Eija,
A voice from outside academia.
Business planning has two parts: Preparation and writing.
That is, we have distinct jobs. First, identify and make required
decisions. Then integrate those decisions into a plan.
Planning begins with decision making. Keys include what decisions to make,
how to make those decisions, how to know that all essential questions have
been asked, and how to ensure mutual compatibility among the decisions.
With decisions made, planning is a snap.
For me, decision making begins with questions. Indeed, the way that
questions are asked greatly influences answers developed (decisions made).
In particular, most significant decisions are best addressed in stages. For
instance, we don't establish market segmentation by asking "What market
segments will we serve?" We need to know a lot about markets before we can
answer that question.
Answers to some questions define strategies, and choice of strategies
structures the business. Product development, for instance, is better seen
as a strategy for serving customers than as a business function.
Thus business planning is actually business design.
In my experience, people and organizations are self-centered. That is, they
ask and answer questions from their own perspectives. For business planning
and business implementation, we should be customer-centered. In a larger
sense of creating alliances, etc., we should be stakeholder-centered.
That is, we tend to word our decisions in ways that inhibit the ultimate
objective of business: Creation of durable win-win relationships.
Successful preparation thus requires:
Choice of center
Choice of questions
Development of answers (decisions)
Integration of decisions
To accelerate preparation, I've developed formal tools: Strategic
Pre-Planning[tm]
Strategic Identity Analysis[tm]: Who the business is and wants to be.
Integrated Strategy Analysis[tm]: Where the business wants to go
(goals, objectives) and how it intends to get there (strategies).
Strategic Culture Analysis[tm]: What the business values, and how it
intends to behave.
To ensure a stakeholder center, I then organize the plan around
opportunities (e.g., The Market Opportunity), not around internal functions.
And I begin with the market opportunity rather than with the business
opportunity.
On request to
GaryL@Market-Engineering.com, I'll send editions of The
Colorado Innovation Newsletter regarding "Innovating Business" and an
example of Strategic Identity Analysis.
Best to all,
Gary
--
Change agent skills
are as important to individual success
as are professional discipline skills.
Gary Lundquist
303-840-9929
GaryL@Market-Engineering.com
President - Market Engineering International
www.Market-Engineering.com
Editor - The Colorado Innovation Newsletter
www.ColoradoInnovation.blogs.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:
MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Eija Valli
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 1:16 AM
To:
MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Business Plan course help?
Hi all,
I was wondering if any of You
would be willing to share ideas
or a whole syllabus for a Business Planning
minicourse for masters level students.
The aim of the course is to
create a feasibility plan - level of business
plan during the spring semester next year.
I know there are a lot of resources available
in the internet etc. but I would like to know
what kind of approaches have worked well
for You.
all the best,
eija
Eija Valli
Lic.Sc.(econ.), BEd
Senior Assistant
Entrepreneurship
(Knowledge Intensive Business Formation)
University of Jyväskylä
www.jyu.fi
School of Business and Economics
PL 35
40351 JYVÄSKYLÄ
FINLAND
Tel +358(0)142603510
Fax +358(0)142603331
e-mail:
eivalli@econ.jyu.fi
\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/
For life to change, you have to
change. For things to get better,
you have to get better.
Jim Rohn