Plan + Performance Management = Success

Plan +

Performance Management = Success

There is an overworked business adage that states that ‘failing to plan is like planning to fail’, or some variation thereof. It bears repeating; simple though it may be, it remains eminently true.

The weakness (and strength) of these types of truisms is that they represent a conclusion to a problem, rather like having the answer to a complex equation and not the preceding workings, or even an understanding of how and why it works – we’re often comforted by a little gem, but unlike diamonds, a business truth cannot comfort merely by looking at it; we have to understand it; we must know why it works and how it works.

Planning is a great tool in business, when done well it is an objective statement of intent. It says, ‘we have 10 machines, and this is how widgets we shall make from it’. It says, ‘this is how many salespeople we have; they must each sell 1000 widgets per month’.

Planning employs all resources, most importantly human resources, in service of profitability and growth imperatives. A holistic approach recognises the market size, competitive advantage, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats. It factors in the hurdles posed by poor performance and other constraints, and promptly factors in plans to overcome these hurdles. Planning must consider the fertility of the ground – is organisational culture conducive to, and reflective of, high performance?

An effective Performance Management System entails:

1. Planning:

Robust Strategic Objectives >

Functional to Individual goals alignment > Cascading from broad to specific > individual efforts in service of planned outcomes.

2. Implementing/Monitoring/

Correction:

SMART > Team Output Agreements >

Individual Performance Agreements > PM Regimen.

3. Culture antecedents:

Poll > Agree > Implement > Poll. Goal attainment requires concerted effort; a well-executed Performance Management Process and System offers THE comprehensive tool for success.

[Insert full name] (HRSS) is a SEIFSA Alliance Partner. We are passionate about and champion Performance Management. We design, facilitate, implement, and support the process of goal attainment. HRSS offers a 1- or 2-day intervention aimed at capacitating and leveraging teams and individuals in service of strategy attainment.

For more information contact Derrick Thalaivirsan, hrss@dravida.co.za or

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