Connected Planning, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 5Commit: Who Will Deliver What, by When?

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans.

—PETER F. DRUCKER

In any organization, how do you know who is “on the hook” for delivering what results? You probably know what your objectives are, and those of your team, and you may know the overall corporate objectives and targets for the year or the quarter, but how much visibility do you have into who is responsible to deliver what, by when? In many organizations, this is recorded in budgets, plans, and forecasts.

The inputs and outputs of the Commit process (see Figure 5.1) include:

• Drivers and Targets. The real value drivers of the business are exposed in the Debate process and the “right” scenario for success, including validated targets, is used to create commitments.
• Constraints. The financial and operational planning processes uncover new constraints that will improve your models.
• Financial and Operational Plans. Interrelated enterprise planning covering all areas of the business is completed, shared, and used to help make decisions in all areas of the business.
• Decide/Execute. Commitments (who will do what, by when, and where) guide decisions you make to execute your strategic objectives.
• Reforecast. Based on actual results, you may need to adjust your forecasts and plans up or down. The faster and more accurately you can respond to events, the more competitive advantage you gain.

  Figure 5.1 Close-Up of the Commit Process and Its Inputs ...