What makes a good plan?

The purpose of effective goal setting decisive is to achieve what you want in life in a successful, focused and manner by taking the right actions in a lesser time frame.

Who doesn't want to achieve more in less time?

Yet, many of us abandon our goals before we accomplish them. 

Why is that?

Some of the reasons include: lack of confidence fear of failure, not having a workable plan for achieving them, being unrealistic by expecting too much too soon, fear of failure, and lastly, putting too much pressure on yourselves to accomplish them.

Luckily there are strategies and behaviours we can adopt for successfully setting and achieving goals.

To maximize productivity, every company needs a sound plan. However, effective planning is a complex process that covers a wide variety of activities to ensure that materials, equipment and human resources are available when and where they are needed.

Planning is like a roadmap: It helps you know where you are going and how long it will take you to get there.

Effective planning hinges on a sound understanding of key activities that entrepreneurs and business managers should apply to the planning process.

To plan effectively, you will need to estimate potential sales with some reliability. Most businesses don't have firm numbers on future sales. However, you can forecast sales based on historical information, market trends and/or established orders.

How to plan work

All other activities are initiated from the production plan and each area is dependent on the interaction of the activities. Typically, a plan addresses materials, equipment, human resources, training, capacity and the routing or methods to complete the work in a standard time.

In order to do a good sales forecast, you should base it on a history of firm orders.

Identify the purpose for your work plan. Work plans are written for various reasons.  

 Write the introduction and background. ... 

 Determine your goal(s) and objectives. ... 

 Consider ordering your work plan by "SMART" objectives. ...

 List your resources. ...  

 Identify any constraints. ...  

 Who is accountable? ...  

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.    

Thank you …Write your strategy.

The plan initially needs to address specific key elements well in advance of production in order to ensure an uninterrupted flow of work as it unfolds.

Material ordering—Materials and services that require a long lead time or are at an extended shipping distance, also known as blanket orders, should be ordered in advance of production requirements. Suppliers should send you materials periodically to ensure an uninterrupted pipeline. 

Equipment procurement—Procuring specialized tools and equipment to initiate the production process may require a longer lead time. Keep in mind that the equipment may have to be custom made or simply difficult to set up. 

This type of equipment may also require special training. 

Bottlenecks—these are constraints or restrictions in the process flow and should be assessed in advance so you can plan around them or eliminate them before you begin production. When you assess possible bottlenecks, be aware that they may shift to another area of the process. 

Dealing with bottlenecks is a continual challenge for any business.

Stay focused and motivated. Staying focused and motivated is probably one of the hardest things to do when setting goals. It is common to periodically fall off the wagon however, it is essential to get back on track as soon as possible.

A great tool for keeping you focused is the journal or workbook you've been maintaining. 

Go over it regularly as a reference point and to remind yourself what you want to accomplish. Set up routines or habits that will ensure you stay on track. 

For example - do your exercises at the same time each day; drink your protein shake first thing in the morning. 

Human resources acquisitions and training—Key or specialized positions may demand extensive training on specialized equipment, technical processes or regulatory requirements. 

These employees should be interviewed thoroughly about their skills. When hiring them, allow sufficient time for training and be sure that they are competent in their work before the job begins.  

This will ensure that your process or service flows smoothly. 

Want to add word or two?  

The plan provides a foundation to schedule the actual work and plan the details of day-to-day activities.

As sales orders come in, you will need to address them individually based on their priority.

The importance of the sales order will determine the work flow and when it should be scheduled.

After this, you should evaluate whether or not you are ready for production or to offer the service. You will need to determine:

·       If the inventory is available at the point where work is to start?

·        If not, then the work needs to be rescheduled when supplies become available. There is no point in scheduling work that you will not be able to complete.

·       Are your resources available?

·       Do you have the necessary staff to complete the task?

·        Are the machines being used?

·       Does the standard time fit within the open time allowed?

·        If not, then the work should be rescheduled.

·       You should be careful to minimize risk factors; allowing too many what-ifs can delay delivery and be counterproductive. 

Your comment ….?

Communicate the plan

Know that you deserve success and achievement.

After you have determined that you have met the criteria to start production, you will need to communicate the plan to the employees who will implement it.

You can plan the production on spreadsheets, databases or software, which usually speeds the process up.

However, a visual representation is preferred as a means to communicate operation schedules to floor employees.

Some businesses post work orders on boards or use computer monitors to display the floor schedule.

The schedule also needs to be available to employees ahead of time and kept up to date.

Consider change

One of the many challenges of planning and scheduling is following up with changes to orders.

Changes happen every day. You will need to adjust your plan in line with these changes and advise the plant.

Dealing with change is not always easy and may take as much effort as creating the original plan.

You will need to follow up with the various departments involved in order to rectify any problems.

As well, computer software can be helpful in tracking changes, inventory, employees and equipment.

Precision planning is the key to any successful business, no matter its size.

Planning can help alleviate workplace stress and increase productivity.

Rather than plan work for your small business too far in advance, do it daily, modifying your agenda for the next day according to new priorities and unfinished business from the day before.

This can help you accomplish goals more efficiently.

Effective goal setting, has been a tried and true method for achieving success and accomplishment in life. Without it we would drift aimlessly and waste valuable time and effort in pursuits that lead nowhere.

So start now! Decide which goals are most meaningful to you and devise a plan for achieving them.

This makes a good Plan.