Planning

To plan is to guess. The challenge is to make guesses that are accurate over time. Reliable methods and ways of tackling problems enable both you and you organization to make well-founded guesses and increase the probability that they will come true.

Included in the services I offer for planning are education about the tools for a structured planning, process management, and support for your own planning. LFA (Logical Framework Approach) is a method several of my clients have tried, unfortunately with bad experience . The instrument is often seen as complicated and troublesome. I therefore prefer to approach planning from a more logical angle. Once you have thought out what you want to achieve and (how to) do (it), you can easily present the planning not only in the form of an LFA matrix but in any other form as well.

Planning is more a question of approach than technique. A well-thought-out plan is easily recognized: it helps you achieve your goals, evaluate your work and learn from your experiences. That kind of logic is more important than the actual matrix.

A feeling of security throughout the training process

Over the past few years I have led training in strategic planning more frequently. The trend I see is organizations and institutions wanting to take control of their own planning. Once and for all they want to learn about techniques for formulating problems and goals, how indicators are written and used, and how a method such as LFA can be a help rather than a source of irritation.

Courses are tailored to the client’s needs. The starting point and first step is to define the problem and develop an idea about how it can be solved. We also set up partial goals together and ensure that they can be accounted for in the way that the financier or employer requires. My training is therefore primarily about making changes with confidence and security from start to finish, rather than filling in a matrix.

Process management increases effectivity

A team in the process of change almost always has all of the necessary knowledge to make a plan of action. But outside help is often a more comfortable and effective way to make a marked move forward towards a finished plan.

What is usually needed is process management by an external party who can get things going and help with prioritizing. In this way it is possible to avoid internal conflicts and discussions which are really about prestige.

Planning together with me takes about 4-5 days for a relatively large project. The methods are presented in such a way that the participants learn about the actual process at the same time as they are working.

Advice given with logic in focus

I have analyzed and examined the quality of many existing plans or rough drafts in various situations. Work is always done in dialogue with the client, and my foremost contribution is to create logic in the plan regarding the vision, overall goals, partial goals, indicators and follow-up.