Planning, both operations and financial, is very important to the success of any company. It is unlikely that events will track closely to what a company has assumed. But if a company has gone through the effort of developing detailed plans, it will understand the dynamics of its business and will therefore be in a good position to adapt its operations as its environment changes.

      Business plans are also a requirement for most financial proposals. Effective communications plans are critical to the success of any new venture.

      Don Newman has been involved in planning exercises for most of his career. His work has ranged from assisting small operations with their planning requirements, in order to support equipment financing proposals, to developing the corporate plan of Marine Atlantic Inc., supported in turn by a complex computerized planning model.