Chapter 13
01/21/2004
8:31 PM
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Chapter 13 Creating a Plan for Moving Ahead
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I believe that this technique could be very valuable for design groups. Immediately upon completion (and approval) of a major design project, assemble the design team and have just this kind of discussion. Be sure to include your co-owner/partner for the design brief in this meeting. Take notes and make these notes part of your ongoing action plan for improvement. Pay particular attention to those areas that did not work as well for you as you had hoped. Then, develop a plan in your notebook to ensure that your next project will address these issues adequately. After going through this process, you should be able to clearly identify areas that will need some concentrated work, as well as the areas of strength that you need to use in articulating your added value as a core business competency.
The PAR Formula The PAR formula has been around for decades. I really don’t recall where I first learned about it, but I do know that I have used it for more than twenty years to help me sort out my various action plans for improvement. It’s really very simple. “P” stands for a Problem you faced that required unique action on your part. “A” is for the Action you took to solve the problem. “R” is for the Results you obtained. Look back over the years you have been a designer or design manager. You can probably recall examples of actions or events of which you can be particularly proud—as well as some that didn’t work out very well. The ones for which you are proud are your achievements. What is important is that these achievements summarize your current skills, your ability to solve problems, and your ability to take positive action. Some examples that may help you get started: • You improved workflow processes and developed a successful implementation plan. • You found meaningful ways to shorten or improve the design process cycle. • You recognized a serious problem and took positive action to fix it.