“Remember Remember the fifth of November gunpowder, treason and plot”. So goes the rhyme about people trying to blow up the houses of parliament. The reason we remember this story here in the UK is that it was a failed plan so that got me thinking, what are the 5 things you need keep in mind when making a plan so that it doesn’t blow up in your face?
1 – Be realistic
Let’s nip this one in the bud. When we‘re excited about something or want to get a project off the ground we go big. We come up with grand plans and want to do everything! What ends up happening in the end? You get overwhelmed and have no idea where to begin. When making a plan you need to think in baby steps, and slowly work your way to your goal. The big dreams aren’t going to happen overnight, but if you take right moves you’ll be one step closer.
2- Make sure everyone has clear roles
Might seem daft to say, but making sure everyone has clearly defined roles and jobs will be a great help. There is no way of knowing how much time will be wasted by people running around trying to find out what they’re meant to do. Having it clear from the outset will make things easier and should hopefully get things done quicker. There are tools such as Monday.com and Microsoft teams that allow you to manage and see what team members are working on to help you keep on top of it all.
3 – Realistic Deadlines
As we all know from High School, deadlines can be rough. To this day I still get a shiver down my spine when I think back to certain assignments. The problem is that a lot of the time when we are set a deadline it can be impractical. The key to this is having a discussion with the team member (or yourself) about how long it should reasonably take. It is better to take longer on something and have it be good than rushed. Obviously if someone is consistently behind, that is a whole other story.
4 – Efficiency
That being said, making sure that the way you’re doing things is as efficient as possible also helps. If the way you are doing things isn’t efficient then you’re going to take longer on the task as a whole. You can find out if you’re in line with the rest of your field just by checking what options are out there or asking your employees what they think.
5 – Not everything will go according to plan
It is a fact of life here in 2020 that it can be unpredictable. Who would have guessed at the start of the year that a lot of us would be forced to work from home. Business meetings are now conducted from the comfort of our own home and a lot of plans have been thrown out the window! What I’m trying to say is leave room in the plan for the unpredictable. If your plan is too rigid you’re not going to be able to pivot and change where you need to.
And there you have it the 5 things to remember when making a plan. Have a safe Bonfire Night out there folks! If you want more articles like this one then why don’t you check out our Blog page? We publish articles every week so it’s worthwhile following us on Facebook or checking back in with us regularly.
