View source for Mission: Power your business plan with involvement

Build more effective business plans three ways; top down, bottom up and sideways. Use traditional top leadership involvement. Provide opportunities for people at the bottom to bubble up their ideas.  Bring different divisions together to hear each others’ ideas and foment creative synergy. Have everyone answer, “Where have we been?” and “Where are we going?” Broader engagement strengthens buy-in and powers implementation.

It takes time to build a business plan process that fits your organization.  Experiment, try new methods and find the right fit. Employees are not used to being seriously involved in the business plan process, so it may take a few rounds for them to learn, gain confidence and actively participate.