Chapter 20: Planning for Implementation

Some plans are more likely to be implemented than others. Successful implementation starts with a good plan, one that is full of specific information on milestones, managers, responsibilities, dates and budgets. Beyond the plan itself, however, there are other factors also critical to implementation. Are you going to track results, comparing the planned results to the actual results? Are you going to follow up with your management team, making revisions and checking on performance?

Start With a Good Plan

The illustration below shows a view of what it takes to develop and implement a business plan. I call this planning for implementation.

Implementation Isn't Automatic

A business plan will be hard to implement unless it is simple, specific, realistic and complete. Even if it is all these things, a good plan will need someone to follow up and check on it.

There are some important factors beyond the plan that are also critical:

Is the plan simple? Is it easy to understand and to act on? Does it communicate its contents easily and practically?
Is the plan specific? Are its objectives concrete and measurable? Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible and specific budgets?
Is the plan realistic? Are the sales goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic? Nothing stifles implementation like unrealistic goals.
Is the plan complete? Does it include all the necessary elements? Requirements of a business plan vary, depending on the context, but there is no guarantee that the plan will work if it doesn't cover the main bases.

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