There's a way to do business capability identification without planning, so we don't need planning, we just need flow.
A self-proclaimed agile leader made this recent statement about how planning is not needed, all we need is flow - whatever that means.
Here are the immutable principles of arriving at some destination with the needed technical, operational, or functional capabilities to accomplish a mission or fulfill a business strategy, be it a successful project, a change in the system, or any other outcome.
Process Elements for of Arriving at the Desired End-State
- Discover your purpose, strategy, or mission - what are you trying to accomplishment that is different than now, even if it maintains the status quo
- Identify your core values - Measures of Effectiveness and Measures of Performance
- Set specific and measurable goals - Technical Performance Measures, Key Performance Parameters, Critical to Customer attributes
- Create action steps that will help your vision become a reality - in what order are the capabilities needed to be successful?
Einstein was once asked what's the purpose of time? His answer was to keep everything from happening at once.
Guiding Principles Executing These Processes
- Start with where you are going (or want to go) vs. where you are at now, and then figure out how to get there.
- Clarify the few core values that influence every aspect of your life. It will allow you to make decisions more clearly, including identifying whether you are in the right work environment. You spend too much time at work to not enjoy what you are doing.
- Figuring out the “why,” and the “hows” are easy. As you think about your personal mission and the vision for your career and your life – ask yourself, “What If? Why Not?”
- Capitalize on your strengths. Research shows that only 20% of employees feel their strengths are at play every day.
- Write down your goals. Research indicates you will be nine times more successful when you do that. This means having a Plan
- When you stop saying yes to everything it is very empowering. This means looking at your plan to see what is needed next and say No to things that aren't needed next
- Follow your passion and you are much more likely to be successful. Describe in the plan what the passions are, keep that handy, and revisit when you forget. This is the bucket list paradigm.
- Share your goals, by asking for help – from friends, family, co-workers. Assume you will be supported.
- Acknowledge your successes. We all spend far too much time thinking about mistakes or what we didn’t accomplish.
- Retrain yourself to ask – What went well today?
Never give up. Have faith in yourself.
These ideas are abstracted from "Success Without a Plan is Just an Accident" Linda Wagner, FWSF (Financial Women of San Francisco) MarCom Co-Chair
