“Plans are of little importance,
but planning is essential”
– Sir Winston Churchill
Business and strategic planning for our RTO are important tools.
In the world of RTOs we are asked to create a plan to show our intended direction. The word “Plan” generally construes a mental image of a map: start here…finish here. Simple, right? But it’s not, is it? We’d all be in a very different place right now, if it were.
How do we start RTO strategy plans
Planning is never set in stone, it is a guide. An RTO strategy plan for the business is just the same. An example is when I have a plan to audit an RTO, I turn up with my note book, Standards and iPad at the ready. I have planned for success by providing information up front before I attend. However it soon becomes apparent that an internal audit is not actually what the RTO needs. Instead it could be a validation session, or a mentoring session, or a simple action plan, a guidance tool. So planning really needs to be fluid.
A business plan serves its purpose in the big picture, but an action plan is important for the soldiers who are needing guidance on what they need to do. Each has value to often different people.
Sometimes what RTOs actual need is a written action plan or a continuous improvement register that serves that same purpose. By putting a plan in writing, it allows any people to collaborate, resolve any underlying cross currents and prepare for a solidified front to face the future.
Assume the plan is a work in progress.
Whatever you work with, a business plan, strategic plan or an action plan they are not a set-and-forget instrument. They are to be included in your continuous improvement. Treat them as a living and breathing document that guides decision making and helps with creation of resources. Visit the plan regularly to review and update the document due to changed conditions and consolidation on completed tasked that were scheduled as part of the execution process. Make your agenda item “progress against the plan”.
