“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

Today, I'm involved in a major corporate transformation.

In this context, we bring together people from all kinds of horizons : (in)experienced operational employees, (in)experienced managerial ones, external consultants with in-depth technical skills, others with more transversal expertise, reds and blues (cf. Insight).

My mission: to establish a transformation governance to brings them together. In fact, re-structure an (in)existing one. I want it to be effective and efficient, and therefore pragmatic.

I've put forward a few basic principles, and these, though simple, generate a lot of discussions. Even if dialogue is good, we discuss a loooot!

Indeed, some invest a lot of energy in planning, others less, or even none at all. Many says "it's important to plan," and urges me not to be "too pragmatic"!

Eisenhower's quote reflects his operational military experience. He emphasises that while established plans (almost) inevitably become obsolete in the face of real, often unforeseen events, the planning process is nevertheless crucial for enabling us to anticipate contingencies, and react effectively to a situation different from the one we had envisioned.

In itself, it's all about "preparing." It's about learning about the context, the key parameters at play, and the capacity to choose the right options once we're at play.

"Planning is everything" speaks to the importance of the "thinking process," because it prepares us. It enables us to identify and analyse the main variables, to develop an appropriate strategy, flexible based on the assumptions at hand. The reflection, the preparation, is what counts.

"Plans are nothing" suggests that plans, which are fixed and predetermined, are already overtaken by changing realities on the ground and unforeseen events. Plans are not the important thing.

Therefore, let's remember: create simple plans and learn to adjust your approach when circumstances demand it, which they inevitably will. Therefore don't plan in too much detail! Sounds simple, but so many and increasing fall short today !