"Any plan you write will be obsolete before the ink dries," Hawkins admits, "but it's still a good roadmap. The plan itself is not the key; it has to be dynamic because things change so fast in business. It's the vision that's the key, but you have to know and believe that things are going to change en route to that vision."

It all sounds nice and neat when Hawkins explains it, but he acknowledges bottlenecks and roadblocks often crop up in the translation of a theoretical plan to real-world execution. That fact is borne out in the day-to-day experience of many small and mid-sized companies.

All the Little Children (ALC) is a multi-site day-care provider in the suburbs of New York that takes a formal approach to planning, reports Cynthia Behrens, chief executive officer director of the company. "Our overall strategic plan is revamped every three years, and it is revisited annually at our management retreat and adjusted as necessary," she says.

DETAILED GOALS

However, Behrens stresses, the child-care provider does not let formal processes get in the way of its flexibility. "We must be able to respond quickly to unexpected trends and events that influence the work we do with children," she says. "In that sense, you could say we are able to operate in an improvisational kind of way when that approach is necessary."

Behrens is well aware of the roadblocks and bottlenecks mentioned by Hawkins and acknowledges that strategic planning "always poses a challenge." Among the issues she faces:

Selecting the right facilitator. In addition, she says, strategic planning means different things to different people, "from playing lots of games to coming to a consensus and a work plan to move the mission forward."

Once you have a vision, you need a strategic road map to turn it into reality.

To build confidence in the processes it creates, ALC conducts frequent brainstorming sessions with managers, workers, business partners, educators and parents of the children for whom it cares.

It seeks input from staff and management on a variety of topics. "We have found this to be the most effective way to get people to buy into change, help solve problems and create new opportunities and direction," Behrens explains.

With 16 management staff, an advisory board, 25 business partners and some 200 employees in various positions at about a dozen day-care facilities, Behrens admits that fostering the kind of family atmosphere conducive to consensus planning can be a challenge. But soliciting the input of all stakeholder groups has proven to be a very effective strategy for the company, she says.

Using a good facilitator for the management retreat has also been helpful in preventing participants from getting bogged down in the details of the process itself and keeping them focused on the desired outcome instead, she adds.

BIG PICTURE PLANNING

"(Productivity expert) David Allen's methods have been extremely helpful to me," Behrens relates. "I start everyday with a new list of calls and projects but am frequently interrupted by unexpected questions or challenges, both internal and external. By the middle of the day, I generally make a decision on what absolutely has to happen that day and what has to go."

Behrens believes the most valuable use of her time involves stewarding relationships with staff, board members and business partners. While ALC has always operated in the black, it is affected by changing economic conditions, like any other business.

"Our key and continuing goals are to remain financially viable, grow our customer base, keep our current customers happy and, of course, provide the best care possible to the children entrusted to us," she says.

Virtuoso Art Supplies has been an institution in the San Francisco art community for almost half a century. Over that time, it's undergone some major changes and witnessed many more, says Adam Korvath, co-owner with Sheila Grady of the retail store, artist studios and apartment complex.

Through it all, Korvath and Grady have consistently seen Virtuoso Art Supplies' mission as providing a unique resource to professional and serious amateur artists, and staying true to that vision requires constant planning.

The planning process should seek input from managers on a variety of topics.

Korvath and Grady have a strategic plan for both long- and short-term goals, and it covers everything from sales targets to cost containment. "As with any retail business, we set goals for promotion measured not only by new customers, but also by retention of existing customers," Grady says. "Reaching the short-term goals makes it easier to achieve the long-term goals."

Long-term goals are spelled out in a five-year strategic plan, but the partners prefer not to share them publicly. ÒIt keeps our competition guessing and helps us stay ahead of the curve,Ó Grady says.

Virtuoso Art Supplies has a system in place that uses forms to track both new and existing customers, and it keeps close tabs on both expenditures and sales. "We read extensively about trends in our industry and stay in touch with other stores through our industry association," Grady says. The company is willing to try new ideas that have worked for other businesses, both inside and outside its particular retail segment.

Planning has both formal and informal aspects at the company and reflects the kind of change-on-the-fly capabilities Hawkins says are so important. Korvath and Grady get together weekly, usually over dinner, to discuss how well they are doing in keeping the company focused and moving in the right direction. They have ongoing discussions on an almost daily basis to address issues as they arise and make adjustments to their plan.

"To make your vision a reality, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes."

In naming Virtuoso Art Supplies as the best place to buy art supplies in the San Francisco area a few years back, a local business publication described the company and its owners as "respected nurturers of the local art scene as well as the preferred source for top-grade, fine arts supplies." That accurately reflects the partners' vision for their business and the plan they've created to achieve it.

"I think the online retailers and price-oriented merchants have all got it backwards," says Korvath. "With their myopic focus on price, they are commoditizing an industry whose core characteristics-creativity, iconoclasm, uniqueness -are the absolute antithesis of commoditization."

BUCKING TRENDS

The partners are candid about the challenges they face. "Today's economic model makes it very tough to plan long-term," Grady admits. "The commoditization of retailing continues to harm all small businesses, which can't be open 24/7. You can make a plan you hope to follow, but you'd better be fast on your feet. Something or someone will cause you to re-think it. That makes it challenging for small businesses to plan long-term. But it also makes it interesting."

For Tibor Ilyenko, M.D., a principal in San Antonio, TX-based Pediatric Associates, planning is a simpler process than it is for many other businesses because his strategic vision is so straightforward. "For more than 30 years, we have been supplying essential health care services to children in this area," says Dr. Ilyenko, a native of Mexico born of immigrant Ukranian parents. "That is exactly what we want to continue doing for as long as we can."

Some of Pediatric Associates' patients are now second- and third-generation patrons of the clinic, something Dr. Ilyenko finds particularly fulfilling. Over the years, he has grown the practice to include four pediatricians, 10 nurses and half a dozen or so clerical and support people.

All the pediatricians speak Spanish, and Latino children account for a substantial portion of the practice's patient base. It accepts all kinds of insurance coverage, including Medicaid and other government programs, and Dr. Ilyenko is proud of Pediatric Associates' legacy of making quality health care available to all young patients who need it.

"You can make a plan you hope to follow, but you'd better be fast on your feet."

Looking toward the future, Dr. Ilyenko is quite sure of where he wants himself and his practice to be: "Right here, doing just what we do now," he says.