Many people are asking themselves this question; “How can I get a little more time every day so that I can get things done on a daily basis? This is not only the case for our private lives but also in terms of the strategic goals defined at work. Most organizations make an effort of increasing productivity through effective planning. However, effective planning is a concept known for being hard to grasp, and it can be a challenge to figure out where to start.
We have collected the experiences we have had from conversations with clients and prepared 5 tips that we recommend organizations have in mind when new initiatives are considered.
1. Plan Far into the Future
The workflows in organizations are often very complex, and much time is being spend unnecessarily trying to create a structure of daily and weekly activities. To have an overview of the year is vital, though, to ensure that the organization achieve its productivity goals.
By creating a plan for many months into the future, you avoid the daily hurdles of finding out what is the most appropriate project to engage in. By doing this, it is easier to see the bigger picture and which small projects will get you closer to the goals. Remember to create a structure of both activities and goals as well as to follow up continuously.
2. Involve Everyone in the Planning
The planning processes are comprehensive and involve scheduling activities, delegating responsibilities and continuous coordination. Are these carried out by a few people in the organization, and much is spend unnecessarily.
This can both be a stress factor for the administrator, who often has many other tasks to do, and also for the rest of the employees if the personal standpoint isn’t considered. This could lead to a situation where you don’t reach an agreement in terms of what the activities actually implies.
3. Use An Intuitive Tool for Effective Planning
It is a general trend that organizations want more time, and many are using software to streamline processes. The right solution can indeed contribute to more collaboration and transparency.
To ensure that employees are motivated to use a digital tool, the solution should be intuitive. We recommend digital tools where there is a balance between functionality and user-friendliness. Keep in mind that everyone should be able to use it, and therefore, it is important that you have access to tutorials and descriptions about the features.
4. All Activities in One Structure
This tip is related to the previous one and involves an important feature of the just mentioned digital solution. At a glance, the tool should be able to give you a comprehensible view of the plans for the year, and this is a precondition for the planning to be truly effective.
When it isn’t possible instantly to get a full view, it can be challenging to get the bigger picture. Wouldn’t it be great if you shouldn’t look through numerous pages and compare them? Indeed, it is worthwhile noting that this is an area where you can save time.
5. Automation
The last tip, which also is important to keep in mind, has to do with the time being saved by automating processes. This could, for instance, happen by arranging emails for customers or marketing campaigns to be sent out automatically. Another example is to use a tool that allows you to set up notifications to be sent out to colleagues prior to events.
We wish you good luck with your future planning.
Would you like to have a complete overview of future plans?
Plandisc is the planning tool that provides you with a complete overview and where all future activities and related information is organized in a comprehensible structure. With multiple possibilities for sharing and the notification feature, Plandisc helps you create transparency and a shared plan.
