Manager's guide to business planning

Get the business results you wantby creating and executing a solid plan!

One simple thing usually makes the difference between business success and failure: a well-laid plan.Whether you want to enact a long-term strategic initiative or set short-term revenue targets, Manager'sGuide to Business Planning provides the tools and techniques for developing a workable plan everyonewill support. You'll learn how to:

Measure success Prioritize initiatives Run business reviews Create a budget Engage employees

There's no reason to experience false starts, waste money, or dissatisfy customers in your businessendeavors. Manager's Guide to Business Planning has tried-and-true methods that can be applied toany situation.

• Preface p. ix
• Acknowledgments p. xiii
• 1 Fail to Plan ... Plan to Fail p. 1
• Why Plan? p. 1
• The Hierarchy of Business Planning p. 2
• The Value of a Mission Statement in the Planning Scheme p. 5
• Recognizing the Uses of the Plan p. 5
• Vista of Business Planning p. 6
• The Planning Process Model p. 7
• Planning to Plan: Collecting Data to Feed Your Plan p. 9
• Analyzing the Information p. 12
• Bringing the Data Together p. 12
• Apply Your Financial Knowledge p. 14
• The Planning Window p. 14
• Hitting the Sweet Spot Between Planning and Execution p. 15
• Creating the Right Mindset Going Forward p. 16
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 1 p. 18
• 2 Creating a Focused Business Plan p. 21
• Three Paths to Take p. 21
• Focusing the Business Plans p. 22
• Essential Components of a Business Plan p. 23
• Dealing with Different Personalities p. 30
• Functional and Departmental Plan Development p. 31
• Building Functional Plans p. 31
• Integrating Plans p. 33
• Putting It All Together p. 36
• Mini Case Study: Spiro-Gyro, Inc. p. 36
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 2 p. 38
• 3 Measuring Performance p. 39
• Measurement as Part of a Larger System p. 39
• The Business, Functional, and Individual Performance System p. 40
• Preparing the Functional Plan p. 42
• Work Planning and Individual Performance Standards p. 46
• Sample Functional Plan p. 49
• Review of Progress p. 50
• Converting Customer Requirements into Measurements p. 51
• Linking Planning and Budgets p. 53
• Aligning Priorities p. 53
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 3 p. 56
• 4 Execution Is the Key p. 57
• Malcolm Baldrige Systems Perspective p. 58
• Balanced Scorecard p. 62
• Hoshin Planning p. 65
• Driving Forces Wheel p. 66
• Strategy Deployment Worksheet p. 69
• Other Deployment Tools p. 69
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 4 p. 73
• 5 Mobilizing the Workforce p. 75
• Creating the Right Business Culture to Produce the Results p. 75
• A Communication System Strengthens Culture p. 79
• Business Cascade p. 81
• Information Management p. 86
• Training p. 86
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 5 p. 89
• 6 Tracking, Controlling, and Reviewing the Plans p. 91
• Planning versus Tracking and Controlling p. 91
• Creating a Management System p. 92
• Objective and Project Tracking p. 94
• Influencing the Essentials p. 96
• The Review Process p. 97
• Organizational Reviews p. 101
• Business Planning Retreats p. 102
• Case Study: The Equipment Division p. 103
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 6 p. 106
• 7 Contingency Planning p. 107
• What's Changing? p. 107
• Tools to Support Change p. 108
• Turnaround Situations p. 110
• Activating Contingency Plans p. 111
• Cost Management versus Cost Reduction Programs p. 113
• Being Proactive: Business Tune-Ups p. 116
• Increasing Sales Productivity p. 120
• Business Continuity Planning p. 121
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 7 p. 122
• 8 Recycle Your Learning p. 123
• Creating a Learning Organization p. 123
• How to Learn p. 125
• Applied Learning p. 126
• Two Examples p. 130
• GE Workout p. 133
• Team Action Planning p. 135
• Leadership Through Learning p. 136
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 8 p. 138
• 9 Tips and Traps to Avoid p. 139
• Planning Tips p. 139
• Traps to Avoid p. 145
• Ethics p. 147
• Your Planning Zone p. 149
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 9 p. 151
• 10 Personal Productivity p. 153
• Getting Organized p. 153
• Managing Time p. 154
• Managing Meetings p. 156
• Effective Presentations p. 159
• Negotiations p. 162
• Managing Relationships p. 163
• Making a Commitment to Change for the Better p. 163
• Your Continuing Development Plan p. 164
• Manager's Checklist for Chapter 10 p. 166
• Appendix: Planning Toolkit p. 167
• Applying Planning and Problem-Solving Tools p. 169
• Getting People Involved p. 171
• Identifying Issues and Challenges p. 172
• Identifying Opportunities and Issues p. 174
• Understanding the Situation p. 176
• Ranking or Prioritizing for Decisions p. 178
• Developing Actions p. 180
• Manager's Checklist for the Planning Toolkit p. 181
• Index p. 183
• About the Author p. 191