Why this site: Inspired by the words of Russell Ackoff.

“A good deal of the corporate planning I have observed is like a ritual rain dance; it has no effect on the weather that follows, but those who engage in it think it does. Moreover, it seems to me that much of the advice and instruction related to corporate planning is directed at improving the dancing, not the weather.”

What this site is about: Thoughts (not necessarily good ones) on how planning drives, or hinders, a company’s performance. Thoughts, not advice.

We reserve the right to be wrong and change our mind. It’s called learning, a critical ‘best practice’ often missing in the ‘most common practices.’

Let us know in the comments (or send us a message) what we got wrong—or right.

Who this is for: Anyone interested in improving a company’s performance as a whole or understanding how current planning practices might hinder it.

This site is not about: Step-by-step instructions on creating business plans, personal effectiveness, how to fine-tune the most common planning processes, such as the Annual Budgeting (e.g., how to go from 50 revisions to 10) or Strategic Planning (e.g., best process steps or templates), what is [enter your favorite acronym or concept, such as xF&PA, ‘agile planning,’ ‘driver based planning’ etc.], top 10 Excel tips, or the latest software, including how AI will eventually revolutionize everything.

Moreover, there are no consulting calls to ‘learn more about your business,’ nor is there an app that will ‘resolve your biggest issues.’

What’s the name about: Indispensable planning refers to a quote attributed to Eisenhower: Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable, which captures the essence of the difference between the ‘most common practice’ and the ‘best practice’ in business planning.

It also signifies that, regardless of what people may think of planning, it is like breathing—everyone does it, and it has a tremendous impact on performance; due to poor ‘common practices,’ substantial potential is missed by many.