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For years now the Annual Operating
Planning Process has been a staple of most
business models. However, as the way of doing
business is changing, our clients are questioning
their most basic assumptions. One of those
assumptions is around this planning process.
There are those who think Annual
Planning is absolutely necessary and a no-brainer,
(who nonetheless experience all kinds of
difficulty creating and executing those plans) and
those who can't believe that people still do it at
all. Where are you on this continuum? Is planning
the way to move business forward in an
unstable/changing market? If so, how much
planning, how much reacting?
By December, regardless of whether
you are a planner or not, it is time to begin
thinking seriously about next year and what you
would like to create in your business. We thought
it might be interesting to share with you what
some of our clients have to say on the matter. We
asked them what they see as the top 3 things that
make the difference between a successful and a
painful Annual Planning Process. Here's what they
said.
 Scott Shively
Sr.
Vice-President Marketing, Global Franchise
Respiratory
ALTANA Pharma
www.altanapharma.com
- Comprehensive Analysis–"There is no getting
around doing the hard analytical work..."
- Focus, Focus Focus–"Once you really know
what is going on with the market and customers,
then you have to boil all of this information
down into the most important. What are the 4 or
5 strategic initiatives that will drive your
objectives and focus?"
- Execution–"Execution is a strategy. If you
haven't planned your strategy, then you haven't
got a plan."
 Philippe
Bourguignon
Vice Chairman
Revolution
www.revolution.com
- No planning helps staying in touch with the
consumer at a time of fast change (and
impermanence)
- No planning is better than poor planning.
- No planning allows you to think out of the
box.
3 good reasons not to
plan!
Anticipation is different than planning
and so much better than planning.
 Alain Cardon
Master
Certified Coach, Consultant, Author,
Director
of MetaSystem, SA
www.metasysteme.fr"What's an annual planning
process? Do organizations still do that?"
(Planning is helpful...)
- when it is the result of a real dialogue
rather than a top down approach. (And when there
is dialogue, there is no need for annual
planning.)
- when it takes into account a range of goals
and different strategic options so as to stay
open to unforeseen and probable opportunities,
rather than when it sets specific goals with
limited leeway, which limit intelligent
reactivity to the unexpected. Who knows what
opportunities will come our way next year, but
we'll catch more if we don't limit ourselves
with planning.
- when it doesn't rest on a "control" frame of
reference: control of people, of the future, of
the environment, of fear of the unknown, etc.
Planning for the future is the equivalent in the
"time" dimension of the idea that one has first
to lay tracks to travel in an environment that
has yet to exist. What about trusting the
unfolding opportunities that will appear if one
has not decided what the future holds with the
limited perspective of today.
All too often, planning is painful
because it is a useless and limiting top-down
process designed to allay leaders' lack of trust
in their future (and in themselves.) Yearly
planning is painful because it reveals to everyone
the limited open-ness, creativity and trust of
their leaders.
Louis Carter
President and
CEO
Best Practice Institute
www.bpinstitute.net
- Detailed and focused pre-interviewing
- Design that is co-created with the board
with effective follow-through methods
- Selection of key change
agents/representatives from within
Roland Sullivan
Strategic
Change Agent
Roland Sullivan Company
www.rolandsullivan.com
- Planning can no longer be put into a
year-long project plan–it needs to be a dynamic
process with built-in mid-course corrections.
- Execution is the most significant issue in
the last 10 years–and will continue to be for
the next 10 years. The keys to execution are
engagement of the entire system and a large
group process that supports a paradigm shift to
help commitment to a new organizational mindset
and buy-in to right action–action that is in the
context of the whole system.
- Communication: It doesn't adequately happen
in most organizations. Especially with the newer
generation workforce, Linda Ackerman suggests
finding creative communication methods; songs,
poetry, video, etc. M-TV intranet?
Very interesting... Mr. Shively
works for a German company in the US, while Mr.
Carter and Mr. Sullivan consult to multi-national
organizations, their respective companies based in
the US. All are American.
Mr. Cardon and Mr. Bourguignon
come from France. Both work globally, with Mr.
Cardon living in France and consulting with
multi-national organizations, and Mr. Bourguignon
living in the US with a US based company.
Conclusions? That there is more
than one, or two, approaches to creating your
future and growing your business. Are there
cultural differences as well? Perhaps...which
could be valuable information in what is quickly
becoming our global village.
We would value any insights,
conclusions or different approaches you have.
Whatever approach you take to moving your business
forward in 2007, we would like to offer you a head
start. Call us if you are interested in a free
half hour coaching session to help you begin your
process.
Good Luck and Happy New
Year!
Lisa Murrell | 
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