This post developed out of and is a continuation of, a discussion with an astute colleague at work; we considered the scenario of a man chopping a tree. He is strenuously sawing and sawing away, and in this manner, hour-upon-hour pass by.
As your paths cross, you notice the poor chap laboriously pulling and pushing with his instrument. You see that the blades of his saw are somewhat blunt & suggest kindly that he should sharpen them and thus make improved progress with the task at hand.
He replies abruptly that he's working hard, very hard & gives you and your advice the cold shoulder.
Let us use now this scenario as a backdrop to help understand the differences between Planning and Operations. Note that in real life scenarios, you may have multiple sections within both Planning and Operations; here we'll refer to them at the high level for simplicity.
Consider the following list as the questions that Planning (including Strategic Planning) would seek answers for:
- What is the vision/goal/objective or desired outcomes that are expected by the cutting of this tree?
- How does the cutting of this tree contribute to these desired set of outcomes?
- In terms of outcomes, what value creation is the customer looking for & what factors will consequently have a bearing on their perceptions?
- Are there more efficient or effective methods which can be used to cut this tree?
- Are there any other ways to achieve the same results which are greener?
- What are the risks associated with cutting the tree?
- What are the risks of not cutting the tree?
- Why are we cutting this tree at this particular time; can we choose a better time?
- What if we didn't cut the tree at all; how would this impact the desired outcomes?
- What resources are required (financial or otherwise) for this tree-cutting project?
- What is the impact of cutting this tree on related factors (environmental, legal etc)?
- What are the costs involved in cutting in this tree?
- Which is the right tree to cut and why?
- Are the competencies required to cut the tree in the desired fashion available?
- What is unique about our offering which distinguishes us from competitors?
- How can the performance of the tree-cutting project be ascertained in some tangible and measurable manner?
- What other factors need consideration, e.g. the process of transporting and dumping the tree after felling?
- What are our internal strengths and weaknesses in relation to our core-business of tree felling? What external opportunities exist for our business and what threats must be taken into consideration?
- Which trees should our felling efforts be focused on long-term and why?
- How will those planned tree-felling initiatives be funded?
- After the exercise is over, what we can learn to help us improve in tree-felling?
- Etc.
- Do we have the resources to execute?
- When will we start and when must we wrap-up by?
- What sort of saw should be used? Can we consider an electric-saw to save time?
- Are there any policies or procedures we must follow in order to cut this tree?
- Are there any legal, environmental or related requirements which we must adhere to?
- Is there a backup plan to cover if things go wrong?
- What approvals would be required to execute the steps required?
- Etc.
Neither of these lists of questions are definitive; they serve merely to help clarify the scope of planning and the inextricable relationship it has with execution. There is an element of overlap at the higher plane which can be clarified once a further drill-down is made on the level of abstraction.
To be continued...
Musab Qureshi
