{"id":153,"date":"2017-07-26T23:06:45","date_gmt":"2017-07-26T23:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-principlesofmanagement\/?post_type=chapter&p=153"},"modified":"2017-08-17T18:03:37","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T18:03:37","slug":"putting-it-together-planning-and-mission","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-principlesmanagement\/chapter\/putting-it-together-planning-and-mission\/","title":{"raw":"Putting It Together: Planning and Mission","rendered":"Putting It Together: Planning and Mission"},"content":{"raw":"[caption id=\"attachment_1577\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"900\"]\"Several If you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, any road will get you there.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s return our attention to Sun City Boards and its owner, Tom Wilson. Dan travelled to Tom\u2019s operations on the West Coast and confirmed his suspicions that the problems the organization is facing are due to a lack of planning. Dan is meeting with Tom to report on his findings and to submit his recommendations.\r\n\r\n\u201cOK Tom, I\u2019ve spent the last several days going through your operations and records, and I\u2019m confident that there are actions you can take that will help turn around the business.\u201d\r\n\r\nTom lets out a long sigh and says, \u201cDan, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that. So at a high level, what\u2019s the problem?\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cIn a nutshell, the problem with Sun City Boards is that you have lost your focus and there is no clear plan for moving forward.\u201d Tom looks confused, so Dan explains. \u201cWhen you started the business, what was your vision?\u201d\r\n\r\nTom answers, \u201cTo set people free from the earth \u2026 free to ride the waves.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cPerfect!\u201d Dan responds. \u201cAnd how were you going to do that?\u201d\r\n\r\nTom thinks for a moment and then emphatically declares, \u201cWe will strive to provide the absolute best in high-end surfboard design and production!\u201d\r\n\r\nDan tells Tom that he has just created the vision and mission statements for Sun City Boards. He further explains, \u201cYou have to start creating a focused plan that will help the organization deliver on its vision and mission. The reason your company is struggling is that there is no clear roadmap to success.\u201d\r\n\r\nTom asks, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\r\n\r\nDan continues, \u201cWhen you started the company you were very successful because you focused on one key thing\u2014making the best surfboards anyone had seen. As a result, everything your business did revolved around that core idea.\u201d\r\n\r\nTom interrupts, \u201cOK Dan, I think I see where you\u2019re headed. When we started making money in the early days, I began to start expanding into other areas without a lot of thought. I listened to salespeople who came in and told me that I should branch out into low-end surf gear, then swimwear, then camping gear. Customers don\u2019t know what we\u2019re all about any more. And neither do my managers and employees.\u201d\r\n\r\nDan can see Tom is getting his arms around the concept of vision and mission, so he moves on. Next, he presents his recommendation that Tom and his key leaders should come together regularly to create, review and update Sun City\u2019s business plan. This is new to the team, so he gives them a quick example:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Define Objectives<\/strong>: Sun City Boards should look to reduce noncore product lines and associated inventory. Minimum margin target is 35 percent across all remaining product lines.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Develop Premises<\/strong>: Monitor competitor\u2019s plans to implement a new polymer board and determine potential impact to Sun City\u2019s sales.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Evaluate Alternatives<\/strong>: Evaluate opportunity of opening new retail outlets along the West Coast. Also, explore international sales options for high-end surf boards.<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Identify Resources<\/strong>: Analyze the level of capital necessary to achieve expansion goals and incorporate plan to close financial gaps in the annual budget.<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. Plan and Implement Tasks<\/strong>: Create a Gantt chart or other project planning tool that outlines the actions necessary to reach the goals outlined earlier.<\/li>\r\n \t
  6. Determine Tracking and Evaluation Methods<\/strong>: Create SMART goals for both managers and employees that align with direction the overall business plan provides.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nFinally, Dan reminds Tom that the planning process is only a tool and that the plan should be regularly reviewed and updated. Dan warns him that planning is no substitute for taking action, but it is a guide for him and his team as to what actions should be taken.\r\n\r\nThis consulting project has reminded Dan how important it is for an organization to have a clear vision and mission to know where it\u2019s headed. Likewise, the planning process is critical to know how it\u2019s going to get there. The alternative is like trying to take a cross-country trip without a map\u2014you don\u2019t know where you might end up!","rendered":"
    \"Several<\/p>\n

    If you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, any road will get you there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Let\u2019s return our attention to Sun City Boards and its owner, Tom Wilson. Dan travelled to Tom\u2019s operations on the West Coast and confirmed his suspicions that the problems the organization is facing are due to a lack of planning. Dan is meeting with Tom to report on his findings and to submit his recommendations.<\/p>\n

    \u201cOK Tom, I\u2019ve spent the last several days going through your operations and records, and I\u2019m confident that there are actions you can take that will help turn around the business.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Tom lets out a long sigh and says, \u201cDan, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that. So at a high level, what\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cIn a nutshell, the problem with Sun City Boards is that you have lost your focus and there is no clear plan for moving forward.\u201d Tom looks confused, so Dan explains. \u201cWhen you started the business, what was your vision?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Tom answers, \u201cTo set people free from the earth \u2026 free to ride the waves.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cPerfect!\u201d Dan responds. \u201cAnd how were you going to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Tom thinks for a moment and then emphatically declares, \u201cWe will strive to provide the absolute best in high-end surfboard design and production!\u201d<\/p>\n

    Dan tells Tom that he has just created the vision and mission statements for Sun City Boards. He further explains, \u201cYou have to start creating a focused plan that will help the organization deliver on its vision and mission. The reason your company is struggling is that there is no clear roadmap to success.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Tom asks, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Dan continues, \u201cWhen you started the company you were very successful because you focused on one key thing\u2014making the best surfboards anyone had seen. As a result, everything your business did revolved around that core idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Tom interrupts, \u201cOK Dan, I think I see where you\u2019re headed. When we started making money in the early days, I began to start expanding into other areas without a lot of thought. I listened to salespeople who came in and told me that I should branch out into low-end surf gear, then swimwear, then camping gear. Customers don\u2019t know what we\u2019re all about any more. And neither do my managers and employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Dan can see Tom is getting his arms around the concept of vision and mission, so he moves on. Next, he presents his recommendation that Tom and his key leaders should come together regularly to create, review and update Sun City\u2019s business plan. This is new to the team, so he gives them a quick example:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Define Objectives<\/strong>: Sun City Boards should look to reduce noncore product lines and associated inventory. Minimum margin target is 35 percent across all remaining product lines.<\/li>\n
    2. Develop Premises<\/strong>: Monitor competitor\u2019s plans to implement a new polymer board and determine potential impact to Sun City\u2019s sales.<\/li>\n
    3. Evaluate Alternatives<\/strong>: Evaluate opportunity of opening new retail outlets along the West Coast. Also, explore international sales options for high-end surf boards.<\/li>\n
    4. Identify Resources<\/strong>: Analyze the level of capital necessary to achieve expansion goals and incorporate plan to close financial gaps in the annual budget.<\/li>\n
    5. Plan and Implement Tasks<\/strong>: Create a Gantt chart or other project planning tool that outlines the actions necessary to reach the goals outlined earlier.<\/li>\n
    6. Determine Tracking and Evaluation Methods<\/strong>: Create SMART goals for both managers and employees that align with direction the overall business plan provides.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Finally, Dan reminds Tom that the planning process is only a tool and that the plan should be regularly reviewed and updated. Dan warns him that planning is no substitute for taking action, but it is a guide for him and his team as to what actions should be taken.<\/p>\n

      This consulting project has reminded Dan how important it is for an organization to have a clear vision and mission to know where it\u2019s headed. Likewise, the planning process is critical to know how it\u2019s going to get there. The alternative is like trying to take a cross-country trip without a map\u2014you don\u2019t know where you might end up!<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

      \n\t\t\t

      Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
      CC licensed content, Original<\/div>