Keys to Sucessfully Implementing a Business Plan.(Brief Article)

Strategic planning is more than the process of analysis and objective setting that occurs once a year. Once the Business Plan has been created and communicated, implementation and continued review should follow throughout the year. The Business Plan is built during the planning season by completing a thorough business assessment, making operating decisions, building operating plans and making the financial decisions that will allow the Business Plan to succeed. The remaining part of the year should be devoted to implementation, continuous measurement and review and, if needed, corrective action planning.

Implementation is a process involving aligning an organization's actions and resources with its objectives. Simply stated, implementing the Business Plan means managing the action plans, establishing accountability, reviewing and measuring results and rewarding associates for the achievement of desired goals. It is ironic that implementation usually receives less focus and attention, since it requires more time, energy and management than the actual construction of the plan. Implementation should be viewed as the next step, albeit a difficult step, that follows the planning season in the overall strategic planning process.

Even the best-written Business Plan can encounter difficulties once execution is underway. Identifying and understanding the factors leading to failed implementations can help avoid these pitfalls. In addition to avoiding these pitfalls, effectively executing action plans involves managing resources and the environment in which implementation occurs. Managing execution requires four critical management qualities: mental toughness, creative leadership, the ability to handle resistance to change and the ability to provide a positive work environment.

Mental toughness means being willing to carry the weight associated with being the agent of change. This often means having to make hard decisions when they are needed, as well as consistently displaying the drive to stay focused, motivated, committed and performance oriented.

Creative leadership involves understanding that people and organizations are different. Therefore, the traditional methods of execution may not be the right way for every situation. A creative leader searches for and finds new ways to make advancements, define review processes, gauge results and reward accomplishments.

Overcoming resistance to change requires knowledge of why people resist change. Reasons for resistance include:

* Organization inertia--doing what has always been done and what is comfortable