Module 1 Plan for Success
Introduction
The planning process on most grazing properties is usually informal but creating a plan you can share with others increases your chances of being successful. Successful businesses navigate through their challenges because they plan for success. Both intuition and logic play important roles within your strategic planning processes—the key is knowing where to apply them so that you can create an effective way forward for your enterprise.
Effective planning delivers the following benefits:
- Clarity in the future direction of the business – ensures all business stakeholders are on board and are committed to the goals and objectives.
- Concentrates effort and investment on the important things – the importance of something is determined by its value and impact on you and your business. Focus on the high value, high impact objectives.
- Saves wasted effort and investment on the distractions – distractions are a cost to the business and only a disciplined approach to identifying them will prevent this waste.
- Job satisfaction – through clear progress towards your goals and objectives, and confidence in your ability to adjust to new challenges.
- Manage risks – there are actions you can implement to manage and reduce the impact of risks in your business.
- Opportunity assessment – efficient opportunity assessment will save time and money. Prompt decision making and risk assessment enables your business to capitalise on opportunities.
Consider your personal, social, environmental, and financial objectives and form these into a plan for success.
Develop and document personal and business values and goals for better business planning and benchmarking.
This is the best indicator of enterprise health.
Assess your performance between years and compare with other farmers.
Identify and mitigate key production and business risks.
Quantify the benefits of changes to understand the potential return or benefit before their implementation.
To ensure business sustainability and family cohesiveness.
