Chapter 5: Develop strategic thinking & proactive planning
Proactive planning creates predictability and more follow through.
One way to proactively plan is to plan backwards. Start with the end in mind and work backwards.
Below are steps to follow.
Exercise:
One way to plan is to work backwards, from the end state. Take a priority that you have and work through this exercise, planning backwards.
Identify the end state. What is the end result? The desired outcome? And, by when? Once you have this information, you can start to build a plan going backwards.
Break it down. What are the individual deliverables for this end state? What are the milestones that will support reaching this end state? Are there milestones integrated with other efforts to be aware of? What are the actions needed to support each milestone or deliverable?
Estimate time. How much time is needed to complete each action, milestone, deliverable?
Dependencies. Which actions are dependent on one another?
Sequence the actions. With this full picture, how do you want to sequence the actions, milestones, and deliverables? What is the order and what are the due dates, accounting for the estimated time to complete each?
Review end to end. Look at the full picture, end to end. Review with stakeholders. Tweak until you have alignment.
Execute the plan. Block the time to complete each action. Follow through with the actions, milestones, and deliverables.
When working backwards, your resources may get impacted if there’s not enough time to complete actions. Consider adding more resources or consider moving your end state date out.
Working backwards is often used for launches tied to specific moments, such as holidays or memorable dates. Or, for milestones tied to a specific quarter that impacts the organization.