Yesterday I participated in the SLA Legal Division conference call. I am a board member and will be responsible for helping plan the Legal Division programs for 2010.
This along with other conversations I have had recently caused me to reflect upon the importance of planning. Planning allows you to map your way to the end goal. i.e. If we follow through on steps 1 through 10 then we will finish the project.
Planning is an important part of effective management. Effective management includes too many facets to discuss in a single blog post but perhaps a few more post entries will come of this exploration of thought.
In my humble opinion, planning requires two very important components. 1) Organization and 2) Communication.
I have been struggling with an effective way to keep up with my schedule while traveling around town to various appointments and client meetings. 90% of the time I can remember that I have a meeting the next day but there are those occasions that I forget an appointment and double book myself.
I know in this day and age most people rely upon their blackberry or iPhone or other favorite tool, and in my former job that was a great way to stay organized. However, I haven’t yet made that personal investment for myself. A cost-effective measure for me is printing my outlook calendar and taking it with me. The problem with that solution is it is not very tidy. I tend to let stray papers balloon out, so today I invested in a paper calendar. $10 and I have an effective planning tool that I can take with me.
The next step in planning for myself is organization. I have several different projects and responsibilities and as the time draws closer for more activity in the Legal Division planning I’ll have just one more thing to keep together.
Space is important for this part of the planning process. Proper space to work, file and manage my projects is key to my success. Everything doesn’t have to be pristine all the time, but I do for sanity’s sake, need to be able to quickly leaf through the correct pile to get the needed information.
Planning has only gotten easier for me with such great tools as Delicious. Now I can stay on top of my electronic research through this and other great on-line tools, no matter where I am working.
So, how does communication work its way into the conversation, you may wonder. Effective planning with multiple players requires effective communication of schedules and goals. Sometimes, just saying what is desired is the best way to accomplish the desired goal, then all the players can adjust according to finish the planning and begin the event or project.
So if you are responsible for planning things, don’t forget to communicate and stay organized. What are your best planning tools?
