Manager s Guide to Business Planning in Software

Drawing QR Code in Software Manager s Guide to Business Planning

Given the growth of the company and emerging functions, what type of planning process would you recommend to help the company stay on track How would you ensure that everyone understood the main mission and objectives of the company, both long- and short-term How would you ensure one integrated plan was created for the new business year What would you recommend _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Manager s Checklist for 2  J Understand the purpose of a business plan  J Use the business plan to identify planning information for next level  J Use the planning flow from business plan to key results areas to  J Do not plan in a vacuum: Look for opportunities to integrate your  J Use the Catchball concept to encourage both vertical and horizontal

nce the business plan has been created and the next level of planning has occurred from the business plan, performance measurements can be established Within the hierarchy of planning noted in 1, the functional and departmental plans will provide more specific input to develop the measurements and performance standards on how to achieve the overall results required in the business plan Where we are in this scheme I Strategic Plan Strategic Objectives (3 Years) I Annual Business Plan Mission and Business Objectives I Functional/Departmental Plan Mission, Key Results Areas (KRAs) and Specific Objectives

Based on a five-year research study I conducted, the following benchmark has been assembled from well-recognized training institutes and companies known for excellence in linking business plans with functional and individual performance plans The focus of this study was to answer the question, What s state-of-the-art in managing and measuring performance and productivity The responses were consistent from both the training experts and the best-in-class companies Simply put,

all respondents referred to the use of a systematic approach designed to link company strategies, objectives, and measurements to managerial, team, and individual performance at every level The major idea behind this system is to ensure that effective planning and linkages occur on the front end of the system so that more accurate measurements can be established to guide execution and appraisal of performance on the back end of the system In most cases, managing performance was used in the same context as managing productivity The goal of this benchmark is to provide a model that isn t function or department specific, but is adaptable to several business environments It s also forms neutral and doesn t depend on specific forms, which could easily be created for the function or department The Business, Functional, and Individual Performance System outlined in the following presentation integrates the feedback and comments from the survey respondents This represents the best thinking and execution related to managing performance and productivity

As an integrated system, each component requires detailed planning and completion to effectively link to each other The biggest problems consistent with failure to execute this system are disconnects among the integration of these components When steps are missed or incomplete it will make all the downstream planning less effective What follows is a detailed explanation of each component in this system flow in Exhibit 3-1

Integrated Strategic and Business Plan Imperatives Functional Plans Key Results Areas Improvement and Maintenance Objectives Organization and Human Resource Plans Link to Budgets

The goal of this component is to provide a link from the overall company direction to the specific functions and departments This information serves two purposes: (1) provides a top-level view of the strategies, priorities, and macro measurements, and (2) allows for the alignment of the organization in more detailed plans for functional objectives and individual and team performance planning The goal of this effort would be to have every individual in the organization quickly see how their work is linked to the overall business performance

Performance and development works when I Employees have clear MANAGING goals and know what s expected of them I Employees receive periodic feedback to help increase their productivity I Employees feel they ve received a fair evaluation I Employees have opportunities to develop skills and can discuss their career goals