The speed of business, coupled to the speed of life  means that our decision loop is ever increasingly smaller - we see it, and if we can't orientate on to it - decide what to do with it and then act on it quickly - that opportunity is gone, or worse, the threat has devastated us.  The tools that we have traditionally used for business planning tend to be very linear. That is, they state where we are, where we are going and exactly how we will get there.  Just like the old military planning during the earlier global wars.  These days, the military recognise that this is to prescriptive, that as soon as you blow the whistle and cross the line, the plan was yesterday's news...  So too with business plans.  The way the military have adapted to the speed of battle is absolutely applicable to business.  The key is Business Navigation; or - Mission, Method and End State Planning.  Lets start with the end... End State.

Like a captain of a ship - you set out for a voyage to the island of your dreams (End State).  You need a vessel that will weather the seas and be capable for the journey (COG).  A course must be plotted to the island and alternatives prepared for changes in the weather (Method Planning). Your crew must be trained in the procedures and drills for an effective and safe journey (BOS). You must have a crew you can trust, one that knows where the journey is going (Mission), and be able to take the wheel while you get some rest (Leadership).  With all these things in place - you can then start tuning the motor (Profit Drivers), improving the ship (COG), looking at the weather and charts (Tactical Marketing), improving your crew (Tactical Sales) and setting out for your idyllic vision (Doing business!).

Vision (End State)

The End State is the vision, or the ongoing purpose of the business as described by the owner.  This provides the ultimate goal (be it short term - 1-3 years, medium term -3-10 or longer... Or in fact, no time - just a description of a desired state) for the business to achieve.  This needs to be articulated, not only to the business management and stakeholders, but to the entire team.  There may of course be aspects that are very personal, or potentially commercially sensitive, but as much as possible should be shared with every one within the business.  It empowers the team, to help shape and drive the business towards achieving it.  Just like a skipper on a boat - the Captain can't steer all the time - to get some rest, and to be effective - you need to share the destination with the crew! 

Method

Method statements are the way that you 'plan' to achieve the End State.  This is the key to Business Navigation.  Just like a journey, each leg of the journey is one step towards the destination.  Like a ship is navigated by it's crew, Business Navigation creates the 'next steps' from Method statements. 

A simple example might be a Method by which the business will:

"Develop and maintain an accounting system to provide accurate and timely information to the management team.."

This might mean that when the business starts as a one-person enterprise it uses a spreadsheet and cash book.  As it grows and funds become available, the business owner can test against this Method Statement.  "I now have a range of products, a range of cost centers and more transactions than I can handle - I think I'll get QuickBooks.."  By testing Quickbooks against the Method Statement - you can see that this provides the same capability - just a more useful and powerful version.  Assuming the business can afford it and it conducts a decision support process to provide some due diligence - the business can now adapt the accounting system to provide that Method of doing business.  The very same Method Statement also drives a requirement for the owner to create business operating systems that detail how financial entries are made, who is responsible and what and when various reports will be presented to the Business' Advisory Board.

Method Statements are expanded continually to develop the specifics.  Warn and fuzzy sentences provide little practical application, but they do set the framework.  It is essential then that each Method Statement is explored fully - to provide the 'do-abe specifics'.  This is an ongoing process and one by which you should conduct regularly - depending on the speed of your business environment. This creates an 'on-going' business plan - one that can be simply a number of dot points under a Method Statement.  Far more portable and doable than an inch thick binder written two years out of date.  The following image provides an example of an expanded Method Statement.

Mission Statements.

Certainly the flavour of the last few years - every one seems to have a Mission Statement now.  No missing the military connection here!  In the Business Unusual context - the Mission Statement is fairly simple.  It just succinctly states: Who, What, Where, How and Why...  This is the 'front end' of the business plan - it drives the enterprise practically towards it's ultimate purpose, or End State.  A Mission statement is the public part of this process - it is ideal for brochures, cocktail parties and the like.  It tells people what the business does..  (Answers that question, "so, what do you do?")

Ideally it is less than 20 seconds, and focuses on the practical operational aspects of the business in a 'market focused' context.

Business Navigation™

The owners of the ship (Board of the Business) sets the destination, the Captain (Managing Director) commands the ship towards it, the Navigator (Business Unusual professional directors) help plot and maintain the course, the crew (the business team) of course sail, scrub and run the ship for the benefit of the passengers (customers).

Bringing all of these together on to a single document will set the conditions by which the business can move towards achieving financial, lifestyle and entrepreneurial goals simply in an ever changing business environment.