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2416 : STEP FOUR – PLANNING FOR IMPLEMENTATION

feedback from the environment. This ability to take corrective action,
and to compare your planning assumptions against reality, creates a
growing body of ever-harder information and helps you manage the
implementation risk.

step 1: identify milestones The first step is to identify the key

events which will stand as milestones – it is important to focus on the
outcome of specific activities, not the activities per se. The milestones
are those events or actions which must definitely occur in order that
your objectives are achieved. You should also identify what learning
will be taken from each event.

step 2: identify linkages among events The simplest way

to achieve this is to ask yourself what other events must be
accomplished before each event, and what events could or should be
postponed until each event is completed.

step 3: document the key assumptions that underlie
the milestones Being clear about your planning assumptions and

the precisely defined outcome represented by each milestone will allow
you to verify the assumptions, or not, as each milestone is achieved.
Modifying your assumptions in the light of experience may then lead
you to reconfigure the business idea or to modify subsequent
milestones.

Ensure that the milestones test all your assumptions. If that is not the
case, create a milestone to do so, being clear how you will gather the
hard information which will replace the assumption.

step 4: re-plan in the light of information As each

milestone is reached, and hard information becomes available to
replace assumption, re-plan the future milestones in the light of this
information. Review your list of predetermined questions for each
milestone to decide whether to go, no-go or change direction.

A typical milestone planning approach is shown in Table 6.5.