Sea ice itself may quickly become a thing of the past, but the metaphor of the Iceberg is still a popular and widely used framework. It goes like this: the part of the iceberg we see floating on the water is only a small fraction of its actual size. A much larger portion of the iceberg is underneath the water’s surface, where we can’t see it. The metaphor is used to convey the idea that no matter what we’re looking at, there’s generally so much more going on that we don’t see. 

This past month, the majority of our content has focused on planning. After taking a look back with proper post mortem’s and then thinking about what the future might look like, the next step for business leaders is to develop a plan to help get us where we want to go. 

And that’s where the Iceberg metaphor can come in handy. Often times, planning sessions start and end with ideas around, “How are we going to do this?” And to be fair, understanding the How is critical to making it happen, for sure. But the How is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Under the Surface 

Achieving our annual goals is almost completely dependent on the quality of the plans we make to get us there. To that end, we want to share a framework that breaks down what’s under the surface of a good plan, the part that might not be so visible. It’s simple to use, and easy to remember, but takes real effort and intention to implement properly. If used correctly though, it can make our goals seem to happen automatically. 

Planning Foundations: 

• Who – This is the first step in developing any good plan, and one that can save so many headaches down the line. Who is ultimately responsible for developing the plan, and who else is involved in the process? Who is the plan for? Will we need to communicate results to anyone once completed, or pull in external voices along the way? Understanding the people involved in the plan, and communicating with those stake holders from the beginning, is not only crucial to the success of the plan itself, but can make everything so much easier throughout the process. 
• What – Once we understand who the plan is for and who we’re working with, we need to define what exactly it is we’re doing. This stage can often be confused with setting out how we’re going to do it, but the two are different. Understanding, and explicitly defining, what the goal is and what a successful plan looks like comes before laying out the step-by-step process of how we’re going to accomplish the goal. Knowing the destination is critical to ensuring the plan gets us where we want to go. 
• When – In today’s fast-paced business world, timelines and deadlines seem to be the bane of everyone’s existence. We all feel like we’re being crushed by the former, and no one is on the same schedule for the latter. It’s the leader’s job to get in front of this, and help everyone accurately define and communicate both. When is the project starting? When do we need it finished by? What cadence of check-in’s is appropriate throughout the project duration? Assuming everyone is prioritizing things in a similar way and operating under the same schedule is a mistake good plans can’t afford to make. 
• Where – The digital revolution is quickly changing how we think about this concept. For the most part, projects are no longer tied to any one physical location. But that makes understanding where information is kept and where teams will communicate all the more important when developing a proper plan. Where will we keep data pertaining to the project going forward? Where will updates be posted or sent out? Where do we receive incoming communications or information related to the project? Planning these things out beforehand, and then sticking to them, will save an incredible amount of time and energy once the project kicks off. 
• Why – We saved the most important planning phase for last. Once we’ve gone through the previous phases of the planning process, it’s important to circle back to our Why. Why are we doing this? And also, why are we doing this right now? Talking through this last question with our team is critical to making sure everyone is on the same page about the goal itself, and why it’s happening on a certain timeline. When individual stake holders understand the why of the project, when they can answer why we want to achieve this goal, they can not only react quicker and more productively to disruptions, but also anticipate needs and come up with more creative solutions. 

This planning framework provides the foundations to create a massive, unstoppable iceberg of productivity. It may take more time at the beginning to engage with each of these initial phases, but afterwards, the How (the tip of the iceberg) will write itself. Understanding, defining and communicating the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of any project plan will set things in motion under the surface to help smash through any obstacles on the way to achieving our goals. 

One Last Point 

As any good leader knows, no project is going to go exactly according to plan, no matter how good the plan is (and if you consistently read our content, the plan should be pretty darn good). An added bonus to this framework is that it prepares project participants and individual stakeholders to react better when things go sideways. Doing the work and going through each phase of this planning framework increases resiliency throughout the entire project. 

Miscommunication? That’s alright, let’s just go back and check Asana/Trello/Slack/Outlook, because we know where this project lives. 

Delay? That’s alright, because we understand our initial timeline and who’s involved. We can just adjust the plan accordingly and let the right people know. 

Disruption? That’s alright, let’s go back to our why and see if there’s another way to accomplish the goal now that things have changed. 

No plan is going to ensure things happen exactly as we intend with the least amount of effort along the way. That’s impossible. The world is too big, and we can’t control everything out there. The real power of effective planning is that it gives us the tools we need to adapt to changing situations, and helps us keep our destination in mind, so we don’t get lost along the way.  

For anyone looking to do a deeper dive under the surface, let’s get together. Reach out to us here to talk about our private coaching sessions, where we do our best to help leaders look beyond the tip of their icebergs. 

For everyone else, good luck planning for the future!