It has been said by those much wiser than I,”If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.” That appears to be a harsh statement, but a certain amount of truth is found therein. Planning is an important part of not only the business world, but our personal life, as well. We have to know where we are going so we will know when we get there. Several items need to be in any good plan.
Always have a clear goal statement. What is it that you intend to accomplish, sell, or do. Without a goal, any planning that you do is pretty much a hit or miss proposition. Make your goal statement as simple as possible yet covering exactly what it is that you intend to do.
A good plan will also include who is responsible for accomplishing the stated goal. If you are an individual then, you are the responsible individual, but if you have a team working with you, list the individuals in some manner and assign responsibilities to each.
The plans will always revolve around what it is that you are attempting to sell or present. Be very specific in determining what the product is. This is much like niche marketing in e-commerce. If you are selling widgets, be sure to define what it is that you are selling. The widgets need to be described and the benefits for purchasing the widgets need to be clearly stated.
Financial consideration needs to be involved in the plan. How much is it going to cost you to get your widgets in front of the buying public? You must always plan on such things as advertising, shipping costs, and any possible personnel expenses. The big question that must be answered here concerns whether or not you have the money to advance your project or product.
A good plan will always include a system of evaluation. How will you know if you have been successful? Make specific criteria a part of the evaluation. State possibly how many widgets you intend to sell and the profit that you intend to make. In this way, you will know if you have been successful. Remember that failure is always a possibility. Failure in and of itself is not always bad. We can learn much from the fact that our business or concept did not fly. We gain insight into what not to do in the future. This, in actuality, becomes part of the next plan that we need to make.
Enjoy your planning and know that good things come from good planning.
I have had considerable experience in the field of educational planning. I was an elementary principal for over 25 years and had to lead the faculty in the preparation of educational plans to address perceived problems within our school.