PlanBase Inc.

PlanBase Hoshin Background

Hoshin Planning (sometimes called Hoshin Kanri, Strategy Deployment or Policy Deployment) is a disciplined annual planning process that helps organizations set and achieve stretch objectives linked to their long term strategic objectives. It drives the setting of goals with measurable metrics and targets, and compares actual performance against those milestones on a set schedule using a standardized process. A high-level goal (objective) is refined through the levels of management at an organization into sets of necessary and sufficient strategies that ensure the organization is aligned and staffed to achieve the strategic goals. Each manager required to play a part in achieving the goal is assigned one or more objectives and is then responsible for creating necessary and sufficient strategies to achieve their objective. They must also define metrics (and measureable targets) for assessing the progress of their strategies towards the goal.

Hoshin Planning is hierarchical: each manager's strategies become their direct-reports' objectives. As the plan cascades down an organization in a series of discussions and planning sessions (sometimes referred to as “catch ball”) implementation tables are created to define the many tasks necessary for achieving the primary breakthrough objective.

Plans are reviewed monthly or quarterly using a standardized process across the organization. Each objective or strategy is judged dispassionately against the metrics and targets that were created at the beginning of the year. This review process provides the critical insight into where the organization needs to focus, helps with the uncovering of root causes, and supports the developing of corrective actions to continuously refine the plan. This ensures that the plan is dynamic, up-to-date, and continuously tuned to achieving your organizations strategic breakthroughs.

PlanBase Hoshin is a web based software application that standardizes a very lean planning process across your organization. There are no unwieldy spreadsheets, no revision problems, no outdated information, and no need for lengthy slide-show-dominated management meetings. The application is intuitive to use, allows easy but secure access, ensures people are always working on the latest version of the plan, and brings transparency to all tactics, strategies, metrics, targets, etc. This transparency encourages collaboration, sharing, and learning in both content of the plan and the progress of executing the plan. All you need is on line, up to date, and available at one click of the mouse.

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