Maintenance and Evaluation

Once we have:

• developed effective, relevant plans;
• involved those people crucial to the success of the plan(s);
• articulated appropriate, desirable goals;
• established relevant evaluation processes;
• focused on appropriate performance indicators; and
• covered a range of contingencies;

we will probably feel we have covered everything. Well almost - there are two important aspects still to be considered – maintenance and evaluation.

Maintenance planning is often called follow-through. Developing a plan and implementing it can be a waste of time and resources if enough attention is not paid to keeping it in place. Regular monitoring, ongoing support, intermittent rewards and recognition are the important factors in keeping any newly implemented plan alive. Having these in place at the start give much greater certainty of having our plan carried through to completion.

The ramifications of new plans keep managers in work. Everything we do have consequences, some anticipated, others not. Staying alert to the formulation of new plans and new developments. Being prepared, anticipating results, picking up on unexpected outcomes and being on the spot and ready to move are all prerequisites for an ongoing process of development and growth towards the desired future state.

It is important to keep our networks alive and monitor what is going on around us. “Keeping your fingers on the pulse” is virtual to achieving success as a manager. This basically means that we should engage in low-level diagnosis constantly so that when a crisis arises we could respond quickly and effectively. When less urgent problems surface or new vistas open, we will be to deal with them or take advantage of them with a minimum of bother.