Forward Planning

The holiday season is now well and truly over and for many independent practices October is the first time that all the partners have been under the same roof for three months. During this period partners will have spent a considerably greater amount of time that usual keeping the workflow running smoothly, and considerably less on practice development.

Now is therefore the ideal time to take stock of progress during the year so far, to measure development against the targets set out in the firm’s strategic plan, and for the partners to take any necessary action.

Although the vast majority of firms do have some form of long-term plan in place, they often devote insufficient time to implementation and, just as importantly, monitoring the results. There is, after all, little point in congratulating yourself on the creation of a planned new initiative if the result has not brought additional work or profit to the business.

Keeping practice development plans on track, evaluating their effectiveness and instigating any necessary changes or remedial action is an on-going process which should be an integral part of the general practice management programme. Most firms hold a monthly partners’ meeting and practice development should be a major item on the agenda. Unfortunately it is often seen as marketing rather than business development, gets left to the last minute when time has run out and is therefore deferred to the next meeting. Needless to say, any plan that suffers from this lack of attention will be unlikely to succeed, and what effort has gone into its creation and implementation will have been wasted.

One of the biggest problems facing practices – and in particular their managing partners – when it comes to forward planning for the business is to get the support and encouragement of all the partners. As co-owners of the business they may very well have different ideas about its future direction and ensuring they are all enthusiastic and committed requires a high level of diplomatic and persuasive skills.

Although there are still a considerable number of firms that believe forward planning can be done over cup of coffee when the partners have a spare 10 minutes, fortunately the majority now realise that the future of their business depends on the skill with which they drive it forwards. A great deal more time is now being invested in this process and one of the best ways to keep it on track is to hold regular ‘Awaydays’ where all the partners get together away from the distractions of the office and concentrate on the bigger picture.

For those starting on the process, some of the key items on the agenda could be:

• What are the issues affecting the profession now
• What are the firm’s competitors doing
• How do we respond
• Changes in the structure and organisation of the firm and trends in other firms
• Goodwill and value in the business
• Retirement and succession planning

In relation to the business in general partners should also:

• Review why initiatives have not worked, or could work better
• Reassess the marketing direction and input
• Modify the firm’s aims and objectives as appropriate
• Form judgements about the future course of the business

Of course this presupposes that everyone is in agreement on the general strategy. But as one frustrated managing partner complained recently: “getting all my partners moving in the same direction is like herding cats”.

In situations where there is a likelihood that the meeting will become acrimonious, or that implementation may be difficult it can be beneficial to bring in an outside expert to chair the meeting and to help with the follow-up. An impartial facilitator can both challenge and pour oil on troubled waters as well as bringing a new perspective on the firm’s strategies.

Obviously there is a need for a strong Chairman who can maintain a firm grip on proceedings, but just as important is the follow-up. It is all very well agreeing an action plan, but someone has to be responsible for ensuring its implementation. Partners must be very clear on their individual responsibilities and someone must be tasked with monitoring their progress.

Paying attention to these few simple rules will go a long way towards improving the efficiency of the firm’s development strategy and, ultimately, create a more successful business.