Planning Facilitation

Dwight Eisenhower famously said, “Plans are nothing, planning is everything”. The process of planning – from big-picture to finer details – is where the magic happens.

Planning gives a powerful opportunity to recast the destination and review current strategies. Planning causes people to push their thinking in new directions. The result is bold new ideas and breakthroughs.

Alignment is the key. Alignment From vision all the way down to task, gives a solid map for success. Alignment creates a strong level of understanding and buy-in from the team. A plan that is aligned is easy to explain and can be spread through the organisation with greater uptake.

Planning doesn’t stop with the facilitated planning day. Plans need to be reviewed, refined and pushed forward. Monthly and quarterly reviews are essential to keep the planning process alive.

Who Should be Involved in Planning?

One thing that railroads planning sessions is when strategic thinking and operational thinking get confused and intertwined. It is often best to have the more senior people (hopefully the better strategic thinkers) map out the strategic imperatives.

From there a workshop can be held with the operations team members to achieve two outcomes. Firstly, explain the strategic plan, answer questions and engender buy-in. Secondly, the operational team then map out the strategies, tasks and schedule to achieve the strategies plan i.e. they produce the operational plan together. A template can be used to guide the operational planning phase.

This approach, allows all people to work to their strengths and increases motivation towards the planning process and the resultant plan. To discuss a facilitated planning process for your organisation, contact us today.