How to organize enterprise activity planning

Author of the material:

Igor Lyadsky

Geneticist, writer, business coach, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Probably everyone has heard about the need to think through their affairs. It is known that people who thoroughly prepare for the work ahead achieve great results. But is planning so easy to master? What methods, tools and principles should you know in order to learn how to correctly prescribe the implementation of assigned tasks? What is strategic planning? What is its importance? How does it differ from tactical or operational-calendar? Is it necessary to master them all? Let's get acquainted with this topic together.

What is planning?

The national economy is impossible without clear forecasting of positive results and drawing up plans to achieve them. It’s the same in life - having set a goal, you need to develop tactics, a strategy of action and strictly follow them.

Planning is a set of measures, a method that allows for the optimal distribution of resources aimed at overcoming obstacles to the goal (personal potential, money, time). The course of further actions that bring the least losses depends on the correctness of the forecast.

Note! The more serious the goal, the more carefully you need to prepare for it. This cannot be done without creating algorithms that predict all possible options.

The planning process is not the prerogative of the modern world. The technique was also used by ancient people (albeit at a primitive level). In order to hunt an animal successfully, it was necessary to study the habits of animals, their habitats, the location of paths to watering places, etc.

With each new cycle in the development of society, the planning process improves. Now it is diverse - a person’s range of needs has expanded. Without a clear distribution of your forces, it is difficult to achieve the desired result.

GTD - Getting Things Done

In Russian, the name of the technique sounds like “Bringing things to completion” or “How to put things in order.” It was developed by American time management expert David Allen.

In the book of the same name, he suggested that for a busy person it is important to free the brain from current tasks. This is the only way to concentrate on their quality implementation. This method is great for keeping a desk planner.

How it works

To use the GTD method confidently, you need to get used to it. There is a whole system for assessing tasks, and it’s not easy to cope with it right away. Write down things and mark them with special symbols:

1. An empty circle is a task to complete.
2. A circle with a line through it is a task that is currently being performed.
3. A half-filled circle means the task has not been completed completely.
4. A filled circle means the task is completed.
5. Circle with a cross - task cancelled.
6. A filled circle with an arrow means someone else is performing the task.
7. An exclamation point indicates a task with the highest priority.
8. Circle with a dot - you need to constantly remember this task.

• Level: amateur.
• Plus: advanced instant planning option. There is no need to monitor the priority of tasks. If you have something to do, do it.
• Disadvantage: the method is poorly adapted for long-term planning. More suitable as an addition to the main one.

Differences between tactical and strategic planning

How to manage everything and not get tired - proper planning and tips for life

Promotion from point A to point B when achieving the goal is not carried out rapidly, but progressively. It doesn’t matter whether the direct path or the roundabout one is chosen, it consists of stages with a certain set of actions. Therefore, any planning has components: tactics and strategy.

The second concept is the basis of a process designed for long-term implementation (looking to the future). Strategy determines the end result and chooses the direction of movement.

Strategy Development

Tactics breaks the entire path into stages and pays attention to each of them, concentrating on the smallest details. It is tactics that determine the methods for passing a certain section of the distance and take into account the possibility of adjusting the direction.

Strategic planning works for the long term. Tactical - involved in immediate tasks, for which a short period of time is allotted.

Planning problem

At its core, the planning function is designed to answer the following main questions:

1. Where are we currently? Managers must assess the organization's strengths and weaknesses in its key areas (finance, marketing, personnel, R&D) to determine what the organization can realistically achieve;

Where do we want to go? Managers must, assessing the opportunities and threats in the environment surrounding the organization, determine what the goals of the organization should be and what may interfere with the achievement of these goals;

1. How are we going to do this? Managers decide what members of the organization should do to achieve their goals.

Benefits of planning

The Wheel of Life Balance - what it is and how to work with it

It’s good to see goals in front of you, be able to achieve the desired result and not do it spontaneously. Having learned to regulate his life, a person achieves a high status in society. Despite the fact that you have to wait a long time for results, planned actions have advantages and give a greater chance of success.

Pros of planning

Successful manager

A ready-made algorithm allows you to take a short break at each stage in order to evaluate what has already been accomplished and what still remains to be done in the light of what was planned. This helps to adequately weigh the possibilities and, if necessary, adjust further actions.

Why you need to make plans

The need for planning in all areas of activity is due to a number of reasons:

• economic development is characterized by a high level of uncertainty, and optimizing the use of resources by drawing up a clear plan helps to smooth out moments of crisis;
• planning helps create competitive advantages due to the fact that perspective documents have the opportunity to provide for fluctuations in the external environment, interruptions in the supply of resources and other issues;
• the planning system allows for the implementation of programs for the application of innovations and achievements of scientific and technological progress;
• a stable operating enterprise operating on the basis of a clearly planned program is more attractive for investment;
• gradual structural transformations that ensure the systematic achievement of tactical and strategic goals;
• drawing up real programs by comparing current capabilities and long-term plans;
• purposeful development of the organization and movement in the chosen direction;
• the ability to anticipate possible problems;
• stimulating effect for employees of all levels;
• streamlining management actions and other activities.

A well-drafted plan allows the manager and his subordinates to systematically move towards achieving their goal. By following a clear algorithm, you won’t have to be distracted by extraneous actions. In addition, the plan often provides options for responding to unforeseen situations, and therefore it will be possible to straighten out the situation without significant material and time losses.

Types of planning

Modern man has many needs, they affect various areas of life. In order to realize everything planned, it is necessary to set goals and set priorities correctly. This will allow you to determine the order of actions and direct them in a specific direction. The regulatory process is most important when multiple goals are being defined simultaneously.

Personal effectiveness - what is it?

To understand what planning includes, it is necessary to study all possible types of process and their composition.

Planning classification

For your information. Includes planning and definition by objects. This includes thinking through goals, programs, means and capabilities, functions, and choosing performers.

Drawing up algorithms

Methods

The method involves a tool through which activity planning occurs. Several methods can be used at once. Let's look at their varieties:

• Balance sheet . The manager determines the balance between existing needs and resources available at the enterprise. A list of resources that do not exist is determined. Sources for obtaining them are found;
• Calculation and analytical . Necessary for finding indicators needed to analyze the achievement of set goals. Their dynamics are studied. Indicators can be the following: profitability, productivity, profitability, cost reduction;
• Graphic-analytical . The key tool of this method is graphics. They help determine the relationship between indicators and other factors. For example, profitability is related to the current market situation;
• Software-targeted . Relevant when working on programs. Essential for strategic planning. The main feature of the method is the determination of effectiveness based on specific results. The manager sets a goal. It is broken down into tasks and subtasks. Typically a goal solves a problem in one area. For example, a company wants to expand. The global goal is to develop new markets. Tasks may include concluding contracts in other regions, renting premises, solving transport problems;
• Economic and mathematical methods . The main tool is calculation. It is performed using computer technology. Helps determine quantitative indicators. Provides the opportunity to develop several alternatives, from which the best one is selected at the moment.

There are elements of planning in any organizational structure. A striking example is a business plan drawn up in the early stages of a company’s operation. In essence, this is a determination of the organization’s future activities, based on objective prerequisites (for example, competition). A business plan solves several problems at once. It allows you to attract investment funds and provides a vision of the company’s activities.

Usually the manager does the planning. But, if the enterprise is very large, this task can be delegated to a more specialized specialist. When carrying out this activity, it is important to see the real situation and build a plan based on existing external and internal factors. All this will allow not only to take the company to a new level, but also to do it with maximum savings and reduction of costs to achieve goals.

Principles of Effective Planning

Despite the numerous types, all areas of regulation of actions are based on general principles. Compliance with them makes a business successful:

1. Systematicity and unity imply the interconnectedness of individual elements in achieving the main goal.
2. Horizontal coordination of projects between structures.
3. Mutual integration is supported.
4. Implementation is continuous and consistent with time frames.
5. Clarity and simplicity of tasks, adapted to the level of performers.
6. Concretization of actions and detail for understanding.
7. The ability to timely adjust projects and have reserves for maneuvering.
8. Rational choice of the optimal option.
9. Particularity as a component of complexity in displaying the overall picture of what is planned.

Note! By adhering to the basic principles in developing plans, it is possible to achieve a positive result in the implementation of any project.

Completed list

You can look at your to-do list from a different angle.

James Altucher, author of Learn to Say No

To-do lists can quickly get out of hand. Great if you can do everything. But what happens if you can't? Nothing. It's not really important. As a result, on your deathbed you won’t think, “I didn’t complete my to-do list.”

Instead of making a morning task list, the author suggests writing at the end of the day what you accomplished. It motivates. No to-do list will surprise you, but a done list will.

At the end of the day, write down what you have already accomplished. It is convenient to keep a list of things done in parallel with a to-do list.

Man planning his day

People's lives consist of many aspects: family, work, study, friends, hobbies. Everything needs to be given attention and a portion of your time. If you do this chaotically, a person will find himself in constant time pressure. A plan and planning will help create a balance between leisure, home and work.

How to avoid time pressure

By adjusting every step of his life, a person saves time, saves nerves and resources. Orderly actions help in decision making and lead to success.

If an individual has been accustomed to a routine since childhood, then in adult life it is not difficult for him to schedule all his activities minute by minute. First, a standard day plan is drawn up according to this type:

• moment of awakening and sleep;
• time for physiological needs;
• the working process;
• hours for rest.

The routine should take into account the biological characteristics of the body. According to scientists, the surge in intellectual activity occurs between 10 and 12, 14 and 16 hours. The body is most physically resilient from 17 to 19 hours.

Daily action planning is a process tactic. Days add up to weeks, months, years, which also need order. Here the strategic construction algorithm of one’s own life is already in use.

Energy list

Divide tasks according to the effort required to complete them.

If you feel tired, then just do the simple tasks on the list. By following the method, you can make progress even when you are not at all inclined to take on the work.

Mike Vardy, writer and former editor at Lifehacker:

I mark energy-intensive tasks that require a lot of energy. They are followed by low-energy ones, which you just need to do automatically. Average - everything in between.

The energy list requires honesty. If you feel great, immediately begin performing energy-intensive tasks.

Factors limiting the possibility of planning

Having decided what kind of planning happens, why it is necessary, and having understood its principles, you should pay attention to the reasons that limit the process. If we consider the production sector, the main factors are as follows:

• the larger the business, the easier it is to organize planning using available resources;
• It is impossible to make absolute forecasts given the instability, chaos of the modern market and the presence of competitors;
• preparation and planning require time and money for research;
• subjective moments include the human factor, personal relationships, errors in calculations, force majeure situations, etc.

Force majeure

Having learned to plan, the head of an enterprise will be able to take control of all events related to obtaining results and manage them effectively.

Implementation problem

Most managers are reluctant to engage in systematic planning. They are more inclined to take action rather than sit and reflect on behavior. Time pressure and work pressure also make it difficult for managers to plan thoroughly. For many, planning is a boring and tedious job that can be easily and quickly replaced with direct action.

One of the problems that is relevant for entrepreneurs, managers, consultants and all those who are involved in improving management systems in practice is the problem of inconsistency between the company’s strategy and the mechanism for its implementation, that is, the strategic gap. Today, quite a large number of technologies have been developed to bridge this gap. Michael Coveney, for example, in his book The Strategic Divide: Technologies for Bringing Corporate Strategy to Life, describes a multi-step process for effectively implementing strategy by integrating business performance management (BPM) best practices with the latest information technology. BSC (The Balanced Scorecard) technology implies the creation of a mechanism for managing an enterprise in which strategic performance indicators of its activities will be connected through a system of cause-and-effect relationships with strategic initiatives and specific measures to implement this strategy.

ACTION PLAN: WHAT IS THE BENEFIT FOR ROP

If you have complex sales and your deal cycle exceeds 2 weeks, management tools such as reporting control in CRM and planning meetings will not be enough.

Especially at the Account management stage of the sales process when developing key clients, the seller needs a clear action plan: what and when he will do with this particular client in order to bring him to a deal.

In sales there is project work: for example, attracting clients at an exhibition or conference, various types of networking. What management tool will you use to control the preparation of the event and the processing of the results?

If you are implementing strategic changes in your sales department, the ROP typically has 5 to 10 projects in the pipeline, from recruiting to CRM implementation or optimization. How will you monitor the work of the ROP to strengthen the sales system?

What is the benefit of an Action plan for a manager?

Action plan is a mandatory element of daily department management

1. An action plan structures the working day: an action plan is a daily cheat sheet that clearly demonstrates how the goals of one or more departments or managers are realized step by step; ///

2. An action plan is a time management : it manages your time and helps to significantly reduce the time spent on a particular project or activity.///

3. The action plan significantly shortens the PDCA cycle: by reducing time costs, you go through the cycle faster, implement changes and achieve goals.

Read more “Deming Cycle (PDCA): how to increase sales

The Action plan in both cases is a mandatory element of the daily management of the department.

An action plan is a clear roadmap for your day.

An action plan keeps you energized and efficient. It assigns you a time frame for each individual step of the process.

You track progress, keeping projects on schedule and on budget.

Mind map

Thought maps or mind maps are a way to record thoughts in a way convenient for the brain. Ideas do not appear in it one after another.

Large ideas develop into small ideas-details, so they need to be written down not in a list, but in the form of a kind of tree with many branches diverging from the trunk - the main idea.

The mind map sheet should be large in size so that its borders do not confine you. In the middle of the sheet you need to write a key idea or fundamental task.

Drop the formalities. This is the essence of a mind map - it should be comfortable for you.

Use single words rather than sentences to describe ideas. Better yet, draw a picture. An idea that is condensed into meaning is easier for the brain to assimilate.

Online mind mapping apps: bubbl.us, coggle.it, mapmyself.com, mindmeister.com, popplet.com, spiderscribe.net.