With slightly different variations, the “7 Ps” is an acronym used by the both the British and the US Military and outlines a memorable phrase that calls attention to the relationship between planning and performance. The US version for:
- Proper
- Prior
- Planning
- Prevents
- Piss
- Poor
- Performance
I first fell in love with the idea of the 7 Ps when I was a GM for Saltgrass Steakhouse in the late 90’s. At that time Saltgrass was still a small company and was led by the original founder, Bill Osterhout. Because of Bill’s leadership, the 7 Ps became a part of our regular vernacular. When we had the inevitable and occasional “bump in the road” we often looked back to our planning and preparation to see if there was something we could have done differently and better.
We especially incorporated the 7 Ps into planning for any type of special events. As anyone who has ever worked in full-service restaurants or hospitality can tell you, the busiest times are centered around holidays and special occasions. Events such as Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas Eve, Holiday Parties and HS/College Graduation,.
We would start the planning for these occasions a minimum of 30 days prior to the event. I won’t bore you with all of the details but the planning included prior year performance metrics, inventory management, production, staffing, hours of operation, contingency plans, logistics, areas of responsibility and more.
Years later, I still use the 7 Ps as part of my planning process for my own business and for my franchise candidates. I find that the more prepared that my candidates are, the more positive their experience will be during their franchise investigation process. And more importantly, the more prepared they are to make a well-informed business decision.
If you think franchise ownership might be right for you, you can reach me at rkinder@franchoice.com or by calling 817-296-2717
