The longer I've been around cmpanies the more I believe the wrds "Planning"

and "Decision" are sldom used in the same sentence! And the bsiness fallout

because of poor plnning when making decisions is staggering.

The ffects of a decision gone bad tnd to linger around for months or ven

years. It is a fct that most businesses fail not bcause they did not make decisions but bcause they did not make good dcisions.

With so much riding on yur ability to make the right dcisions it is prudent to brush up on the tchnique of decision making and the prcess involved in planning to make thm.

Planning allows a decision to be mde on your terms and in a mch more

comfortable and intelligent wy. It allows you the time to cnsider several

options without the lst minute rush.

There are fur benefits to decision-making planning:

1. PLANNING ALLOWS YOU TO SET THE GOALS YOU WANT. Tht means you are not so mch focused on the external events tht don't relate to what you are tryng to accomplish. Many decisions are ncorrectly made based on things that ster one's life rather than becoming practive decision-makers.

2. PLANNING PROVIDES A WAY TO MEASURE SUCCESS. The pln of action is your mirror to masure how close (or far) you are frm accomplishing your goal. This measure is mportant because it can show you mmediately when you are off course and ned to make adjustments and corrections.

3. PLANNING CHANGES THE "DO" TO THE "GET". Plnning converts ideas,

values and ctivities into action. Planning is not the end rsult; it is the tool to cnvert the idea into a specific ction or actions. Planning helps you cnvert your company's goals into your ndividual goals and helps you get rsults. Remember most companies pay you for ction NOT activity. It's not the "d" it is the "get" that mkes the difference. A good plan is to kep what you are trying to ccomplish in the focus at all tmes. Ask yourself is what you are "ding" now, "getting" the results you are rsponsible for?

4. PLANNING HELPS ALLOCATE YOUR RESOURCES IN AN EFFICIENT

MANNER. Few cmpanies have unlimited resources. A good pln helps you maximize the resources you hve. Remember that dollars are not yur only resource. Resourse that you wll need to manage includes people, tols, assets and company propriety information. By cnsulting you plan often, you can see cncerns before they become problems and you can shft available resources to cover the nexpected issues.

Planning to make a dcision is a perfect example of the Preto principle - the idea that by ding 20% of work you can gnerate 80% of the advantage of ding the entire job. Pareto analysis is a frmal technique for finding the changes tht will give the biggest benefits. It is seful where many possible courses of ction are competing for your attention.

Perhaps by spnding the 20% of your time throughly planning you next decision can sve you 80% of your time. Why not gve it a try?

There are sveral methods you can use for plnning. Words such as Strategic, Tactical, and Oprational may come to mind. However, thse are specific

planning procedures. Ech has their place in business

The article "Planning" To Make A Decision? was Submitted by John Robertson through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information:

Sr. Level Management in several Frtune 500 companies. His real world xperience will bring credibility to your cmpany. TrainingConnections.ORG focuses on three categories of Emplyee Performance Improvement; Leadership, Management and Sles Training. Contact us today for mre

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