I am now going to present an example of how APT translates unstructured 'dreams' and conceptual ideas into practical `reality'.

The selected example was inspired by the very successful efforts of a friend of mine. However I have modified the plot significantly to speed up the explanation.

A note of caution

Please keep in mind that this is a simplified example. For the sake of brevity, some intermediate steps have been omitted. Its purpose is to give you a complete overview of how the 'Dream it, Design it, Deliver it' approach works.

Use technology or do it manually. Depending on your preference, you can prepare your APT plans manually (with pen and paper) or if you like computers, there is a specially designed software program available. For group planning, you can even use a combination of both. 

For this Internet presentation, I have chosen to use computer generated charts.

Background

Jill and John worked in a restaurant that was suffering a decline in customers. Jill was the chef, John the Maitre-de.

Over the past few months they had made many business improvement suggestions to the owner. But all had fallen on deaf ears.

When the owner announced he was considering selling, Jill and John said they could be interested if the price and some other details were acceptable.

In the space of a few weeks a deal was struck. Five weeks from now, Jill and John will be the new owners. They felt that this could be a great opportunity to `put their ideas into action'.

After the initial euphoria, they both started to come to terms with the implications of their decision.

Jill's savings and a mortgage on John's house would finance the deal and provide some working capital.

But understanding and managing the business side of the restaurant was now their big concern.

Although John had put forward some `promotion ideas', he did not know that much about marketing. Jill's concern was the financial side.

To get some help, they both went to see Gordon Reece, an accountant and business consultant who had been recommended to them.

They needed a plan

Gordon suggested that the best way to handle their concerns was to create a Restaurant Business Plan. He said this would give them both opportunities to consider and develop an understanding of all aspects of the business.

A one-day planning session

Gordon told them he could facilitate the essence of their business plan in one day using the Accelerated Planning Technique.

They were told that this would give them a basic understanding of the whole business.

Gordon also told them that because the process was relatively simple, they could keep adding to the plan. He said the plan could be an ongoing or `living' business plan.

A fee was discussed and Jill and John made an appointment for a Monday session when the restaurant was closed.