A Plan for Success
by Ed Meissner ACB, CL
October 20, 2009
One of my professors told us many times during the semester that “If you fail to plan you plan to fail”. While not everyone who fails to plan fails at what they want to do, it does help to plan if you want to reach your goals. Most people know what they want, but do not create plans to achieve it. They end up wandering aimlessly without a specific way to get to where they want to go. A plan is a map of how to get to where you want to go and achieve the things you want to achieve. A plan can not only help you to reach your goals, but in many cases can help you reach them faster and easier. Just what does a good plan encompass? A good plan will have the following things:
It is intentional
Every good plan is developed with intent towards success and the achievement of specific things. This means that plans are created with deliberate thought. Time is taken to ensure that the plan is a good one that will succeed providing the desired outcome set forth in the plan.
It is specific
A complete plan starts with the general desired outcome and then breaks down the general outcome into specific desired outcomes with goals designed to achieve each level of the plan resulting in the success of the overall plan if each goal is achieved. The plan will list not only the goals to be achieved, but the desired result if the goal is achieved. There will be specific actions listed that if completed will achieve the specific goal listed.
It is attainable
Every plan should have goals that are not only challenging but achievable. To set any goal that is not achievable only sets up the plan for failure. However to set goals that are too easily achievable doesn’t achieve what the plan can do and what the benefactors of the plan deserve.
It is measurable
Every good plan lists the desired results in measureable quantities (i.e. we will complete the manufacture of 400 widgets by January 4th with a minimum yield of 87%, a cost of $20 each, and Jan and Dean are responsible for this goal). This goal has four measurable quantities and lists those responsible for championing the success of the goal. The number of widgets, the date by which they will be completed, and the manufacturing yield which is a specification of the number of bad widgets produced out of every 100 good ones produced. By providing a way to measure the results you will be able to track your progress and determine the level of your success, and plan for your future beyond this success.
It tracks results
A Good plan will also track the results to ensure that the plan is on track and doing what it is supposed to do. By tracking the results if the plan is off schedule or not providing the proper results this feedback can be used to adjust the plan by adding more goals or adjusting the goals to ensure that the plan will get back on track.
