YOU CAN'T HAVE A PLAN B. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN A.

By: Craig Mitchell

President, Robroy Enclosures

Can you expect the unexpected?

Well: no. That's why they call it “unexpected.”

What you CAN do is minimize the damage done to your business by unexpected events. You can out-perform your competition and, in some cases, position yourself to actually benefit from opportunities that sometimes arise during the most challenging times.

There is a reason why airplane pilots carry large binders of information along with them on every flight. Those manuals are much more than guidelines on how to fly a plane during ideal conditions --- experienced pilots already know how to do that. They are detailed “what to do next” instructions for how to handle --- step-by-step --- every conceivable problem that might happen mid-air and even while on the ground.

There is a reason why every well-managed company has –- and insists on the use of –- highly detailed and well-organized manuals for the proper operation of technology. These are sequential protocols covering all aspects of effective equipment use ranging from actual hands-on operation and performance expectations to metrics measuring for desired results. They also are the basis for troubleshooting and solving problems when things don't go as planned.

Persons who do not spend their careers working from well-defined plans every single day, may have the impression that a plan --- because it is very precise in detailing what must be done --- causes a company to be inflexible. That is absolutely the opposite of what is true. Business and operational plans are actually the solid foundation for also being able to move quickly when Plan A. is not working as well as it needs to. Sometimes a plan underperforms not because it was wrong to begin with but because the unexpected happens. In such times a company will be lost --- unable to quickly and effectively go to Plan B. for the reason that you can't have contingency plans if you don't have a primary plan to begin with.

All of this has made itself painfully clear during the current COVID-19 health crisis. During the 2008-2009 economic recession, it was also very apparent that many business organizations were unable to respond quickly enough to adverse conditions that seemed to happen overnight. I'm proud to say that during both times, our company has minimized negative effects, has out-performed competitors, and has maintained our workforce without the need for layoffs. The reason we have been able to weather difficult times is no accident. It begins with having a strategic plan. When the unexpected happens, that plan empowers us to expediently adapt to new business demands by aligning our existing goals with the new realities impacting our organization.

Here's a quick test.

In one minute or less can you clearly answer the question: “What is Plan A. for your business?”

In one minute or less can every other person in your business give exactly the same answer to exactly the same question?

If not --- you have some work cut out for you. At some point you will need a Plan B.

You can't have one unless you have a Plan A.