m ore d e tail th an on h e r m aste r ac tion p lan. S h e sits d ow n w ith e ac h
e m p loye e and re v ie w s th e m aste r ac tion p lan and th e ind iv id ual' s c h e c k list. Th e n sh e
ask s f or th at e m p loye e ' s c om m itm e nt to d o th e w ork .
3. Be c k y use s p roj e c t m anage m e nt sof tw are to tie th e ind iv id ual c h e c k lists into h e r
m aste r ac tion p lan. W h e n c h ange s are m ad e , both d oc um e nts are up d ate d and
e le c tronic ally m aile d to e v e ryone as p art of a status re p ort.
E x e r c ise :D e te rm ine your ac tion p lan. R e c all som e of th e ac tion p lans you h av e use d in th e p ast.
W h at w ork e d w e ll? _____________________
W h y? ________________________________
W h at d id n' t w ork so w e ll? ________________
W h y? ________________________________
P roj e c t: P roj e c t
Le ad e r:
O v e rall P urp ose :
S te p A c tion S tart E nd M e asure m e nt R e sp onsibility
N o. S te p Crite ria of
D e v e l o p a C o n t i n g e n c y Pl a n
W h at : A c ontinge nc y p lan re p re se nts your e f f orts to gue ss w h at m igh t go w rong or d if f e re ntly w ith your
p lan and h ow to h and le it if it d oe s. D e v e lop ing a c ontinge nc y p lan is im p ortant be c ause th ings rare ly go
e x ac tly as p lanne d . W ith a c ontinge nc y p lan in p lac e , you c an m inim iz e th e ne gativ e e f f e c ts th at c h ange s
m ay h av e on th e suc c e ss of your p roj e c t. A c ontinge nc y p lan c onsists of se v e ral if / th e n state m e nts th at
list w h at c h ange s you w ill m ak e to your p lan if c e rtain situations oc c ur.
H o w : Com ing up w ith th e se p ossible situations re q uire s brainstorm ing. ( S e e Ch ap te r 8 f or tip s on
brainstorm ing.) Be sure to inv olv e se v e ral p e op le in th e brainstorm ing se ssion and answ e r th e f ollow ing
q ue stions:
W h at c ould h ap p e n d if f e re ntly f rom h ow w e h av e p re d ic te d ?
W h at e f f e c t, if any, w ill th e se d if f e re nc e s h av e ?
H ow sh ould w e d e al w ith th e se d if f e re nc e s if th e y oc c ur?
D e v e lop if / th e n state m e nts f or th ose situations th at are e ith e r m ost lik e ly to oc c ur or th ose th at w ill d o th e
m ost d am age if th e y oc c ur.
E x am p le : H e re ' s a sam p le of th e if / th e n state m e nts Be c k y and h e r te am d e v e lop e d f or th e ir p lan to
be c om e IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d .
IF our re gular w ork load be gins to ge t in th e w ay of d oc um e nting p roc e sse s, TH E N w e w ill
e ith e r re p rioritiz e or h ire a te m p orary w ork e r.
IF w e c annot agre e on h ow a p roc e ss is d one , TH E N w e w ill h av e a te am m e e ting to
re solv e our d if f e re nc e s.
IF w e d on' t re c e iv e c e rtif ic ation on our f irst atte m p t, TH E N w e w ill re ap p ly w ith in th re e
m onth s.
E x e r c ise : D e v e lop c ontinge nc y p lans f or your p roj e c t. Base d on th e p urp ose and obj e c tiv e s you h av e
d e v e lop e d in th e p re v ious e x e rc ise s in th is c h ap te r; brainstorm a c oup le of what if s. In oth e r w ord s, d o
your be st to p re d ic t w h at m igh t go w rong. Com p le te th e if / th e n state m e nts by d e c id ing w h at you w ould
d o if som e th ing und e sire d h ap p e ns
E x am p le : IF our bud ge t ge ts c ut, TH E N w e w ill lim it our use of te m p orary h e lp and d o th e d oc um e ntation
bind e rs in-h ouse .
IF ________________________ TH E N _______________________
IF ________________________ TH E N _______________________
IF ________________________ TH E N _______________________
IF ________________________ TH E N _______________________
I m p l e m e n t t h e Pl a n
W h at : By th is tim e , im p le m e nting your p lan sh ould not be lik e tak ing a p lunge into th e unk now n. Y ou' v e
d one your re se arc h , you' v e c onsulte d w ith oth e r p e op le , and you h av e re m aine d f oc use d on your ov e rall
d e sire d outc om e or p urp ose . N ow , tak e your f ore c ast, ac tion p lan, c h e c k lists, c ontinge nc y p lans and
be gin.
H o w : P lan im p le m e ntation h as th re e p h ase s: th e start, th e storm , and m aintain and sustain. Y ou m ust be
aw are of h ow th e se th re e p h ase s w ill im p ac t your p lan' s suc c e ss.
T h e S tart
F ollow th e se ste p s to be gin your p lan im p le m e ntation.
1. Com m unic ate th e p lan. M ak e sure th at e v e ryone inv olv e d c le arly und e rstand s th e
ov e rall p urp ose and th e role s sh e w ill p lay in th e im p le m e ntation.
2. Trac k th e initial ac tiv itie s v e ry c lose ly.
3. G e t f e e d bac k f rom th ose w h o are inv olv e d . A re th e re any ac tiv itie s th at ne e d to be
c h ange d or ad d e d ?
4 . Com m unic ate your initial f ind ings to e v e ryone inv olv e d .
T h e S torm
A s th e p lan is im p le m e nte d , se v e ral issue s are sure to arise . S om e p e op le m ay be c onf use d about th e
p urp ose of th e p lan and its tim e line ; p e rh ap s f inanc ial p re ssure s and / or une x p e c te d c om p lic ations m ay
surf ac e . Th is is norm al.
1. Try to d e te rm ine th e root c ause s of th e p roble m s by talk ing to se v e ral p e op le inv olv e d .
2. M ak e se v e ral sm all but ne e d e d ad j ustm e nts. Look at w ays of c larif ying th e p lan so th at
sm all "irritants" d on' t ge t in th e w ay.
3. D on' t h e sitate to im p le m e nt your c ontinge nc y p lans if ne c e ssary.
4 . Com m unic ate , c om m unic ate , and c om m unic ate . P lans of te n stall d ue to a lac k of
c om m unic ation or c onf lic ting m e ssage s.
M aintain/ S ustain
A s th e initial f oc us and atte ntion on th e p lan d ie d ow n a bit, th e p e op le inv olv e d m ay be c om e c om p lac e nt
or le ss m otiv ate d . It is im p ortant to k e e p up th at m om e ntum until th e p lan is f ully im p le m e nte d .
1. S p ac e out any f anf are or sp e c ial e v e nts c onne c te d to your p lan. If you h old a big
k ic k of f rally f or your p lan and th e n d on' t h av e m ile stone rallie s along th e w ay, p e op le
w ill se nse th at th e p roj e c t' s im p ortanc e h as d w ind le d .
2. Be a role m od e l — m ak e sure th at your m otiv ation d oe sn' t w ane e ith e r!
3. D e v e lop c re ativ e w ays to k e e p th e p lan in e v e ryone ' s m ind . F or e x am p le , use p e riod ic
m e m os w ith status inf orm ation and grap h ic s, p ost c h arts, le av e p h one or c om p ute r
m e ssage s w ith re m ind e rs, up d ate s, e tc .
E x am p le : H e re ' s h ow Be c k y im p le m e nts h e r p lan.
T h e S tart
1. Be c k y h old s a te am m e e ting to e x p lain th e IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ic ation p lan in d e tail. S h e
also c alls sh ort d aily up d ate m e e tings f or th e f irst c oup le of w e e k s. Th e m aste r p lan is
p oste d on th e d e p artm e nt' s bulle tin board .
2. E ac h p e rson h as an ind iv id ual c h e c k list. Th e d e p artm e nt' s m aste r p lan is up d ate d as
ac tiv itie s are c om p le te d on e ac h p e rson' s c h e c k list.
3. Be c k y use s th e sh ort d aily m e e ting to ge t f e e d bac k on h ow th e P lan im p le m e ntation is
going.
4 . Be c k y giv e s h e r m anage r p rogre ss re v ie w s d uring th e ir w e e k ly m e e tings.
T h e S torm
1. If ac tiv itie s are not ge tting d one f ast e nough , Be c k y ge ts th e group toge th e r to talk
about it.
2. W h e n se v e ral e m p loye e s are giv e n e x tra w ork by anoth e r d e p artm e nt, m inor
ad j ustm e nts are m ad e so th at th e p lan' s sc h e d ule is p ut bac k on trac k .
3. E v e ntually, Be c k y h ire s a te m p orary w ork e r to h e lp .
M aintain/ S ustain
1. A s th e y p ass e ac h m aj or m ile stone , Be c k y' s d e p artm e nt c e le brate s in a d if f e re nt w ay.
Be c k y also k e e p s th e m om e ntum going w ith f re q ue nt and sm all insp irational up d ate s.
2. Be c k y m aintains h e r ow n e nth usiasm f or th e p roj e c t.
E x e r c ise : H ow are you going to im p le m e nt your p lan? W rite d ow n w h at you w ill d o f or e ac h p h ase of
im p le m e ntation.
W h at I' m going to d o d uring th e start:
1. ___________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________
W h at I' m going to d o d uring th e storm:
1. ________________________________________
2. ________________________________________
3. ________________________________________
W h at I' m going to d o to maintain/ sustain:
1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. _________________________________________
F o llo w U p
W h at : F ollow -up is a c ontinuous ac tiv ity. A s your p lan is im p le m e nte d , you ne e d to f re q ue ntly c h e c k its
p rogre ss. Th e f ollow -up stage is also w h e re you w ill d e te rm ine if any c ontinge nc y ac tions are ne e d e d .
F ollow ing up on a p lan sh ould be autom atic and as f re q ue nt as ne c e ssary to e nsure th at your p lan is still
on c ourse .
H o w : Ch e c k your p lan as of te n as ne e d e d , Base your f ollow -up ap p roac h on th e se c rite ria:
1. Com p le x ity of th e p lan — th e m ore c om p le x , th e m ore f re q ue nt th e f ollow -up s.
2. P ast e x p e rie nc e w ith sim ilar p lans — yours and th ose of oth e rs inv olv e d .
3. H ow oth e rs th ink th e f ollow -up sh ould be c ond uc te d .
4 . Th e lik e lih ood th at c ontinge nc y p lans w ill be ne c e ssary.
K e e p in m ind th at th e m ore sp e c if ic and m e asurable your p lan, th e e asie r it w ill be to d e te rm ine its
p rogre ss. A lso, re m e m be r th at th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal sh ould still be th e f oc us of all your ac tiv itie s.
E x am p le : H e re ' s h ow Be c k y f ollow s up on h e r p lan.

1. Be c k y re v ie w s h e r p lan' s ov e rall goal p e riod ic ally to m ak e sure th at sh e and h e r te am
are still on trac k .
2. Be c k y c h e c k s th e p rogre ss of h e r p lan f re q ue ntly be c ause it inv olv e s m any sm alle r
ac tions by a v arie ty of p e op le .
3. Be c k y re v isits h e r sc h e d ule as m aj or m ile stone s are p asse d , suc h as w h e n all th e
p roc e sse s h av e be e n d oc um e nte d .
4 . A f te r Be c k y and h e r te am ac h ie v e IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ic ation, th e y w ant to asse ss th e p lan
and its im p le m e ntation in th e inte re st of c ontinual im p rov e m e nt.
E x e r c ise : W h at f ollow -up w ill be ne c e ssary f or th e p lan th at you h av e be e n w ork ing w ith in th is c h ap te r?
1. _____________________________________
2. _____________________________________
3. _____________________________________
A lth ough it se e m s a bit long and c om p le x , th e p lanning p roc e ss m od e l w ill be c om e se c ond nature to you
onc e you h av e use d it a c oup le of tim e s. It p rov id e s busy p e op le w ith tools th at h e lp th e m m ax im iz e th e ir
organiz ational sk ills w h ile re m aining f le x ible w h e n c h ange ine v itably oc c urs.
Th e p lanning p roc e ss m od e l p rov id e s a f ram e w ork f or d e v e lop ing single -use p lans. Th e c e ntral and
starting p oint in th e p lanning p roc e ss is alw ays to d e f ine th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal of th e p lan.
Th e c om p one nts of th e p lanning p roc e ss are :

1. D e f ine th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal.
2. D e te rm ine th e m aj or c om p one nts or obj e c tiv e s of th e p lan.
3. Colle c t and e v aluate th e d ata you w ill ne e d to d e te rm ine w h at it w ill tak e to c om p le te
e ac h c om p one nt of th e p lan.
4 . D e v e lop a f ore c ast p lan.
5 . D e te rm ine ac tion ste p s.
6 . D e v e lop c ontinge nc y p lans.
7 . Im p le m e nt your p lan.
8 . Ch e c k th e p rogre ss of your p lan f re q ue ntly.
In ge ne ral, th e m ore you inv olv e oth e r p e op le in th e p lanning p roc e ss, th e be tte r th e p lan w ill be
im p le m e nte d , be c ause e v e ryone w ill und e rstand and tak e ow ne rsh ip in th e p roc e ss. D uring e ac h ste p of
th e p lanning p roc e ss, re f e r bac k to th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal to e nsure th at your ac tiv itie s are
c onsiste nt w ith th e d e sire d outc om e of your p lan.
C h a p te r 5 : Q ua l itie s of a G ood P l a n
"If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 1 0 years of prosperity, grow trees."
— Ch ine se P rov e rb
O v er v iew
W h at m ak e s a p lan good or suc c e ssf ul? Is it th e ac tual ste p s th at are tak e n, or is it h ow th e p lan is
c om m unic ate d th at is m ost im p ortant? Th e answ e r is both . Both th e task s and th e re lationsh ip q ualitie s of
your p lan m ust be m anage d . Th e task s are th e ac tual w ork ste p s. Th e re lationsh ip q ualitie s inc lud e
c om m unic ation, ow ne rsh ip and m otiv ation. By asse ssing your p ast and p re se nt p lans, you c an le arn h ow
to m ak e your f uture p lans e v e n m ore e f f e c tiv e .
W hat M akes a P l an S u c c essf u l ?

1. Th e p l a n p r o v i d e s a w o r k a b l e s o l u t i o n . In oth e r w ord s, p lans are m ad e to c om e to an
e nd . M ak e sure th at your p lans p rov id e th e struc ture ne e d e d to suc c e ssf ully c om p le te a
p roj e c t or solv e a p roble m !
2. Th e p l a n i s c o m p r e h e n s iv e e n o u g h to g e t th e jo b d o n e r ig h t b u t s im p le e n o u g h to
u n d e rs ta n d a n d i m p l e m e n t . P lans ne e d to h av e som e struc ture and sh ould h e lp all
th ose inv olv e d k e e p th e ir f oc us. O n th e oth e r h and , a p lan th at is so d e taile d th at no one
w ants to use it w ill not be v e ry suc c e ssf ul. F ind out w h at le v e l of d e tail is ap p rop riate by
talk ing to th e p e op le w h o ac tually w ill use th e p lan.
3. Th e p l a n m i n i m i z e s u n n e c e s s a r y o r u n w a n t e d r i s k s . W ith a th orough analysis and
good c ontinge nc y p lanning, m ost of th e risk w ill be e lim inate d . Be ar in m ind , h ow e v e r,
th at all p lans inc lud e som e risk s.
4 . Th e p l a n i s s p e c i f i c i n t e r m s o f t i m e , c o s t , r e s o u r c e s , e t c . Th e m ore sp e c if ic your
p lan, th e be tte r. Th e p e op le w h o w ill use your p lan w ill re sp ond th e w ay you w ant th e m to
if th e y are giv e n sp e c if ic inf orm ation. Inf orm ation th at is too ge ne ral bre e d s be h av ior th at
is too ge ne ral and of te n of f th e m ark .
5 . Th e p l a n i s f l e x i b l e — i t c a n c h a n g e c o u r s e i f a s i t u a t i o n w a r r a n t s i t . By c ontinually
c h e c k ing your p lan' s ov e rall p urp ose or goal, you w ill be able to m ak e m ost of th e
c h ange s ne e d e d w ith out ne gativ e ly af f e c ting its suc c e ss. G ood c ontinge nc y p lanning w ill
e nsure th at you h av e th e re sourc e s to m ak e any ne c e ssary c h ange s.
6 . Th e p l a n w a s d e v e l o p e d u s i n g a l o g i c a l p r o c e s s . If you are transf e rre d or re assigne d
d uring im p le m e ntation, you w ant your p lan to be so c le ar th at th e p e rson tak ing ov e r f or
you c an e asily und e rstand it.
7 . Th e p l a n i s c o m m u n i c a t e d p r o p e r l y t o t h e p e o p l e w h o h a v e t o u s e a n d s u p p o r t i t .
W ith out th e ir und e rstand ing and sup p ort, th e p lan is m uc h m ore lik e ly to f ail.
8 . Th e p l a n i n c o r p o r a t e s t h e i d e a s o f t h e p e o p l e w h o h a v e t o i m p le m e n t a n d u s e it.
A gain, w ith out th e ir inp ut, th e p lan w ill not be as suc c e ssf ul.
E x am p le : In th e last c h ap te r, Be c k y p ut toge th e r a p lan f or ge tting h e r d e p artm e nt IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d . To
f ind out if sh e h ad a good one , sh e asse sse d h e r p lan j ust be f ore sh e w as re ad y to p re se nt it to h e r
m anage rs. H e re ' s w h at sh e c onc lud e d .
1. Th e p l a n p r o v i d e s a w o r k a b l e s o l u t i o n . Be c k y' s p lan d oe s p rov id e a struc ture d w ay to
ge t to th e d e sire d goal w ith in th e state d tim e f ram e .
2. Th e p l a n i s c o m p r e h e n s i v e e n o u g h t o g e t t h e j o b d o n e r i g h t b u t s i m p l e e n o u g h t o
u n d e r s t a n d a n d i m p l e m e n t . Be c k y f e e ls th at h e r ac tion p lan and f ore c ast are d e taile d
e nough to be c le ar to e v e ryone inv olv e d and e asy e nough to f ollow .
3. Th e p l a n m i n i m i z e s u n n e c e s s a r y o r u n w a n t e d r i s k s . S h e f e e ls sh e d id a good j ob
d e v e lop ing c ontinge nc y p lans. H e r gre ate st c onc e rn is th at not e v e ryone ' s c om m itte d to
th e p lan.
4 . Th e p l a n i s s p e c i f i c i n t e r m s o f t i m e , c o s t , r e s o u r c e s , e t c . Be c k y' s ac tion p lan and
f ore c ast inc lud e sp e c if ic s on tim e f ram e s, c ap ital and ind ire c t c osts assoc iate d w ith th e
p lan and th e re sourc e s th at w ill be ne e d e d to im p le m e nt it.
5 . Th e p l a n i s f l e x i b l e — i t c a n c h a n g e c o u r s e i f a s i t u a t i o n w a r r a n t s i t . Be c ause sh e
h as d e v e lop e d good c ontinge nc y p lans, sh e f e e ls th at h e r p lan is f le x ible .
6 . Th e p l a n w a s d e v e l o p e d u s i n g a l o g i c a l p r o c e s s . Be c k y use d a logic al p lanning
p roc e ss to d e v e lop h e r p lan. W ith out it, sh e w ould h av e sk ip p e d ov e r c ontinge nc y
p lanning!
7 . Th e p l a n i s c o m m u n i c a t e d p r o p e r l y t o t h e p e o p l e w h o h a v e t o u s e a n d s u p p o r t i t .
Be c k y h as not ye t c om m unic ate d h e r p lan to th e p e op le w h o w ill use it. S h e sh ould h av e
c om m unic ate d it by now , but sh e h asn' t h ad th e tim e .
8 . Th e p l a n i n c o r p o r a t e s t h e i d e a s o f t h e p e o p l e w h o h a v e t o i m p l e m e n t a n d u s e i t .
U nf ortunate ly, Be c k y d id not inv olv e m any p e op le in th e d e v e lop m e nt of h e r p lan.
If Be c k y is sm art sh e w ill ad d re ss ite m s 7 and 8 be f ore sh e p re se nts h e r p lan to h e r m anage rs!
I S YOU R PLAN A G OOD ONE?

I n s t r u c t i o n s : A nsw e r th e f ollow ing q ue stions to e v aluate your p lan.
1. Is th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal w e ll d e f ine d ?
_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
2. A re th e righ t p e op le inv olv e d in giv ing inp ut to your p lan?

_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
3. H av e you d one th e ne c e ssary d ata c olle c tion to d e te rm ine w h at you ne e d to

im p le m e nt your p lan?
_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
4 . H av e you d e v e lop e d a sc h e d ule w ith both line ar and c onc urre nt ac tiv itie s?
_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
5 . H av e you th orough ly e x p lore d th e "w h at if s" and d e te rm ine d c ontinge nc y ac tions?

_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
6 . A re th e p e op le inv olv e d in your p lan' s im p le m e ntation c om m itte d to it?

_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
7 . Is th e p lan re alistic ?
_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
8 . Is th e p lan m e asurable in te rm s of tim e , c osts and re sourc e s re q uire d ?

_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
9 . H as th e p lan be e n c om m unic ate d ?

_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
10 . W as th e p lan d e v e lop e d using a logic al p roc e ss?

_____Y e s _____N o W h y? ___________________
S c o r ing: In ge ne ral, th e m ore q ue stions you answ e re d ye s to, th e be tte r your p lan is. U nf ortunate ly,
answ e ring no to e v e n one q ue stion c ould m e an th at your p lan m ay be in trouble or m ay be le ss
suc c e ssf ul. Look into th ose are as th at ne e d im p rov e m e nt or c larif ic ation.
Th e re are se v e ral c om m on q ualitie s of good p lans. To im p rov e th e e f f e c tiv e ne ss of your f uture p lans, you
sh ould c ontinually asse ss th e p lans you d e v e lop .
It is im p ortant to c onsid e r both th e task s inv olv e d in p lanning and th e re lationsh ip q ualitie s:
c om m unic ation, ow ne rsh ip , and m otiv ation.
C h a p te r 6 : P l a nning f or C h a os
"Things which matter most must nev er b e at the mercy of things which matter least."
— G oe th e
O v er v iew
W h e n th e p lant autom ate d its 32 m anuf ac turing line s, th e j obs of se v e ral w ork e rs c h ange d . Bob and S am ,
both line sup e rv isors, sit at a table in th e loc al w ate ring h ole d isc ussing h ow th e c h ange s h av e af f e c te d
th e m .
BO B: "S am, I j ust don' t know if I can take it. They tell me that I need to learn how to operate
a computer if I want to keep my j ob . "
"B ob , we knew this was coming. W hy didn' t you get yourself enrolled in the classes at
S A M : the community college? "
BO B: "I' m too old f or school."
"Y eah, b ut you' re too young f or retirement. L isten, tomorrow I' m going to get a f ew of
S A M : the guys together to talk ab out the new machinery and procedures. W hy don' t you j oin
us? "
BO B: "I' m b usy tomorrow."
"B ob , you hav e to think ab out which will b e more painf ul — learning a f ew new
S A M : procedures or losing your j ob ."
BO B: "O K , I' ll b e there. W hat time tomorrow? "
G iv e n tod ay' s e v e r-c h anging w ork e nv ironm e nt, is it re alistic to th ink th at you c an bring som e ord e r out of
c h aos? S ure it is! It m ay not alw ays be e asy, but m any changes can b e planned. In f ac t, you m ay e v e n
le arn to lik e c h ange and ac tually e nj oy its m any c h alle nge s. To suc c e ssf ully p lan f or c h ange , you sh ould
d o th e f ollow ing:
1. U nd e rstand h ow you and th ose around you re sp ond to c h ange .
2. U nd e rstand w h at be h av iors m ust be m od if ie d as a re sult of th e c h ange .
3. D e v e lop a p lan f or im p le m e nting ( or p artic ip ating in) c h ange s.
Under stand How Y ou and T hose A r ou nd Y ou R esp ond to C hang e

P e op le te nd to e ith e r re sist or e m brac e c h ange . W h e n th e y re sist c h ange , it' s f or m any re asons:
Th e y f e ar w h at th e c h ange m ay bring.
Th e y are c om f ortable in th e ir c urre nt situations.
Th e y d on' t und e rstand th e c h ange or th e re asons f or c h anging.
Th e y h av e h ad bad e x p e rie nc e s w ith p ast c h ange s.
W h e n p e op le re sist c h ange , th e re are se v e ral p ossible re ac tions:

Th e c h ange is not as suc c e ssf ul as p lanne d .
Th e p e op le re sisting th e c h ange are d isc ip line d or f ire d .
P e op le w h o d o not re sist are also p unish e d be c ause th e y h av e to p ull m ore th an th e ir f air
sh are of th e w ork .
Th e c h ange is not im p le m e nte d .
P e op le e m brac e c h ange w h e n:
Th e y und e rstand th e c h ange .
Th e y re c e iv e e f f e c tiv e c om m unic ation about th e c h ange .
Th e y re aliz e th e risk of not c h anging is gre ate r th an th e risk of ac c e p ting th e c h ange .
W h e n c h ange is ine v itable , you sh ould analyz e th e f ac tors th at inf lue nc e h ow p e op le p e rc e iv e th e

c h ange . W h at f ac tors are c ausing p e op le to re sist and h ow c an th e y ov e rc om e th e m ? O bv iously, you
w ant to tip th e sc ale in f av or of e m brac ing th e c h ange ! H e re are a f e w id e as:
1. To re d uc e th e f e ar assoc iate d w ith th e c h ange , c om m unic ate it as soon as p ossible and
p rov id e f re q ue nt up d ate s to sup p ly d e tails and sq ue lc h rum ors, w h ic h are sure to surf ac e .
G e ne rally, th e ir f e ar is re ally f e ar of th e unk now n, so m ak e sure th e c h ange is e x p laine d
w e ll!
2. Inv olv e th e v e ry p e op le w h om th e c h ange w ill im p ac t in th e p lanning p roc e ss. P e op le
tak e c om f ort in be ing p art of th e solution.
3. Be sure to e x p lain th e re asons be h ind th e c h ange e arly in th e c om m unic ation p roc e ss.
W h y is th e c h ange ne c e ssary? M ak e sure you stre ss th e be ne f its of th e c h ange .
4 . H old group m e e tings to d isc uss th e im p ac t of th e c h ange . O f te n p e op le w ill f e e l m ore
c om f ortable sp e ak ing up and ask ing q ue stions w h e n th e y are am ong p e e rs.
5 . If an e m p loye e strongly re sists th e c h ange , talk w ith h e r one -on-one . Try to und e rstand
w h at th e issue is and ad d re ss it. O f te n th e e m p loye e w ill te ll you w h at ne e d s to be d one
to m ak e h e r c om f ortable w ith th e c h ange .
Under stand W hat B ehav ior s m u st be M odif ied as a R esu l t of the C hang e
Ch ange usually re q uire s you to m od if y old be h av iors or th ough ts about som e th ing. Th is be h av ior
transition tak e s p lac e on tw o le v e ls: attitud e s and k now le d ge / sk ills.
K now l ed g e/ S k il l s
K now le d ge m e ans ac q uiring an understanding of th e c h ange and its c om p one nts. P rop e r training and
c om m unic ation are c ruc ial at th is le v e l. S k ill inv olv e s p rof ic ie ntly p e rf orm ing th e ne w be h av iors or
th ough ts th at th e c h ange re q uire s. A c q uiring th e m d e p e nd s on th e q uality of th e initial training and your
ability to p ut th e se ne w sk ills or be h av iors into p rac tic e .
A ttitud es
A ttitud e s also ne e d to be alte re d w h e n c h ange s oc c ur. Th e c h ange w ill be c om p le te and suc c e ssf ul only
if e m p loye e s f eel th at th e c h ange is be ne f ic ial. If th e ir ow n ne e d s are m e t som e h ow d uring th e c h ange ,
th e n th e ir attitud e s about th e c h ange w ill te nd to be m ore p ositiv e . If th e y d o not f e e l th at th e ir ne e d s are
se rv e d by th e c h ange , th e n th e ir attitud e s w ill be m ore ne gativ e . K e e p in m ind th at th e ir needs m ay be as
basic as ac tually be ing inv olv e d in th e c h ange p roc e ss or h e lp ing to e stablish ne w p roc e d ure s re late d to
th e c h ange .
Cle arly, attitud e s are m ore d if f ic ult to c h ange th an k now le d ge and sk ills. Inv olv ing e m p loye e s in th e
c h ange p roc e ss as soon as p ossible w ill h e lp th ose ne gativ e attitud e s surf ac e , giv ing you a be tte r c h anc e
to d e al w ith th e m .
D ev el op a P l an f or I m p l em enting C hang e
In ad d ition to using th e p lanning p roc e ss d e sc ribe d in Ch ap te r 4 , you c an tak e oth e r ste p s to ad j ust f or
c h ange .
1. D e f ine th e c h ange as sp e c if ic ally as p ossible . H ow w ill th is c h ange im p ac t oth e rs? W h at
is th e d e sire d outc om e ? W h y is th e c h ange ne c e ssary or ad v antage ous? H ow w ill th is
c h ange allow th e c om p any to ac h ie v e its obj e c tiv e s?
2. D e sc ribe th e f orc e s re sisting th e c h ange as w e ll as th ose th at m ay p av e th e w ay tow ard
e asily ac c e p ting th e c h ange . It p ays to e nlist th e h e lp of f rie nd s and f oe s. Y ou sh ould
inv olv e oth e rs w h e n gath e ring th is inf orm ation.
3. D e te rm ine h ow you w ill ad d re ss th e be h av ioral c h ange s ne e d e d at both th e
k now le d ge / sk ill le v e l and th e attitud e le v e l. Y ou sh ould und e rstand your e m p loye e s'
c urre nt sk ill le v e ls and w h at sk ills are re q uire d to im p le m e nt th e c h ange suc c e ssf ully.
A sse ss th e w ork c lim ate to d e te rm ine w h at attitud inal c h ange s are ne c e ssary.
4 . D e te rm ine h ow th e c h ange sh ould be im p le m e nte d — e ith e r all at onc e or a little at a
tim e . O f te n th e nature of th e c h ange w ill d e te rm ine h ow f ast it sh ould be im p le m e nte d .
Com p are th is c h ange to sim ilar p ast c h ange s to ge t an id e a of h ow th e w ork f orc e w ill
re sp ond . Be se nsitiv e to th e ne e d s of th ose im p ac te d by th e c h ange — d on' t ov e rw h e lm
th e m .
C ase S tu dy
M ark is a d e p artm e nt sup e rv isor f or th e ac c ounting d iv ision of a m id d le -siz e d c om p any. Th e d e p artm e nt
is m ad e up of e igh t long-te rm e m p loye e s w h o are "use d to e ac h oth e r" and w h o are h ap p y th at not too
m any c h ange s h av e oc c urre d ov e r th e last c oup le of ye ars. M ark h as j ust gotte n th e ne w s th at h is
d e p artm e nt w ill tak e ov e r th e ac c ounting w ork f or a ne w ly ac q uire d d iv ision w ith in th re e m onth s. H e is in
c h arge of p lanning all asp e c ts of th is c h ange .
F or e x am p le , th e d e p artm e nt w ill ge t ne w e q uip m e nt to h e lp it h and le th e inc re ase d c om p le x ity and

am ount of w ork , as w e ll as th re e to f iv e ne w p e op le , w h o m ust be h ire d and traine d . S e v e ral of th e
c urre nt ac c ounting p roc e sse s w ill be c h ange d to f it th e ne w re q uire m e nts of both d iv isions.
M ark k now s th at h is p re se nt e m p loye e s w ill w orry about th e c h ange s. Th e y w ill f e ar th e p ossibility of

h av ing to w ork longe r h ours. Th e y also m ay be c onc e rne d about th e ne w e q uip m e nt and w ork p roc e sse s.
H ow e v e r, M ark re aliz e s th at it is im p ortant f or th e m to f e e l c onf id e nt about w ork ing w ith ne w p roc e sse s,
to be c om m itte d to th e c h ange and to ac c e p t th e ne w p e rsonne l.
C ase S tud y Q uestions

1. W h e n sh ould M ark bre ak th e ne w s and h ow ?
________________________________________
2. H ow sh ould h e d e al w ith h is e m p loye e s' f e ars about ne w p e rsonne l?
________________________________________
3. W h at c an h e d o to inc re ase th e ir c onf id e nc e ?
________________________________________
4 . H ow c an h e gain th e ir c om m itm e nt to th e ne w p roj e c t?
________________________________________
5 . Base d on th e av ailable inf orm ation, d e te rm ine th e re sisting f ac tors, d e v e lop a sam p le
ov e rall p urp ose and d e te rm ine th e obj e c tiv e s or m aj or c om p one nts of th e p lan to f it
M ark ' s situation.
Th e re sisting f ac tors:________________________
_________________________________________
O v e rall p urp ose :____________________________
__________________________________________
O bj e c tiv e s:
1. _______________________________
2. _______________________________
3. _______________________________
4 . _______________________________
5 . _______________________________
PLANI NG F OR C H ANG E
Ex e r c i s e : Th ink about a c h ange th at you w ill ne e d to p lan f or and answ e r th e f ollow ing q ue stions.
Th e c h ange I m ust p lan f or: _________________________________
1. H ow d o you th ink p e op le w ill re ac t to th is
c h ange ? ________________________________________
_________________________________________________
W ill th e y re sist it? W h y or w h y not?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
W ill th e y e m brac e it? W h y or w h y not?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. W h at c an you d o to re d uc e th e re sisting f ac tors and e nh anc e th e re asons f or
e m brac ing it?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. W h at be h av iors w ill h av e to be m od if ie d as a re sult of th is c h ange — k now le d ge / sk ills
and / or attitud e s?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
4 . H ow w ill you go about m od if ying th e se be h av iors?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
5 . H ow w ill you go about p lanning f or th is c h ange ? W h at ste p s w ill you f ollow ?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
M any c h ange s c an be p lanne d . It is im p ortant to und e rstand h ow p e op le w ill re sist th e c h ange and th e n
d e te rm ine th e re asons w h y th e y sh ould e m brac e th e c h ange rath e r th an re sist it. M ost im p ortantly,
c om m unic ate all asp e c ts of th e c h ange . W h e n c h ange s d o oc c ur, th e y re q uire be h av ioral c h ange s at tw o
le v e ls: k now le d ge / sk ill and attitud e s.
C h a p te r 7 : P re s e nting Y our P l a n
"The f ew proj ects in my study that disintegrated did so b ecause the manager f ailed to b uild a coalition of
supporters and collab orators."
—R osabe th M oss K ante r ( The C hange M asters)
O v er v iew
O nc e you' v e c om e up w ith a p lan, you h av e to p re se nt it to oth e rs to gain th e ir c om m itm e nt, ow ne rsh ip ,
or ap p rov al. U nf ortunate ly, e v e n th e be st p lans c an be re j e c te d if th e y are not p re se nte d w e ll. S o ask
yourse lf , "W h at is th e p urp ose of th is p re se ntation? " D o you w ant to gain c om m itm e nt? A re you se e k ing
ap p rov al? A re you look ing f or inp ut? A s you d e v e lop your p re se ntation, c h e c k p e riod ic ally to e nsure th at
you are f oc using on your d e f ine d p urp ose or goal. Th is c h ap te r giv e s you se v e ral sugge stions and id e as
f or p re se nting p lans.
A n I nter esting O p ening S tatem ent

Y ou w ant to c re ate inte re st in your p lan, e v e n if th e aud ie nc e alre ad y agre e s th at it is ne e d e d . Th is d oe s
not m e an th at you w ant to "be at a d e ad h orse " or "p re ac h to th e c h oir." S till, you sh ould p re se nt your p lan
c le arly, c onc ise ly, and c onv inc ingly.
Th e inte re st or op e ning state m e nt e stablish e s th e th e m e and tone of th e p re se ntation. It c an be as sh ort

or le ngth y as ne e d e d . If th e aud ie nc e k now s about th e top ic , k e e p it sh ort.
H ow e v e r, if you are p re se nting inf orm ation th at th e aud ie nc e is not f am iliar w ith , allow m ore tim e .
A n inte re st state m e nt sh ould inc lud e th e f ollow ing e le m e nts:

1. G rab th e aud ie nc e ' s atte ntion!
E x ample 1 : "Th e re ' s m ore bure auc ratic re d tap e c om ing our w ay! "
E x ample 2 : "F olk s, th e c om p e tition is starting to k ill us! "
2. G e t agre e m e nt on th e issue , c h ange th e p roble m th at re q uire s th e p lan of ac tion.

E x ample 1 : "Y ou h av e all h e ard about th e ne w gov e rnm e nt re gulations re q uiring us to
im p le m e nt ne w saf e ty p roc e d ure s." ( Th is aud ie nc e is v e ry aw are of th e top ic .)
E x ample 2 : "O v e r th e last th re e m onth s w e h av e lost c ustom e rs to th e ne w store d ow n th e
road . H e re are som e f igure s th at c om p are th is q uarte r' s p rof its w ith th ose of a ye ar ago." ( Th is
aud ie nc e is not so aw are of th e top ic .)
3. S tate , in ge ne ral te rm s, th e ap p roac h th at your p lan w ill tak e . S e tting a tone sh ould
re d uc e th e num be r of q ue stions th at th e aud ie nc e w ill h av e , be c ause you are le tting th e m
k now w h at you inte nd to ad d re ss.
E x ample 1 : "W e ne e d to c om p ly w ith th e se ne w re gulations in suc h a w ay th at th e y only
m inim ally d isrup t our p rod uc tiv ity."
E x ample 2 : "W h ile it' s true th at w e ne e d to tak e a look at of f e ring c om p e titiv e se rv ic e s, w e d o
not w ant to blow re c e nt e v e nts out of p rop ortion."
4 . P rov id e an ov e rv ie w on h ow you w ill p roc e e d w ith th e p re se ntation. Inc lud e th e tim e

allotte d , h ow you w ill d e al w ith q ue stions and any oth e r ap p lic able inf orm ation.
E x ample 1 : "O v e r th e ne x t 30 m inute s, I w ill p re se nt th e p lan th at m y te am h as d e v e lop e d to
satisf y both our re gulatory c om m itm e nts and our p rod uc tiv ity c onc e rns. W e also w ill brie f ly
re v ie w th e ne w re gulations. Th e n w e h av e allotte d 10 m inute s at th e e nd to answ e r your
q ue stions."
E x ample 2 : "F or th e ne x t h our w e w ill look at th re e p ossible p lans of ac tion th at ad d re ss our
re c e nt loss of busine ss. F e e l f re e to ask q ue stions any tim e d uring th e p re se ntation."
C omplete interest statement f or E x ample 1 : ( Th is aud ie nc e is v e ry aw are of th e top ic , )
"Th e re ' s m ore bure auc ratic re d tap e c om ing our w ay! Y ou h av e all h e ard about th e ne w
gov e rnm e nt re gulations re q uiring us to im p le m e nt ne w saf e ty p roc e d ure s. W e ne e d to c om p ly
w ith th e se ne w re gulations in suc h a w ay th at th e y only m inim ally d isrup t our p rod uc tiv ity.
O v e r th e ne x t 30 m inute s, I w ill p re se nt th e p lan th at m y te am h as d e v e lop e d to satisf y both
our re gulatory c om m itm e nts and our p rod uc tiv ity c onc e rns. W e also w ill brie f ly re v ie w th e ne w
re gulations. Th e n w e h av e allotte d 10 m inute s at th e e nd to answ e r your q ue stions."
C omplete interest statement f or E x ample 2 : ( Th is aud ie nc e is not so aw are of th e top ic .)
"F olk s, th e c om p e tition is starting to k ill us! O v e r th e last th re e m onth s w e h av e lost c ustom e rs
to th e ne w store d ow n th e road . H e re are som e f igure s th at c om p are th is q uarte r' s p rof its w ith
th ose of a ye ar ago. W h ile it' s true th at w e ne e d to tak e a look at of f e ring c om p e titiv e se rv ic e s,
w e d o not w ant to blow re c e nt e v e nts out of p rop ortion. F or th e ne x t h our w e w ill look at th re e
p ossible p lans of ac tion th at ad d re ss our re c e nt loss of busine ss. F e e l f re e to ask q ue stions
any tim e d uring th e p re se ntation."
A s you c an se e , both of th e se inte re st state m e nts ask f or agre e m e nt f rom th e aud ie nc e , state th e
ap p roac h th e p lan w ill tak e and th e n p rov id e an ov e rv ie w of th e p re se ntation.
B r oad V iew
A f te r an op e ning, be gin your p re se ntation by d isc ussing th e broad v ie w of your top ic , your ap p roac h to
th e p lanning p roc e ss, and th e p lan itse lf . Th e re are tw o re asons w h y starting w ith a broad v ie w m ak e s
se nse .
1. Y ou w ant to e stablish an ov e rall und e rstand ing of your p lan. If you start th e p re se ntation
by p roj e c ting your sc h e d ule or ac tion p lan on an ov e rh e ad sc re e n, you run th e risk of
c onf using th e aud ie nc e . A s a re sult, you p robably w ill ge t lots of q ue stions th at c ould
h av e be e n av oid e d .
2. By p re se nting th e broad v ie w f irst, you c an "re ad " your aud ie nc e to se e h ow m uc h d e tail
m e m be rs w ant to h e ar. O f te n th e broad v ie w is e nough to f ulf ill th e ne e d s of th e aud ie nc e .
Y ou w ant to giv e only th e le v e l of d e tail th at is ne c e ssary. If one or tw o p e op le w ant to
se e th e d e tails of th e p lan, inv ite th e m to a one -on-one m e e ting at a late r tim e .
In p re se nting th e broad v ie w , m ak e sure it c ontains th e se f our c om p one nts:

1. S um m ariz e th e issue , p roble m or c h ange th at trigge re d your p lan. M ak e sure aud ie nc e
m e m be rs und e rstand th e ov e rall situation.
E x ample 1 : "Last J anuary, th e state p asse d a group of law s re q uiring … Curre ntly, our
p roc e d ure s are suc h th at … S o th at' s th e situation w e ' re in. Is e v e rybod y c le ar on th is? "
E x ample 2 : "I' v e brie f ly touc h e d on th is q uarte r' s f inanc ial re sults; now le t' s look at th e situation
a little m ore c lose ly … S o, you se e , w e are be ing im p ac te d in m ore w ays th an one … D oe s
anyone h av e any q ue stions about th e c urre nt situation? "
2. D e sc ribe h ow you and / or your group d e v e lop e d th e p lan. H ow d id you c ond uc t th e

ne c e ssary re se arc h , w h at p roc e sse s d id you use , and w h at ov e rall c onc lusions d id you
m ak e ?
E x ample 1 : "To d e te rm ine th e be st c ourse of ac tion, w e talk e d to th e e m p loye e s w h o w ill be
im p ac te d and th re e oth e r loc al c om p anie s. W e brainstorm e d alte rnativ e s and th e n narrow e d
d ow n th at list base d on ov e rall c ost and im p ac t on q uality … Base d on our analysis, w e h av e
d e te rm ine d ..."
E x ample 2 : "F irst, w e d e f ine d w h at th e c ustom e r w ants by se nd ing out surv e ys. H e re ' s w h at
w e f ound … W h e n w e c om p are d our se rv ic e s to th e se c ustom e rs' re q uire m e nts, th re e m aj or
issue s surf ac e d … A f te r asse ssing our e x isting re sourc e s, w e d e te rm ine d th e be st ov e rall
ac tions w ould be to …"
3. D e sc ribe th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal of your p lan and its m aj or c om p one nts. A lso, brie f ly
d isc uss any m aj or c ontinge nc y p lans. S tate th e ov e rall tim e f ram e and re sourc e s ne e d e d
to im p le m e nt th e p lan.
E x ample 1 : "Th e p urp ose of our p lan is to ... Th is c an be brok e n into six m aj or obj e c tiv e s ...
Be c ause th is is a ne w re gulation w e c onsid e re d w h at w e ' d d o if … H e re ' s h ow th e ac tion p lan
and f ore c ast look ..."
E x ample 2 : "Bottom -line , our goal is to up d ate our p rod uc t se le c tion and sp e e d of se rv ic e …
To d o th is w e w ill ne e d to ac h ie v e th e f ollow ing obj e c tiv e s … O ur p lan is base d on a p re d ic tion
th at c onsum e r sp e nd ing w ill rise . To tak e ad v antage of th is p roj e c tion w e fe e l w e ne e d to
e x e c ute th e p lan w ith in th e ne x t six m onth s. A s our ac tion p lan sh ow s …"
4 . D e sc ribe th e d e sire d outc om e in te rm s of h ow th e e nv ironm e nt w ill "look " w h e n your p lan

is c om p le te .
E x ample 1 : "S uc c e ssf ul im p le m e ntation of our p lan w ill re sult in total state c om p lianc e w ith
only a 2 p e rc e nt d e c re ase in ov e rall p rod uc tiv ity."
E x ample 2 : "W ith in one ye ar w e sh ould be able to se rv ic e th e c ustom e r w ith in tw o d ays w h ile
of f e ring 12 ne w p rod uc ts. W e f e e l th at th is ac h ie v e m e nt w ill inc re ase our m ark e t sh are and
our p rof itability."
M easu r ing the S u c c ess of Y ou r P l an

It is im p ortant th at th e aud ie nc e m e m be rs und e rstand h ow you w ill trac k your p lan. Th e y ne e d to k now
th at if th ings go w rong, th e n any p roble m s w ill be ad d re sse d im m e d iate ly. To c om m unic ate th at you are
"on top of th ings, " d uring your p re se ntation inc lud e inf orm ation on th e f ollow ing top ic s:
1. H ow w ill you k now if th e p lan is w ork ing?
E x ample 1 : "W e w ill c ond uc t inte rnal aud its e v e ry m onth , m e asuring both c om p lianc e and
p rod uc tiv ity. Th is w ill e nsure th at w e are on targe t w ith our p lan."
E x ample 2 : "O ur p lan is to p e rf orm w e e k ly c ustom e r surv e ys and d aily se rv ic e -tim e
m e asure m e nts to trac k our p rogre ss, "
2. W h at are th e m aj or m ile stone s of your p lan ( c ritic al m e asure m e nts)?

E x ample 1 : "O ur inte rim goals are …"
E x ample 2 : "To ac h ie v e our ov e rall goal w e ne e d to se e m onth ly im p rov e m e nts in th e se
are as..."
3. H ow w ill you c om m unic ate th e p lan' s p rogre ss ( w e e k ly, d aily, m onth ly up d ate s, e tc .)?
E x ample 1 : "W e w ill up d ate you on our p rogre ss at th e m onth ly staf f m e e tings."
E x ample 2 : "W e ' v e e stablish e d a p lac e on th e bulle tin board w h e re w e c an p ost d aily sale s
totals and w e e k ly c ustom e r surv e y re sults."
4 . W h at are you p re p are d to d o if th ings go w rong?

E x ample 1 : "W e d on' t antic ip ate any p roble m s, but if w e c annot m aintain our p rod uc tiv ity
targe ts w h ile m ak ing th e se c h ange s, w e w ill ge t th e group bac k toge th e r im m e d iate ly to
d e te rm ine w h at' s not w ork ing."
E x ample 2 : "A lth ough w e are c onf id e nt th at our p lan w ill w ork , w e w ill c e rtainly ale rt you righ t
aw ay if w e d on' t se e th e k ind s of im p rov e m e nts w e p re d ic t. A t th at p oint, w e m igh t h av e to
rad ic ally re th ink our strate gie s."
C om m u nic ating the D etail s

M ost aud ie nc e s w ill w ant to se e your sc h e d ule ( f ore c ast) and your ac tion p lan. Be yond th ose tw o ite m s,
th e am ount of d e tail th at you of f e r d e p e nd s on th e aud ie nc e . P re se nt your ac tion p lan f irst and th e n your
sc h e d ule . Le t any oth e r d e tails c om e out in th e q ue stion-and -answ e r p e riod f ollow ing your p re se ntation.
P rov id e d e tails in a w ay th at sim p ly sum m ariz e s e ac h m aj or c om p one nt of your p lan.
E x ample 1 : "H e re ' s our ov e rall ac tion p lan … A nd th e sc h e d ule look s lik e th is …"
E x ample 2 : "Base d on w h at w e h av e talk e d about so f ar, h e re ' s h ow our p lan look s f rom a d iv ision-of -
w ork p e rsp e c tiv e . ( S h ow ac tion p lan and e x p lain brie f ly.) W e th ink th at th e f ollow ing tim e sc h e d ule is
re alistic …"
N ex t S tep s
To m ak e your p re se ntation a suc c e ss, you ne e d to be c le ar about w h at you e x p e c t th e aud ie nc e to d o
ne x t and w h at you and / or your te am w ill d o ne x t. Th ose ac tions th at you and your te am w ill tak e sh ould
be p re se nte d in a ge ne ral f ash ion, w ith out too m uc h d e tail. If you e x p e c t th e aud ie nc e to ac t, ge t
agre e m e nt on h ow m e m be rs w ant to ac c om p lish th e ir assignm e nts. Th is re q uire s a m ore d e taile d
ap p roac h as w e ll as f ollow -up on your p art.
E x ample 1 : "S o, if all of us are in agre e m e nt, h e re ' s w h at h as to be d one ne x t … Th is is th e sup p ort w e
ne e d f rom you … H e re ' s w h at th e te am ne e d s to d o ne x t ..."
E x ample 2 : "Be c ause th e re ' s a lot th at e ac h are a h as to d o, w e ' d lik e e ac h of you to tak e th is inf orm ation
bac k to your d e p artm e nt, re v ie w it w ith your e m p loye e s, and d e c id e if it' s re alistic . W e ' ll m e e t again at th e
e nd of th e w e e k to d isc uss your f ind ings."
Q u estions and A nswer s

A lw ays allow a f e w m inute s at th e e nd of your p re se ntation f or q ue stions, e v e n if you h av e answ e re d
q ue stions along th e w ay. ( Th e re are alw ays som e p e op le w h o w ill w ait to h e ar th e e ntire p re se ntation
be f ore ask ing any q ue stions.) M ost p re se nte rs h av e no p roble m d e aling w ith th e inf orm ational asp e c t of
answ e ring q ue stions about th e ir p lans; th at is, th e y h av e th e knowledge to answ e r th e m . H ow e v e r, m any
h av e d if f ic ulty w ith th e emotional asp e c t of answ e ring q ue stions, be c ause th e y f e e l th e aud ie nc e is
c h alle nging th e ir auth ority, p re p are d ne ss or th e q uality of th e ir p lans. H e re are a f e w tip s:
1. D on' t tak e th e q ue stions too se riously or p e rsonally! O f te n p e op le are p e rsonally of f e nd e d
w h e n th e ir p lans are c ritic iz e d . K e e p in m ind th at e v e ryone h as an op inion and ev eryone
generally wants to share it. If your stom ac h k nots up w h e n p e op le m ak e sugge stions
re gard ing your w ork , you w ill te nd to sh ow it p h ysic ally th rough a lac k of f ac ial
e x p re ssions, be ing non-p artic ip ativ e , a sw e aty brow , e tc . E v e ntually p e op le w ill giv e up
trying to c ontribute .
2. Inv ite id e as and sugge stions. A n id e a im p rov e s only w ith som e one e lse ' s inp ut — really.
3. A sk a truste d p e e r to giv e you f e e d bac k on h ow w e ll you h and le answ e ring q ue stions
about your p lan.
4 . P ause a c oup le of se c ond s be f ore re sp ond ing to a q ue stion. Th is w ill h e lp you re sist th e
urge to im m e d iate ly re sp ond in a d e f e nsiv e m anne r. A lso, by ask ing c larif ying f ollow -up
q ue stions, you c om m unic ate th at you are op e n-m ind e d . H e re are som e e x am p le s:
"A re you inte re ste d in h e aring m ore about our c ustom e r re se arc h or th e
c om p e titiv e re se arc h ? "
"S o your q ue stion is w h e th e r th e m one y is going to be av ailable in tim e to
im p le m e nt th e p roj e c t, righ t? "
"Te ll m e a little m ore about w h at you' re ge tting at."
P r ep ar ing Handou t M ater ial s

W h at you h and out d uring your p re se ntation is as im p ortant as w h at you say. Y our h and outs sh ould be
c le ar and c onc ise but not too d e taile d . F or th e m ost e f f e c tiv e h and out, inc lud e th e se e le m e nts:
1. C ov er sheet: Y our c ov e r sh e e t sh ould state th e nam e or top ic of th e p lan, th e p urp ose of
th e p re se ntation, your and / or your group ' s nam e ( s) and th e p re se ntation d ate . H e re ' s an
e x am p le :
Pr e s e n t a t i o n : M e e ting N e w G ov e rnm e nt S af e ty R e gulations
To d a y ' s Pu r p o s e : To p re se nt a p rop ose d ac tion p lan and gain th e ne c e ssary
ap p rov al to m ov e f orw ard
Pr e s e n t e d b y : R . S m ith , J . Coop , M . M e na
O c tobe r 20 , 20 0 0
2. S ynopsis of presentation: In your h and out, outline th e m ain p oints of your p re se ntation in
th e sam e ord e r as th e y are p re se nte d . Cle arly d if f e re ntiate e ac h m aj or se c tion of th e
p re se ntation and use grap h ic s ( table s, c h arts, e tc .) and bulle t p oints w h e ne v e r p ossible .
P e op le absorb inf orm ation be tte r if it is p re se nte d in a v arie ty of w ays, so c om bining
grap h ic s, w ritte n w ord s and your v e rbal c om m e nts w ill inc re ase th e e f f e c tiv e ne ss of your
p re se ntation. A lso, using an ov e rh e ad p roj e c tor or slid e s to sh ow your h and outs allow s
p e op le to f ollow along w ith your p re se ntation. F or e x am p le , your p re se ntation synop sis
m igh t look lik e th is:
3.
P age 1: Cov e r sh e e t.
P age 2: O v e rv ie w state m e nt and inf orm ation about th e c urre nt situation th at h as
c ause d th e ne e d f or a p lan.
P age 3: Bar grap h illustrating th e c urre nt situation.
P age 4 : Line c h art illustrating th e c urre nt situation.
P age 5 : O v e rall goal of your p lan.
P age 6 : Y our p lan' s m ain obj e c tiv e s.
P age 7 : Y our ac tion p lan.
P age 8 : Ch art outlining your sc h e d ule .
P age 9 : H ow your p lan' s suc c e ss w ill be m e asure d
P age 10 : N e x t ste p s f or you and aud ie nc e m e m be rs.
P age 11: O th e r inf orm ation sh e e t ( se e ne x t ste p ).
4 . O ther inf ormation sheet: F ollow th e p re se ntation' s synop sis w ith any ad d itional
inf orm ation th at th e aud ie nc e ne e d s about th e p roj e c t p lan. Inc lud e c ontac t nam e s,
p h one num be rs, and w h e re to go f or m ore d e tails, inc lud ing re f e re nc e m ate rials.
E v e n th e be st p lans c an be re j e c te d if th e y are not p re se nte d w e ll. Y our p re se ntation sh ould of f e r th e
aud ie nc e a broad v ie w of your p lan. P re se ntation c om p one nts inc lud e an op e ning inte re st state m e nt, a
broad v ie w or p lan synop sis, p lan m e asure m e nts, p lan d e tails and ne c e ssary ne x t ste p s. Y ou sh ould
p re se nt your p lan in a w ay th at is th orough but not too d e taile d . Y our p re se ntation h and outs sh ould be
p rof e ssional and c onc ise . Th e y sh ould c ontain th e m ain p oints of your p re se ntation in a c ond e nse d f orm .
F inally, your p re se ntation sh ould le av e th e aud ie nc e m e m be rs w ith a c le ar und e rstand ing of th e
ne c e ssary ne x t ste p s, both f or th e m and f or you and your te am .
C h a p te r 8 : P l a nning T ool s
"M en hav e b ecome the tools of their tools."
— H e nry D av id Th ore au
O v er v iew
D e v e lop ing a p lan inv olv e s c olle c ting, organiz ing and analyz ing inf orm ation. Th e re are se v e ral tools th at
c an h e lp you m anage all th is d ata. Y ou sh ould und e rstand w h at e ac h tool d oe s be f ore se le c ting th e righ t
one s to use w ith your p lan. Th e f ollow ing c h art w ill h e lp you d e c id e w h ic h tool( s) you sh ould use .
O p e n table as sp re ad sh e e t I f y o u n e e d t o Th e n t r y t h i s t o o l
O rganiz e ind iv id ual ac tiv itie s w ith in a p lan, inc lud ing A c tion p lan, p p . 9 2–9 3
re sp onsibilitie s and m e asure m e nts
D e v e lop a sc h e d ule or f ore c ast G antt c h art, p . 9 3–9 4
Colle c t d ata Ch e c k sh e e t, p p . 9 4 –9 6
P rioritiz e th e p lan' s im p ac t, p roble m s or issue s P are to analysis, p p . 9 6 –9 7
D e p ic t grap h ic ally th e ste p s of a p roc e ss F low c h art, p p . 9 7 –9 9
G ath e r m any id e as or th ough ts Brainstorm ing, p p . 9 9 –10 0
A nalyz e a p roc e ss f or im p rov e m e nt P roc e ss im p rov e m e nt, p p . 10 0 –10 4
P rioritiz e ac tiv itie s or e lim inate ac tiv itie s th at d on' t ad d V alue analysis, p p . 10 4 –10 6
v alue
Th rough out th is c h ap te r are e x am p le s of th e se tools w h ic h you m ay use w h e n d e v e lop ing your ow n p lan.
A c tion P l an
W h at : U se ac tion p lans to e nsure th at e ac h ste p of your p lan is c om p le te d suc c e ssf ully. W ith a solid
ac tion p lan, all m e m be rs of a te am k now e x ac tly w h at ne e d s to be d one , by w h om and by w h e n.
H o w : U se ac tion p lans e v e ry tim e you m ust im p le m e nt a p lan! A c tion p lans c an be use d f or m ost p lans.
P roj e c t: P roj e c t Le ad e r:
O v e rall P urp ose
S te p A c tion M e asure m e nt
N o. S te p S tart E nd Crite ria R e sp onsibility of
A ction Pl an T ip s
1. G ood ac tion p lans are tim e -base d .
2. G ood ac tion p lans state th e ov e rall p urp ose or goal state m e nt.
3. G ood ac tion p lans re ly on c onse nsus f rom all m e m be rs of th e im p le m e ntation te am .
4 . G ood ac tion p lans inc lud e m e asure m e nts to trac k th e p lan.
5 . G ood ac tion p lans allow f or som e f le x ibility in h ow th e ir ste p s are ac c om p lish e d .
6 . G ood ac tion p lans h old e v e ryone inv olv e d ac c ountable f or th e ir ac tions and
re sp onsibilitie s.
G antt C har t
W h at : A G antt c h art is a typ e of sc h e d uling tool th at d isp lays th e starts, f inish e s and d urations of
ac tiv itie s as ac tiv ity bars p lac e d along a tim e line to v isually m onitor a p roj e c t' s p rogre ss.
H o w : G antt c h arts c an be use d w h e ne v e r a p roj e c t h as se v e ral m aj or c om p one nts or m ile stone s ( inte rim
goal p oints) th at m ust be trac k e d on a tim e sc h e d ule ( A n e x am p le of th e G antt c h art Be c k y use d f or h e r
p lan to ge t h e r d e p artm e nt IS O 9 0 0 0 c e rtif ie d ap p e ars on p . 4 7 ).
G antt C h art T ip s
1. G e t inp ut f rom oth e rs w h o h av e a good und e rstand ing of th e p lan' s m aj or c om p one nts.
2. Be sure to d oc um e nt all th e task s ne e d e d to c om p le te th e p lan. R e c ord th e se along
th e le f t-h and c olum n of th e c h art, p utting th e m in th e ap p rox im ate ord e r th at th e y ne e d
to be d one .
3. Ind ic ate m aj or m ile stone s in line ar p rogre ssion of task s.
O p e n table as sp re ad sh e e t Pr o j e c t Ti m e Li n e ( i n _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ )
Ob j e c t i v e s / t a s k s
C hec k S heet
W h at : U se c h e c k sh e e ts to gath e r d ata th at sh ow h ow of te n, w h e re , and w h e n c e rtain e v e nts oc c ur,
p artic ularly e rrors, d e f e c ts, v ariations, or p roc e ss f ailure s. Ch e c k sh e e ts translate your op inions about a
p roble m or situation into f ac ts, so d ata p atte rns be c om e obv ious v e ry q uic k ly.
H o w : U se c h e c k sh e e ts w h e n d e v e lop ing a p roble m -solv ing p lan th at re q uire s you to c olle c t d ata.
O p e n table as sp re ad sh e e t C h e c k Sh e e t
P roj e c t: P rote c t Le ad e r:
D e f inition of th e inf orm ation be ing c olle c te d :
R e aso D ate s
n/ A c tiv
ity
C h eck S h eet T ip s
1. A gre e on w h at th e c h e c k sh e e t w ill c ap ture . W h at e v e nts are you look ing f or? Be
sp e c if ic .
2. D e te rm ine th e tim e p e riod in w h ic h th e d ata w ill be c olle c te d . W h e n w ill th e c olle c tion
p e riod be gin and e nd ? W ill m e asure m e nts be m ad e h ourly, d aily, w e e k ly, e tc .?
3. Cre ate th e c h e c k sh e e t. Is it e asy to und e rstand and use ? D oe s it c ap ture all th e
ne e d e d inf orm ation?
4 . Colle c t th e d ata. Be c onsiste nt and unbiase d . A llow ad e q uate tim e f or ac c urate d ata
c olle c tion.
5 . To c olle c t ac c urate d ata, you m ust f e e l c onf id e nt about re c ord ing th e bad ne w s as w e ll
as th e good . D on' t try to sugarc oat th e truth to p le ase up p e r m anage m e nt.
P ar eto A nal y sis

W h at : A P are to analysis is a sp e c ial typ e of v e rtic al bar c h art th at v isually c om p are s num e ric al d ata,
usually c h e c k sh e e t inf orm ation. It d isp lays f rom gre ate st to le ast h ow of te n th ings h ap p e n, suc h as typ e s
of p roble m s, c osts of p roble m s, p roble m s by p rod uc t, or any oth e r m e asure m e nts th at h e lp id e ntif y th e
m ost signif ic ant p roble m s. A P are to analysis w ill h e lp you f oc us your e f f orts on p roble m s th at h av e th e
gre ate st p ote ntial f or im p rov e m e nt.
H o w : U se P are to analysis to p rioritiz e p roble m s or id e ntif y issue s th at m ust be ad d re sse d . F or e x am p le ,
you m igh t use P are to analysis to d e c id e w h ic h of your d e p artm e nt' s p roc e sse s ne e d th e m ost
im p rov e m e nt.
Pareto A nal y sis T ip s

1. D e c id e w h ic h p roble m you w ant to k now m ore about.
2. M ak e sure th at th e p ossible c ause s of th e p roble m are m e asurable .
3. List th e p roble m c ate gorie s on th e h oriz ontal line and f re q ue nc ie s on th e v e rtic al line .
4 . Care f ully inte rp re t th e re sults. W h at d oe s th is d ata m e an w ith re gard to your p roj e c t
p lan?
F l ow C har t
W h at : F low c h arts are grap h s th at c le arly sh ow th e se q ue nc e of ste p s in a p roc e ss and th e re lationsh ip s
am ong th e se ste p s.
H o w : U se f low c h arts to d oc um e nt, analyz e or d e v e lop a se q ue nc e of ac tiv itie s or ste p s in a p roc e ss,
e ith e r ac tual or id e al. F or p roc e ss im p rov e m e nt ac tiv itie s f low c h arts c an h e lp unc ov e r d e lays and / or non-
v alue -ad d e d ac tiv itie s. F low c h arting is also use f ul f or unc ov e ring une x p e c te d c om p le x itie s in a p roc e ss
be c ause you of te n d on' t k now w h at ste p s are inv olv e d until you c h art th e m out!
D e f i n i t i o n o f Sy m b o l s :
Circ le : be ginning or e nd p oint of a p roc e ss
R e c tangle : p roc e ss ste p
D iam ond : d e c ision p oint, usually a q ue stion answ e re d by ye s or no
A rrow s: ind ic ate th e f low of th e p roc e ss
F l ow C h art T ip s
1. D e te rm ine th e ap p rop riate starting and e nd ing p oints of th e p roc e ss be ing e v aluate d .
2. D on' t use a f low c h art on too big a p roc e ss. Bre ak it d ow n into sub-p roc e sse s.
3. A sk "W h at h ap p e ns ne x t? "
4 . K e e p th e f low c h art c le ar and sim p le .
5 . V e rif y th e p roc e sse s w ith th e p e op le w h o p e rf orm th ose ac tiv itie s.
6 . Ind ic ate d e c ision ste p s and f e e d bac k loop s ( p oints w h e re th e p roc e ss re turns to an
e arlie r ste p ).
7 . Be c onsiste nt in th e le v e l of d e tail sh ow n.
8 . Te st your f low c h art f or c om p le te ne ss.
B r ainstor m ing
W h at : Brainstorm ing is a h igh ly v e rsatile tool th at use s th e c re ativ ity of a group to ge ne rate a large
v olum e of id e as f or a p roj e c t or to solv e a p roble m . P artic ip ants sh are th e ir id e as sp ontane ously th rough
f re e assoc iation w ith in a "saf e " e nv ironm e nt, w h e re th e ir id e as w on' t be c h alle nge d or rid ic ule d .
Brainstorm ing e nc ourage s op e n th ink ing w h e n a te am is stuc k in th e status q uo.
H o w : Brainstorm ing h as a m ultitud e of ap p lic ations w ith in th e p roj e c t-p lanning and p roble m -solv ing
p roc e sse s. It is an im p ortant tool in c re ating ac tion p lans and c ontinge nc y p lans.
B rainstorm ing T ip s
1. Th e c e ntral brainstorm ing q ue stions sh ould be state d , agre e d on, and w ritte n d ow n on
a f lip c h art or blac k board f or e v e ryone to se e .
2. A sk e ac h p e rson to of f e r one id e a at a tim e .
3. R e c ord all id e as.
4 . A v oid both c ritic ism and p raise of id e as.
5 . S triv e f or f ull p artic ip ation.
6 . D on' t q uit too soon.
7 . E nc ourage c re ativ ity and bre ak th rough th ink ing.
8 . H av e f un.
P r oc ess I m p r ov em ent
W h at : P roc e ss im p rov e m e nt is use d to d e te rm ine h ow to inc re ase th e e f f ic ie nc y of w ork . A nalyz ing and
im p rov ing th e se p roc e sse s c an le ad to gre ate r inte rnal and e x te rnal c ustom e r satisf ac tion and / or h igh e r
p rod uc tiv ity.
H o w : Im p rov ing p roc e sse s h e lp s e lim inate non-v alue -ad d e d ac tiv itie s and inc re ase s ac c ountability. O ne
c om m on goal of p roc e ss im p rov e m e nt is to re d uc e th e c om p le x ity of a p roc e ss so th at it c an be
p e rf orm e d m ore e asily, e f f ic ie ntly and e f f e c tiv e ly. A lso, p roc e sse s m ay ne e d to be re w ork e d p e riod ic ally
to re f le c t c h anging c ustom e r d e m and s.
Process Im p rov em ent T ip s

1. D e f ine th e re q uire m e nts of your c ustom e rs and sup p lie rs.
2. M ak e sure th at inp uts and outp uts c an be c le arly m e asure d .
3. Id e ntif y v alue -ad d e d and non-v alue -ad d e d ac tiv itie s.
4 . Be sure th at your p roc e sse s are f le x ible and re sp onsiv e to c h anging c ond itions.
5 . D e f ine w h at you w ant to gain by im p rov ing th e p roc e ss. W ill th e be ne f its outw e igh th e
c osts of im p rov e m e nts?
6 . Inv olv e all e m p loye e s w h o use th e p roc e ss in th e im p rov e m e nt p lan.
7 . D on' t p oint f inge rs at p e op le ; inste ad , f oc us on th e p roc e ss.
8 . Bre ak th e p roc e ss d ow n into sub-p roc e sse s if it is too large or c om p le x .
9 . R e ly on f ac ts and d ata, not on assum p tions and p e rc e p tions.
Process Im p rov em ent S tep s

1. P lan w h at you w ant to im p rov e . H igh -im p ac t, low -p rod uc tiv ity p roc e sse s are am ong th e
be st c and id ate s f or p roc e ss im p rov e m e nt.
2. P re p are a te am to w ork on th e p roc e ss im p rov e m e nt.
3. D oc um e nt th e p roc e ss. ( S e e th e f low c h art se c tion of th is c h ap te r.)
4 . Clarif y w h at th e p roc e ss is sup p ose d to d o ( c ustom e r re q uire m e nts). Talk to c ustom e rs
d ire c tly and inv olv e th e m in th e p roc e sse s to e nsure th at any c h ange s m e e t th e ir
re q uire m e nts.
5 . M e asure and m onitor th e p roc e ss. E stablish a goal f or w h at you w ant to m e asure .
Colle c t d ata. ( S e e th e c h e c k sh e e t and P are to analysis se c tions of th is
c h ap te r.)
Com p are your m e asure m e nt to c ustom e rs' re q uire m e nts.
6 . A nalyz e th e p roc e ss.
Look f or non-v alue -ad d e d ac tiv itie s.
Look f or re d und anc ie s.
Look f or w ays to stre am line th e p roc e ss.
D e te rm ine w h ic h ste p s to k e e p and w h ic h ste p s to e lim inate in th e
p roc e ss. If th e re are gap s in th e p roc e ss, ste p s m ay ne e d to be ad d e d .
D e v e lop a goal state m e nt f or th e im p rov e m e nt p lan using th e f ollow ing
f orm at: "To ( inc re ase / d e c re ase ) th e ( outp ut/ m e asure m e nt) f rom
( c urre nt p e rf orm anc e ) to ( p re f e rre d p e rf orm anc e ) by ( d ate )."
7 . A p p ly p roble m -solv ing to are as th at ne e d im p rov e m e nt. Th is m ay inc lud e f orm ing sub-
te am s f or p artic ularly large p roc e sse s.
P r oc ess I m p r ov em ent W or ksheet

( Inse rt a f low c h art of your p roc e ss h e re .)
P roc e ss stre ngth s ( k e e p d oing, m ax im iz e ):
o _________________________________________
o _________________________________________
P roc e ss w e ak ne sse s ( d o be tte r, stre ngth e n):
o _________________________________________
o _________________________________________
o _________________________________________
N on–v alue –ad d e d p roc e ss ac tiv itie s ( stop d oing, m inim iz e ):
o __________________________________________
o __________________________________________
P roc e ss gap s ( start d oing, ad d re ss, re solv e ):
o __________________________________________
o __________________________________________
o __________________________________________
V al u e A nal y sis
W h at : A v alue analysis is a c ritic al e x am ination of ac tiv itie s d one by a group or an ind iv id ual to d e te rm ine
w h ic h ad d v alue to th e organiz ation. Th e goal of a v alue analysis is to unc ov e r task s th at c an be
e lim inate d or re d uc e d , e sp e c ially w h e n you ne e d to c ut c osts, p rioritiz e be tte r, or tak e on ne w p roj e c ts.
H o w : H e re are th e ste p s f or c om p le ting a v alue analysis. U se th e w ork sh e e t th at f ollow s to re c ord your
w ork .
1. List th e task s th at you d o ( or th at th e w ork group d oe s) in th e c olum n labe le d TA S K .
2. D e f ine w h y th e task is d one in th e c olum n labe le d W H Y D O N E ?
3. R ate th e im p ac t th at th e task h as on th e organiz ation in te rm s of its strate gic goals and
obj e c tiv e s. A rating of 1 m e ans no im p ac t, w h ile a rating of 10 m e ans e x tre m e ly h igh
im p ac t.
4 . R ate h ow re sourc e -inte nsiv e th e task is ( m one y, tim e , p e op le re q uire d ). A rating of 1
m e ans little to no re sourc e s re q uire d , w h ile a rating of 10 m e ans m any re sourc e s are
ne e d e d .
5 . Ind ic ate if th e task is re q uire d by som e ov e rsigh t organiz ation ( c orp orate of f ic e ; f e d e ral,
state or loc al law s; gov e rnm e nt age nc ie s; e tc .). Th e se task s p robably c an' t be e lim inate d .
O p e n table as sp re ad sh e e t V a l u e An a l y s i s W o r k s h e e t
Task W h y Im p ac t? ( 1–10 ) R e sourc e - R e q uire d ?

D one ? Inte nsiv e ? ( 1–10 )
Base d on your analysis, answ e r th e f ollow ing q ue stions:
1. A re th e re any task s th at c ould be e lim inate d or re d uc e d ? Conc e ntrate your analysis on
th ose ac tiv itie s th at are v e ry re sourc e -inte nsiv e but h av e little im p ac t.
2. A re th e re any task s th at sh ould be autom ate d ?
3. A re th e re any task s th at sh ould be m od if ie d ?
4 . A re th e re any task s th at sh ould be d one m ore f re q ue ntly or w ith m ore re sourc e s
d e d ic ate d to th e m ? Conc e ntrate on th ose ac tiv itie s th at h av e a gre at d e al of im p ac t on
your organiz ation.
W or k E q u ation
F oc us on v alue -ad d e d ac tiv itie s and re d uc e organiz ational h assle s ( non-v alue ad d e d w ork ).
A c tiv itie s th at are d one tod ay
+ Task s th at ne e d to be ad d e d ( h igh v alue -ad d ing task s)
– Task s th at ne e d to be d e le te d ( low v alue -ad d ing task s)
——
= M ax im um -v alue ac tiv itie s
A f te r c om p le ting a w ork e q uation, answ e r th e se q ue stions:

1. D id you te nd to le av e out p arts of th e e q uation? W h ic h one ( s)?
2. W h ic h p art of th e e q uation is m ost d if f ic ult to d e f ine ?
3. H ow sh ould you d e te rm ine w h ic h ac tiv itie s go and w h ic h stay?
W h e n you d e v e lop a p lan, you ne e d to c olle c t and / or analyz e d ata. K now ing th e righ t tool to use is v e ry
im p ortant. Y ou sh ould c h oose a tool base d on th e typ e of inf orm ation you ne e d . Tools th at h e lp busy
p e op le w ith th e ir p lans inc lud e ac tion p lans, G antt c h arts, c h e c k sh e e ts, P are to analysis, f low c h arts,
brainstorm ing, p roc e ss im p rov e m e nt, and v alue analysis.
W h ile th e p lanning p roc e ss m ay se e m a bit te d ious and tim e -c onsum ing at f irst, it w ill f ast be c om e
se c ond nature to you. By f ollow ing th e tip s and te c h niq ue s outline d in th is h and book , you e nsure th at
e v e ry p roj e c t you und e rtak e ge ts of f to a good start and th e n stays on trac k .
S ug g e s te d R e a ding
Brassard , M ic h ae l, D iane R itte r. The M emory J ogger II. M e th ue n, M A : G oal/ Q P C, 19 9 4 .
Cov e y, S te p h e n. The 7 H ab its of H ighly E f f ectiv e P eople. N e w Y ork : S im on & S c h uste r, 19 8 9 .
D av is, Brian e t al. S uccessf ul M anager' s H andb ook. N e w Y ork : P e rsonne l D e c isions, Inc ., 19 9 2.
D ruc k e r, P e te r. The P ractice of M anagement. N e w Y ork : H arp e r & R ow , 19 5 4 .
F ink , S te v e n. C risis M anagement: P lanning f or the Inev itab le. N e w Y ork : A M A CO M , 19 8 6 .
H alloran, J ac k , G e orge F runz i. S uperv ision: The A rt of M anagement. E ngle w ood Clif f s, N J : P re ntic e H all,
19 8 6 .
K auf m an, R oge r. S trategic P lanning P lus: A n O rganiz ational G uide. G le nv ie w , IL: F ore sm an and Com p any,
19 9 1.
M ac d onald , Ch ris. The P roductiv e S uperv isor: P lanning S kills. A m h e rst, M A : H um an R e sourc e D e v e lop m e nt
P re ss, 19 8 5 .
M ak rid ak is, S p yros G . F orecasting, P lanning and S trategy f or the 2 1 st C entury. N e w Y ork : Th e F re e P re ss,
19 9 0 .
M anning, M arilyn, P atric ia H ad d oc k . L eadership S kills f or W omen. M e nlo P ark , CA : Crisp P ublic ations, 19 8 9 .
M ille r, J ac k , M ary P orte r. S uperv ision in the H ospitality Industry. N e w Y ork : J oh n W ile y & S ons, 19 8 5 .
S e nge , P e te r e t al. The F if th D iscipline F ieldb ook. N e w Y ork : D ouble d ay, 19 9 4 .
V an D e rsal, W illiam . The S uccessf ul S uperv isor in G ov ernment and B usiness. N e w Y ork : H arp e r & R ow ,
19 8 5 .

Planning Skills

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Introduction

How to Use this Handbook

G ood p lanning sk ills m ay not be th e h ot top ic at th e of f ic e w ate r c oole r, but p e rh ap s th e y sh ould be .

P l anning Hel p s Y ou D o M or e with L ess

"W e are at a c ritic al p oint in th e p roj e c t, w h e re m ak ing a w rong d e c ision c an th row us of f

Y ou r P l anning S kil l s I nf l u enc e the P r odu c tiv ity of O ther s

Th ink of th e sup e rv isors and m anage rs w h om you ad m ire and re sp e c t. W h at sk ills m ak e th e m

B rai nsto rm i ng i deas _ _ _ _ 9_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6_ _ _ _ _

G etti ng o thers i nv o lv ed i n the analy si s _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3_ _ _ _ _

C o nti ng enc y planni ng _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _

P ro c ess i m pro v em ent _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _

D ay -to -day detai l m anag em ent _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2_ _ _ _ _

D ev elo pi ng trend-setti ng plans _ _ _ _ 8_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _

D ehassli ng the w o rk plac e _ _ _ _ 6_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5_ _ _ _ _

C hang e m anag em ent _ _ _ _ 7_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3_ _ _ _ _

B o u nc i ng bac k w hen thi ng s g o w ro ng _ _ _ _ 5_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ _ _

W h e n it c om e s to p lanning, th e re are f our m ain be h av ioral typ e s: th e P e rf e c tionist, th e Ch aotic , th e

1. D e tail-orie nte d Big-p ic ture -orie nte d

W rite your tw o stronge st te nd e nc ie s h e re :

If You're a T rend setter

If You're a Perfectionist and a R eferencer

If You're a C h aotic and a T rend setter

A ssessm ent Interp retations

F or e x am p le , p lanning c an be f oc use d on th e broad ne e d s of th e busine ss ( strate gic p lanning), th e v e ry

B enefits of a S tand ing Pl an

E x am p l es of S tand ing Pl ans

S itu ational or S ing l e-Use P l ans

B enefits of a S ing l e-U se Pl an

E x am p l es of S ing l e-U se Pl ans

P er sonal P l anning : D ail y / W eekl y / M onthl y

S and ra is a ne w sup e rv isor of a sale s d e p artm e nt. S h e h as be e n h ire d by th e c om p any be c ause of h e r

C ase S tud y Q uestions

Possib l e A nsw ers

Th e P lanning P roc e ss M od e l—( f or single-use plans)

S tep s in the P l anning P r oc ess

N ow le t' s look at e ac h c om p one nt of th e p lanning p roc e ss m od e l in m ore d e tail.

P roj e c t IS O 9 0 0 0 Ce rtif ic ation P roj e c t

E x am p le : H e re ' s h ow Be c k y im p le m e nts h e r p lan.

E x am p le : H e re ' s h ow Be c k y f ollow s up on h e r p lan.

Th e c om p one nts of th e p lanning p roc e ss are :

W hat M akes a P l an S u c c essf u l ?

If Be c k y is sm art sh e w ill ad d re ss ite m s 7 and 8 be f ore sh e p re se nts h e r p lan to h e r m anage rs!

I S YOU R PLAN A G OOD ONE?

2. A re th e righ t p e op le inv olv e d in giv ing inp ut to your p lan?

3. H av e you d one th e ne c e ssary d ata c olle c tion to d e te rm ine w h at you ne e d to

5 . H av e you th orough ly e x p lore d th e "w h at if s" and d e te rm ine d c ontinge nc y ac tions?

6 . A re th e p e op le inv olv e d in your p lan' s im p le m e ntation c om m itte d to it?

8 . Is th e p lan m e asurable in te rm s of tim e , c osts and re sourc e s re q uire d ?

9 . H as th e p lan be e n c om m unic ate d ?

10 . W as th e p lan d e v e lop e d using a logic al p roc e ss?

Under stand How Y ou and T hose A r ou nd Y ou R esp ond to C hang e

W h e n p e op le re sist c h ange , th e re are se v e ral p ossible re ac tions:

W h e n c h ange is ine v itable , you sh ould analyz e th e f ac tors th at inf lue nc e h ow p e op le p e rc e iv e th e

F or e x am p le , th e d e p artm e nt w ill ge t ne w e q uip m e nt to h e lp it h and le th e inc re ase d c om p le x ity and

M ark k now s th at h is p re se nt e m p loye e s w ill w orry about th e c h ange s. Th e y w ill f e ar th e p ossibility of

C ase S tud y Q uestions

O v e rall p urp ose :____________________________

A n I nter esting O p ening S tatem ent

Th e inte re st or op e ning state m e nt e stablish e s th e th e m e and tone of th e p re se ntation. It c an be as sh ort

A n inte re st state m e nt sh ould inc lud e th e f ollow ing e le m e nts:

2. G e t agre e m e nt on th e issue , c h ange th e p roble m th at re q uire s th e p lan of ac tion.

4 . P rov id e an ov e rv ie w on h ow you w ill p roc e e d w ith th e p re se ntation. Inc lud e th e tim e

In p re se nting th e broad v ie w , m ak e sure it c ontains th e se f our c om p one nts:

2. D e sc ribe h ow you and / or your group d e v e lop e d th e p lan. H ow d id you c ond uc t th e