Effective planning focuses your efforts on the activities needed to accomplish a task, complete a project or achieve a goal.  It is the major skill required in constructing a formal business plan.  Although it is one of the basic skills needed in business development, it is often a skill that is lacking.  Value-added groups and businesses often waste time and resources and miss opportunities by not planning properly.

Whether you are introducing a formal planning process into your business or just trying to get people to think more about planning, Keys to Successful Planning for Strengthening your Value-Added Businesses provides you with some ideas and tips on how to use planning more effectively.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

Understanding Planning

• A Good Succession Plan Doesn't Just Happen  – Iowa Small Business Development Centers -- How do you assess your current management situation to ensure success after key players retire or leave? There are several options to consider.
• The Planning Process – Small Business Notes -- Planning is one those things that we all know is good for us, but that no one wants to take the time to do.
• How to Set Your Priorities – Small Business Notes -- Do you get to the end of the week and wonder what you got done?

Improving Your Ogranization and Planning

• Getting Organized – Kansas State University Extension -- You can begin to organize your home and your life by establishing systems for getting out of the house in the morning, keeping track of important dates, housework, shopping, & bills.
• Project Planning: Fuzziness = Failure – HBS Working Knowledge -- Too many projects fail from fuzzy thinking at the front end.  Here are four tips for defining potential issues and problems right from the start.