| Why does planning fail when it is usually people | | | | Sadly, many organisations are too bogged by |
| with the brightest brains who will come together | | | | planning by numbers and they tend to be very |
| to put these plans together? | | | | myopic and static. They analyse issues of today, |
| There are several reasons why planning fails: | | | | when in a strategic sense, they should be looking |
| Overly delegative to the wrong people | | | | at issues of tomorrow. Only so, would they be |
| Very typical of these important strategic planning | | | | able to see how the organisation can stand in the |
| exercises is a big parade of management | | | | times of tomorrow. |
| consultants telling the top management what is | | | | Garbage In, Garbage Out |
| wrong with the company and what should be | | | | This is the most common reason why planning |
| done to fix it in order to move it forward. Equally | | | | fails. If there is no good inputs towards the plan |
| bad is to delegate this important planning | | | | to start with, then the output can never be |
| exercises to internal staff who don't exactly have | | | | expected to be robust and insightful. |
| much direct stake in this entire exercise e.g. | | | | Not Linked to Operations Or Implementation |
| frontline managers, customer service department | | | | The real value in a strategic plan is the successful |
| etc. | | | | implementation of that plan. Many great plans fail |
| Too Rigid and Routinised | | | | to take off as it does not link to operations or |
| Planning never succeeds if it is just viewed as an | | | | implementation. Great plans only remain as great |
| annual template filling exercise. Most of the time | | | | in paper and writing and does not contribute value |
| when planning cycle has arrived, there would be a | | | | unless successfully implemented. |
| flurry of forms and templates to fill and key | | | | Resistance to Change |
| performance indicators to consolidate. In this | | | | People are typically resistant to change and prefer |
| fashion, there is never really true debate of | | | | to stay in their comfort zone. With people who |
| where the company should be heading | | | | are anti-change, it would be hard for the |
| strategically and what should be done to reach | | | | organisation to successfully push through their |
| there. | | | | strategy. Hence, it is important that |
| Only Static Analysis | | | | communication of the plans be handled carefully, |
| Strategic planning is about a longer term view and | | | | as well as the proper managment of such |
| sees into the far horizon. Hence, analysis should | | | | resistors. |
| always be taken with a broader, long term view. | | | | |