I've never seen an annual plan remain perfectly intact 12 months on either... I imagine it happens with plans that are implemented blindly or not implemented at all.
Doing a SWOT for yourself is a good way to step back and frame your approach to an annual plan update. Hopefully that's a precursor to prioritizing within and across long term strategy pillars that extend past the 12 month view.
I think you're correct in the case of startups which often deviate significantly from the annual plan. But it's still better than no plan. In larger companies, the annual plan is generally taken as gospel. There may be some flexibility, but CFOs of public companies are usually accountable to make sure there are no major deviations.
I've never seen an annual plan remain perfectly intact 12 months on either... I imagine it happens with plans that are implemented blindly or not implemented at all.
Doing a SWOT for yourself is a good way to step back and frame your approach to an annual plan update. Hopefully that's a precursor to prioritizing within and across long term strategy pillars that extend past the 12 month view.
Great post
I think you're correct in the case of startups which often deviate significantly from the annual plan. But it's still better than no plan. In larger companies, the annual plan is generally taken as gospel. There may be some flexibility, but CFOs of public companies are usually accountable to make sure there are no major deviations.