If you used the first week back in the office to Re:flect on your business and consult with colleagues about your ideas for moving forward, you should have a clearer picture of the potential goals for this year.
The next step in the process is to review the list and consider what might be realistic objectives for the year using “Where” and “When” from Kipling’s Six Honest Men.
“Where”, is about the targets you have identified and it will be useful to look back at the previous year’s business plan and review how successfully the goals you set then were achieved.
In retrospect, if targets were only partially met, or not at all, it may be that they proved too ambitious. If so this is the time to review what obstacles prevented the business from achieving them. Was it something the business failed to do? How much were the results influenced by outside factors beyond your control? It could be that the pricing structure needs to be reviewed. Is further staff training or recruitment needed to enhance the business skill set?
If, on the other hand, the goals were easily achieved it is worth considering whether this year’s targets should be more ambitious.
“When” is about the time frame the business sets for achieving goals. It may be better to set targets that can be carried out by the end of a quarter, by the end of six months, whatever is appropriate for the business and to review progress at each point then adjust actions accordingly.
At the Re:view stage, it is not necessary to define the actual steps and actions that will need to be taken. Getting down to the detail will be the task for the third week of the month in our recommended process for annual planning.
(Image courtesy of pakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
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