12 March 2026
Choosing what not to do this year
A planning cycle fails quietly when every idea stays on the list. Here is a simple cut process we use with SME leadership teams.
Most annual plans fail because they try to honour every hopeful idea in the room. The cut is the work.
Start with capacity, not ambition
Ask how many significant initiatives your managers can carry while still serving customers. For a firm of thirty people, more than three company-wide priorities usually means something will stall by April.
Use a forced ranking
Write every candidate priority on a wall. Each owner gets a fixed number of votes — fewer than the number of ideas. Items with no votes become a “not this year” list with a review date, not a shame pile.
Name the stop-doing list
A priority without a corresponding stop is incomplete. If you choose a new territory, state which tenders or product lines will receive less attention. Put a person’s name next to the stop.
Revisit with evidence
Parked ideas deserve a date, not oblivion. Schedule a mid-year look with one question: what changed in the market that would reopen this choice?