Reactive Planning Model

Notes

• When a team starts a project without planning, the reactive planning model may ensue.

• David Allen defined this planning in his book Getting Things Done.

• It's a system mental model because it helps you understand how a project's execution works without upfront planning.

• The phases of the reactive planning model are:

  1. Identifying next actions
  2. Organizing
  3. Brainstorming
  4. Outcome visioning
  5. Defining purpose and principles

• Such phases aren't the natural way your mind operates because you try to do actions before organizing, before collecting many ideas, before creating the vision before defining purposes.

• The team reacts to the situation instead of controlling it.

  • When stuff gets out of control, they act, word harder, get busier.
  • When having a lot of busy people, someone says, "We need to get organized!"
  • After some time, just organizing the problem isn't enough, and someone suggests, "Let's brainstorm!".
  • But the brainstorming isn't effective because they don't have a clear vision, purpose, and principles. Finally, they ask, "What are we trying to do here?" and start defining the last phase.

• The opposite of this model is the natural planning model.

Questions

• Which scenarios may we observe the reactive planning model?

References

• David Allen. Getting Things Done

Backlinks

• From Reactive Planning Model to Natural Planning Model
• Natural Planning Model