PLANNING SELF-AUDIT
October 15, 2021
GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE GOAL SETTING.
October 15, 2021
Many managers find they become less reactive and more proactive as they increasingly practice effective planning.
Instead of embracing a management style that reacts to the crises of the day, planners plan their tomorrows.
In the shift from a reactive to a proactive stance, managers find that the number of brushfires they must fight decreases. They anticipate problems and have a plan in place to handle them calmly and systematically.
Planning will help you identify the steps necessary for reaching your goals. In contrast, failing to plan can lead to the perception that you are an ineffective manager. You’ll attain fewer results and waste resources because of a lack of planning.
Key Planning Steps
Six basic questions frame the planning process: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Answering these six questions is essential to effective planning
- Who – determines responsibility. It identifies the person responsible for completing each part of the plan. Knowing this enhances teamwork and personal accountability for accomplishing tasks
What – establishes the goal and details the results and standards to be met.
- The more specific your goal, the more specific your plan can be. And the clarity of your plan helps diminish confusion, increase confidence, and contribute to the effective use of resources.
- When – marks the time frame for the plan’s beginning and end, as well as providing scheduled progress checks along the way. So for each step, identify the time allotted for completing that step.
- Where – identifies the place for carrying out the steps of the plan.
- How defines the steps to be completed, and within each step, clarifies the procedures to be used.
- Why – provides the personal motivation of those involved to work the plan and to reach the goal. Remember that motivation differs depending on the people involved. Take the time to identify what motivates each of your employees to accomplish a particular goal, and then encourage them to use that information.
