Saturday, August 29, 2009

Simple, Simple, Simple.

The key to a plan working is not the plan but the process. -Chell, August 29/09

In order for everyone to be able to work the process it must be simple. A working plan is something that changes every moment in its finest detail which means that everyone must know how to work the process and not just the plan.

I am going to use Sustainable Startup blog as an example so you can see how I build out my working plans. Also, because it is real time and you are witnessing and participating in the actual development of the Sustainable Startup business, (this is a reality blog).

Back on May 7th we set out goals for the year, as such we are going to build our working plan for the last quarter of this year based on those goals. Just to review, the goals that were set for the end of the year were as follows, (keep in mind we have hit all of our goals up to this point):

1.) Average one quality post per week as rated by the followers.
2.) Grow from 40 members to 80 members.
3.) Have full clarity on the Sustainable Startup book.
4.) Build a working plan and business plan specifically for the book.
5.) Outline of book finalized.
6.) 33% of the book written in first draft.

So how do we start? As in most things in life you start with a question. I take the first goal, "Average one quality post per week as rated by the followers" and I ask; "What do I need to do to ensure I complete one quality post per week as rated by the members". When I ask I don't "think" I just write. I never stop my pen from writing for 2 -5 minutes. I write what ever my brain is spitting out as fast as I can. When I am in a group doing this on a white board I encourage people to just yell out what ever is on their mind as it relates to answering the question. In doing this you will come up with several answers. The goal is to now prioritize the top three. If I am in a group I give everyone a chance to give their top three actions to ensure the goal is reached. I give each persons top answer a ranking of 3 and their least a ranking of one. I then total up the rankings and the the three with the most points become the three actions of the working plan for that goal. I like to stick to three actions. Three is an easy number to remember and it is generally not to many things to get done. However as you will see below sometimes I increase or decrease the amount of actions depending on their complexity.

As I did the above exercise these are the three actions that game out as the priority actions to do to ensure we hit the goals. You will notice that the actions are not elaborate and that they are doable. I am relatively sure that you will agree that this process can be done by anyone for anything that needs to be prioritize and get done in an organization from reception to CEO.

1.) Average one quality post per week as rated by the followers: A.) Schedule time in my calendar to write just as if it were a meeting. B.) Write daily in smaller chunks. C.) Personally ask for feedback from a different member each week on the current post.

2.) Grow from 40 members to 80 members: A.) Survey the members asking if they would refer anyone to the site and if so why, if not why? B.) Move the blog to a platform that has more flexibility and capability i.e. video. C.) Make it easier for people to sign up i.e all that is required is an email address. D.) Do some Search Engine Optimization work on the site once on a new platform. E.) Do some social on-line networking with other sites in the same space.

3.) Have full Clarity on Sustainable Startup Book: A.) Do Clarity questions, (Step 1). B.) Identify who I need help from or to hire in order to complete the book and get it to market, (Step 2). C.) Corporate VSO - 12 word elevator pitch.

4.) Build a working plan and a business plan for the book: A) Start a PlanHQ session just for the book. B) Research publisher vs self publishing costs/benefits, options. C.) Research and build projections. D.) Look at hiring resource to help write the business plan. Do a VSO for the position.

5.)Out line of book "finalized": A.) Once clarity questions are answered spend 1/3 of my daily Blog writting time on the Book Outline. B) Get feedback from blog members. C) Get feedback and input from published authors in the space.

6.)33% of book written in first draft: A.) Once clarity questions are answered and the outline "finalized" spend 1/3 of my 1/2 of my blog writing time on the book.

If you have signed up for PlanHQ you can now go to it and see each of the goals set up and the actions required to accomplish.

I know this seems to simple but I assure you it is a process that gets things done and they are the rights things to get done. This allows the process to scale across an entire organization but more on that next post.

Hope you are having a great weekend!






Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Step Three. Working Plan

We have now completed the first two steps of a five step process that I take my clients through when building a sustainable startup. Step one, Clarity - understanding what we want to accomplish as opposed to what we think we want to accomplish. Step two, People - Identifying who we need and not what we need. Step three is building a Working Plan.

A Working Plan is different than a Business Plan. I define a business plan as a document that is primarily used to pitch your vision for funding purposes. To me a working plan is a process. Step three will run through the process of a working plan. This process is really a business management and project management process that is simple, scalable and measurable.

As I go forward and explain this process I will be assuming that Step one and two have been done. This means that we have an organization that is clear, (Step 1) on it's purpose and the difference it makes in it's industry and/or the world. The organization knows what values are fundamental and irreplaceable. What business it is in and against whom it competes. How it's approach differs from that of its competition. And, what its' goals are next month, quarter, year and 5 years. The organization also has attracted people to a purpose and not a cause (Step 2) and has mapped the responsibility's and task of its people to values and goals of the organization. I think that step one and two are the two steps that are the most important in an organization and they are the least well done, (if truly done at all) in most organizations. If this is the first Sustainable Startup blog post you are reading it may look as though steps one and two are overwhelming. I think this is how most organizations "feel" about it as well so they tend to minimize the importance of the first two steps by calling it the "soft stuff". If all this does seem overwhelming take the time to read the past posts that run through steps one and two and I think you will be able to breath a sigh of relief that there is a way to actually accomplish these first two steps in a simple and systematic manner. I am not saying it is easy, a lot of serious thinking has to occur but for sure if you just follow the process it is very doable and it will set your business up for success.

The Working Plan process that has developed over the years for me has three main characteristics. 1. Simple, 2. Scalable, 3. Measurable.

1. Simple: This means that anyone and everyone in the organization must be able to understand the process and utilize it themselves. A working plan is something that changes every moment in its finest detail which mean that everyone must know how to work the process and build their own working plan for their objectives or team at any moment. Simple is key because everyone has to be able to do it.

2. Scalable: If everyone can work the process then the working plan is scalable.

3. Measurable: This is so key to staying on track with the goals and values of the company. In this process we will be able to make everything measurable.

Next Post we will run through an exercise on establishing our working plan.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Touching base

This is a quick post to let everyone know I am back from my holiday. I had a great 10 days with my son in Montana at Cub Scout Camp, then canoeing down the Bow River in Southern Alberta all interspersed with time with family. It has been a great summer and I am looking forward to a fantastic fall.

As outlined by the Clarity Questions http://sustainablestartup.blogspot.com/2009/05/answers-from-plan-hq.html for Sustainable Startup the end of the Quarter is approaching on August 31/09. We had three Widly Important Goals to accomplish. I wanted to touch base on where we are at with these.

Goal 1. Average one quality post per week as rated by the members. May 7th was when the goals were posted which equals 12 posts required to meet the quantitative part of the goal. This is post 10 and I have completed post 11, The Working Plan Defined, which will go up Tuesday August 25th. I will have one other post completed and up by the end of the month which will make 12 posts. Post 12 will be demonstration of how to develop and use a working plan based on the clarity and setting the goals/tasks of Sustainable Startup up for the next month (September) and Quarter, (ending December 31/09) running through the working plan process. The first post in September will be a post asking your candid feedback on the blog and the content in particular. Getting your feedback will allow us to see if we are satisfying the qualitative part of the goal - the quality of the posts as determined by the members.

Goal 2. Grow from 25 followers to 40 members by the end of August. We are at 37 as of today. 3 more to go in the next week. If you think this Sustainable Startup blog worthy we would sure appreciate you recommending it to anyone you think would appropriately benefit.

Goal 3. Have a rough outline for a book. I am anticipating that the outline for the book will be following a similar outline that this Blog has. We will spend time next weekend compiling what we have learned since starting this blog and post a rough outline by month end.

Sustainable Startup Bootcamp held it's second session. Seven of us were in attendance. I thought the energy was really good! If anyone who was there would like to discuss any aspect of it please feel free to comment in the comment section at the bottom of this blog. Two highlights for me: 1.) We are adhering to the values of the bootcamp that the participants defined as most important because of the measurable tasks we put in place - this is a working plan in action! 2.) Clarity Question Challenge, I am looking forward to one on one phone time with each of you over the course of the next month to further review, refine and challenge you on your Clarity Questions.

Lastly, I have some emails that a few of you sent me that I will be getting caught up on in the next couple of weeks. I will follow up via email or phone if appropriate. I hope you have all had a GREAT summer, I look forward to a fantastic fall.

With great regard,
Cameron

Saturday, August 1, 2009

(Measurable) Working Plan

I would like to welcome the new members. Thank you for taking the time to be a part of the Sustainable Startup group. If you would like to have access to our Sustainable Startup online business plan by PlanHQ please email Erika@cameronchell.com and she will arrange free access for you.

Before I get into this weeks post I would like to make a special mention of Marc Dewalle. Marc is the force behind http://www.northcarolinastartups.com/. Somehow Marc became aware of our first boot camp held last month and took a look at the content on the Sustainable Startup Blog, in particular as it relates to Step one, Clarity. Marc wrote about us on his blog with a positive endorsement. http://www.northcarolinastartups.com/2009/07/24/if-you-answer-just-1-question/ Thanks Marc! After having had a look at Marc's site I want to encourage everyone to check it out, regardless of where you are doing business. If you are into startups or venture capital it is great resource and well put together.



A Measurable Working Plan is not a Business Plan. I am not going to kill a bunch of pixels on the difference between a working plan and a business plan but it definitely is deserving of some upfront clarification. I look at a Business Plan as a summarized research document that is presenting a business case to raise capital. A working plan is process by which you manage your business. I go a little further and call the working plans I put together for investors and/or shareholders Measurable Working Plan(s), I will explain. Because in general I work for investors and shareholders, (the money people) of startups more emphasis is put on accountability as opposed to possibility. Possibility is what the founders and early management tend to focus on, and rightly so I might add. In my experience the accountability mentality has shown to be counter productive to the management team/founder, (I know this goes aganist current popular thinking). Further, I have found it is very often used as quick fix answer that the money people like to throw out when things are not going as per their expectations, "We need accountability" (just as an aside another quick fix answer that I hear a lot is "it is a communication issue"). I have come to believe that the current accountability mentality is about blame and not about problem solving. The fact of the matter that I have witnessed is that it is rare that I have worked with an investor that wants the startup to work more than the founder or founding/early stage management team does. The founder or management team is generally willing to do what ever it takes to make the startup successful. The key that I have found to be effective is to make the project measurable at any point as opposed to "accountable" at certain points. If a project is measurable at any given time I have experienced that a founder and/or management team will make the needed changes or adjustments however harsh to ensure success. If a team is clear and measurable I have not seen an investor that would be more harsh than the team would be on itself. This is why I like the measurable mentality as opposed to the "accountable" mentality. One may think that I am splitting hairs but I assure you that difference is very significant. I hope the writings and interactions we have on this topic on the upcoming posts will provide insight on this matter.

In the next few posts we will layout the five areas that define a successful Measurable Working Plan. Then, explain how to build and manage a measurable working plan on a daily basis.