An Introduction to Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is the process of documenting and establishing a direction of your small business—by assessing both where you are and where you’re going. The strategic plan gives you a place to record your mission, vision, and values, as well as your long-term goals and the action plans you’ll use to reach them. A well-written strategic plan can play a pivotal role in your small business’s growth and success because it tells you and your employees how best to respond to opportunities and challenges.https://www.youtube.com/embed/7PaJnEacQvQ?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent

Despite the benefits of having a strategic plan in place, a growing number of small business owners aren’t focusing on the long-term strategies of their businesses. In a 2018 Constant Contact survey of 1,005 small business owners, 63% said they plan only a year (or less) in advance.

If you’re one of these small business owners, it’s not too late to think differently. Your future success depends on effective strategic planning. It’s a process of looking ahead that should involve your entire business, and the discussions can lead to meaningful changes in your business. Strategic planning consists of analyzing the business and setting realistic goals and objectives. This leads to the creation of a formal document that lays out the company’s views and goals for the future.

Benefits of Strategic Planning

The strategic planning process can take some time, but it’s beneficial for everyone involved. As the small business owner, you’ll have a better idea of the goals and objectives you want to accomplish and a path to do that. For your employees, the process can foster an increase in productivity—contributing to the success of the business.

Communicating Your Strategic Plan

The strategic planning process should involve your employees. Your employees are involved in the day-to-day operations and can provide you with a unique view of the company. Employees can share with you what they think is and isn’t working with the business today, which can inform your planning for the future.

In addition to your employees, it’s beneficial to reach out to people outside of your company to get their opinions. Like your employees, vendors have a unique perspective on your industry. Talk to them about the business, and get their thoughts on how they think the business landscape can change in the future.

The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends that the strategic planning process be a flexible one. When you meet with your employees and any people outside of the company, remember that the discussions should encourage new ideas and thoughts.

Increase Productivity

Involving your employees in the strategic planning process also means they receive a sense of accountability that can increase productivity. Whether they contributed in the process or were informed of the business’s goals and objectives after the strategic plan was created, they’ll be more likely to want to help you achieve those targets.

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses

As part of the strategic planning process, you’ll examine and analyze your entire business. You’ll take a look at what your business does well and the areas where it still needs to improve. By identifying your business’s current strengths and weaknesses, the process gives you and your employees an opportunity to improve in the future and become a durable business by minimizing risks.

Although you may have a good idea about what your business excels at and areas that need to be improved upon, don’t forget to involve your employees. They may tell you something you didn’t think of.

Setting the Direction of the Business and Fostering a Proactive Business

By the end of the strategic planning process, you and your employees should have a clear direction of where you want the business to go in the future. These discussions and the planning process itself help put the business in the best position to succeed in the future.

Strategic planning gives you and your business time to figure out how to grow over the next few years and how to address new opportunities and challenges. Think about the challenges or issues your business may face in four or five years and plan accordingly, so your business doesn’t stumble down the road.

Strategic Planning Misconceptions

There are many strategic planning misconceptions. From not having enough time or thinking it only benefits larger businesses, to fearing you’ll put your business on the wrong path, there are a variety of reasons why business owners may be wary of strategic planning. But don’t be alarmed; strategic planning can help your business—big or small—and the benefits far outweigh any perceived negatives.

Regardless of the size of your business, a strategic plan is beneficial. Whether you are a small business or a large corporation with hundreds or thousands of employees, strategic planning helps you make sure the company is headed in the right direction.

But how do you know if you’re steering the company in the right direction? The beginning phases of strategic planning focus on research and discussions. The decisions you make during strategic planning aren’t based on assumptions; they’re based on research and information you’ve gathered while talking with your employees and people outside of your company.

The strategic planning process may seem daunting at first, but when you understand what’s involved and how to do it, it’s not that complicated. It takes time, but the amount you invest in the process pays off when everyone in your company works toward accomplishing the goals and objectives you’ve laid out.

The process doesn’t stymie creativity either. When you meet with your employees for strategic planning, you’re asking everyone to have a discussion and brainstorm ideas. The strategic planning process puts everyone’s minds together to think of creative ideas.

If you go through the strategic planning process once, don’t think you won’t have to do it again. The strategic plan is a living document; it should change over time. It’s not uncommon for business owners to create a strategic plan with their employees and rarely—or never—revisit the document. Reviewing and evaluating your strategic plan regularly will help keep you accountable and on track to achieve your goals and objectives.https://www.youtube.com/embed/tL2ovIHqM0U

What Makes Strategic Planning Successful?

Successful strategic planning involves a team effort among you and your employees, as well as among you and your vendors and other outside people. The more you engage your employees with strategic planning, the better they’ll understand the strategy you want to have for your business.

Strategic planning also needs to be flexible. While it’s necessary to have goals and objectives for your business, you also have to be able to adapt to changes. It may take you longer than expected to achieve a particular goal; recognize that this isn’t an issue and that you can incorporate changes to your plan to put you in a better position to succeed.

When strategic planning is successful, everyone in your business is on the same page with the business’s direction and goals. Each individual understands what makes the business stronger and what needs to be worked on. And it’s more likely that each person wants to contribute to the business’s growth and success.

When Should Strategic Planning Be Done?

When it comes to strategic planning, you want to start it sooner rather than later. It doesn’t necessarily have to be done in the first few days or weeks of the company’s life—you may want to be in business for a few months to give yourself a better idea of what is and isn’t working.

But even if you’ve owned your business for a long time, it’s not too late to get started on strategic planning. It’s never a bad time to sit down and think about the current status of your company and where you want to be in the next five to 10 years. When you’re ready, gather your team together and schedule regular meetings dedicated to strategic planning.

Where Do Strategic Plans Go Wrong?

Strategic planning is an ongoing commitment. Even if you go through an initial round of strategic planning and it leads to the development of your business’s first strategic plan, it’s still not finished. The plan has to be implemented.

Strategic plans also can go wrong if the goals and objectives you set are unrealistic. Every business owner wants to see their business grow and succeed, but if you set an overly ambitious growth rate, it could discourage you and your employees.

A successful strategic plan requires commitment. Your entire team needs to be focused on the business and carrying out the strategic plan. If the strategic plan isn’t being used regularly or as the foundation of the business, you and your employees can lose sight of the company’s direction and goals.

The top three reasons strategy implementation fails:

• Poor Communication
• Lack of Leadership
• Using wrong measures

Reviewing and Updating Your Strategic Plan

A strategic plan is a living document. Don’t spend the time to create a strategic plan and then put it on the shelf to collect dust. Live by it. And regularly update your strategic plan. How often you should update your strategic plan depends on how your business works.

If your business works in a fast-paced industry and can be affected by changing outside factors, you should review and update your strategic plan on a more frequent basis. For example, if your business operates within the ever-evolving tech industry, you will probably want to check on your strategic plan after each quarter.

At the very least, you should review your strategic plan every year. When you review your strategic plan, you’re looking at the assumptions made and checking to see where your business stands in relation to those assumptions. What you thought would be challenges and threats to your business a year ago may not be the same now. Don’t be afraid to change any part of the strategic plan. If outside factors are having a bigger impact on your business than you initially thought, you may have to change your objectives or goals.

The regular review is also a good opportunity to check back in with your employees. Your employees helped you create the business’s strategic plan and they’re as invested in the success of it as you are. Give them a summary of where the business currently stands. Talk with them to see if things have improved or if they still have concerns with the business—or if any of their initial concerns have changed.

After you review the strategic plan, share any changes with your team. Even if you didn’t make any changes, it’s a good opportunity to give the rest of your company your thoughts on the business’s status and confirm that things are on the right track. You also can encourage your employees to continue working hard to achieve the goals and objectives in the strategic plan.

The Strategic Planning Process

When it comes to the strategic planning process, think of it as having three phases: discussion, development, and review and updating. The goal of the strategic planning process is to ensure everyone in the business is aligned when it comes to your small business’s goals and objectives, as well as to create a formal strategic plan document.

Discussion Phase

The discussion phase is meant to gather as much information, opinions, and input as possible. Set up a regularly scheduled meeting with the employees and any other staff in your business who will be involved with strategic planning. Make sure you have an agenda and clear expectations of what you want to accomplish in each meeting. This will keep discussions on track and help prevent distractions. In the first few meetings, try to answer questions that will help you define the business’s current status, such as, “Where are we now?” and “Where are our competitors?” Once you have a good idea of where the business is, you can focus in on specific details in future meetings.

In addition to regular meetings with your employees at your business, you can also reach out to vendors, investors, analysts, and other people outside of your company to gather information. External people will have a unique perspective on not only your business, but also the industry you’re operating in. Getting their opinions on where they think the industry is going and what they think will change in the future can help you put together your strategic plan and determine where you want your business to be down the road.

You can also conduct a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. When you’re conducting a SWOT analysis, you and your employees will examine what your business does well, where it can improve, any future opportunities to pursue that could help facilitate growth and success, and any competitors or external factors that could prevent the business from succeeding.

Your strengths should be pretty easy to identify. When you’re discussing your business’s weaknesses, don’t be afraid to be candid. Every business has weaknesses and things to work on. Any weakness you and your employees note means it’s something you’ll aim to improve on in the future with a detailed initiative outlined in the strategic plan.

Opportunities available to your business may be pretty clear, while identifying threats to your business can be more difficult. Speaking with people outside of the company should give you a good idea of where the industry could be heading and if there are any major competitors or challenges coming. If you can identify a number of threats and challenges to your business early on, it puts you in a better position to address them if and when you encounter them down the road.

Development Phase

After you’ve collected all of the information, it’s time for the development phase. This is when you’ll start putting together your business’s strategic plan. A strategic plan consists of five key components: a vision statement, a mission statement, goals and objectives, an action plan, and details on how often the strategic plan will be reviewed and updated.

Decide with your employees what you will use to create the strategic plan. Are you going to purchase software to help you create and house the plan? Or are you going to create the plan yourself and save it in the cloud for easier access?

When you’re creating goals and objectives for your business, make sure they’re realistic and measurable. Work with your employees to create goals and objectives for at least the next one to three years. And discuss how these goals and objectives will be measured and tracked.

For example, if you have a goal of increasing sales by 10% in the next year, you can track this by measuring sale numbers. Equally important is having an action plan to achieve these goals and objectives. If you’re trying to increase your sales by 10% in a year, you can pursue more marketing and social media outreach as part of your action plan. If an action plan doesn’t help your business achieve its goals, the plan needs to be rewritten.

Review and Updating Phase

A critical part of the strategic plan should address how often it will be reviewed and updated. Designate someone to be responsible for reviewing, updating, and sharing any changes with the rest of the company. Whether it’s you or another employee, you’ll want to make sure everyone in the business is aware of the changes and how they affect the overall strategic plan.

The strategic plan is meant to be a fluid document; don’t fall into the trap of creating the document and letting it sit on a shelf for years. If you developed meaningful objectives and action plans, they should help with regularly checking the strategic plan. For example, if your action plan requires you to put in sales numbers every quarter to track revenue, you could take that time to review the rest of the plan.

You can also set an alert to check the strategic plan on a regular basis. Whether it’s every few months, every quarter, or every year, a recurring alert can help you review and update the document.

When you’re reviewing your strategic plan, you may find that you’re not on track to meet an objective or goal that you previously set up. Don’t panic. Reassess the situation and, if you need to, discuss the issues with your employees. Figure out what went wrong and why your business isn’t on pace; maybe the goal was too ambitious or not realistic. Change the goal or objective and update the action plan to help you get back on track.

You also may find that your small business has met a goal or objective earlier than you thought you would. If so, you can create a new goal or objective to work toward, or try to maintain the progress you’ve already made. Discuss the ideas with your employees to see what they think is possible.

Strategic Planning Template Checklist

A good strategic planning template is like a checklist. The template will include different sections for you to complete and help you cover a variety of topics. Using a thorough template will help ensure you have a comprehensive strategic plan for your business.

You can use computer software for your strategic planning template, or you can create your own with Microsoft Word or Excel. You can also download our Strategic Planning Template to use.

• At the top of your template, label it “Executive Summary” and provide an overview of your business. Include the time period you’re looking at for your business’s strategic plan; for example, if the strategic plan provides a three- to five-year outlook.
• Underneath this section would be information on “Your Company.” This is where you’ll put in your mission statement, vision, values, and information on leadership.
• A section on “Research” will include information on your clients and customers, competitors, and the industry.
• You can also create a section on “Products and Services,” which will detail any products you sell, pricing strategy, delivery systems and capabilities, and suppliers.
• A section of your template should focus on “Measurable Goals.” These should be realistic goals or objectives that you want your business to achieve within the time period you set. Don’t forget to include details on how the progress of each goal or objective will be measured.
• Whether you include it within the Measurable Goals section or as a stand-alone group in the template, don’t forget about your “Action Plans.” This provides an overview of how you and your employees are going to achieve your business goals and plans.
• You also can put your SWOT analysis into the template. List the identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with your business. Remember to be honest and candid. When you are reviewing your strategic plan in the future, you can reference the initial SWOT analysis and check to see what has changed.
• The last section should detail “Reviews and Updating.” Explain how often the plan should be checked (every few months, quarterly, annually, etc.). Provide a list of people who should be responsible for reviewing and updating the strategic plan, as well as communicating any changes with the broader business.

Strategic Planning Examples

Strategic plans can vary, depending on the type of business you operate or the industry you’re in. Here are a few examples of different strategic plans:

Strategic Plans for Business

A strategic plan for a business will include the company’s mission and vision statement, as well as its goals and objectives and the action plans to achieve them.

The strategic plan is different from a business plan. The business plan is typically used to help start the business and acquire the necessary funds to open the doors. A strategic plan outlines the strategy for growth and success in the future by using existing resources.

The Canadian Soccer Association’s strategic plan for 2014 to 2018 is full of information and details. It includes an examination of the organization’s current status and what the focus in the future will be. It includes the goals and objectives of the Canadian Soccer Association, as well as the strategies it’ll use to achieve them.

According to small business owners, their top challenges in 2017 were:

• 67% said lack of capital and/or cash flow
• 24% said effective time management
• 28% said effective marketing or advertising

Strategic Plans for Nonprofits

A strategic plan for a nonprofit organization will include the same key components. A nonprofit strategic plan may focus more on the internal and external factors that can pose any threats or challenges to the organization. Because the structure of a nonprofit organization can change rapidly due to different factors, the strategic plan takes this into account and aims to address possible changes ahead of time.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ strategic plan for 2010 through 2014 outlines the organization’s vision, mission, the community it serves, as well as its goals for the four-year period. Each goal includes an in-depth description of why it’s important to the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, as well as the strategies involved to achieve those goals. The plan also lists the people responsible for working on the strategic plan.

IT Strategic Plans

The IT industry is constantly changing. This means a strategic plan for an IT business should identify and address the changes in the future as well as possible. While other business strategic plans may focus on the next three to four years, it’s not uncommon for an IT strategic plan to look at the next year to year-and-a-half.

When it comes to developing, reviewing, and updating your IT strategic plan, it’s important to involve your business’s Chief Information Officer. This person’s knowledge and skill set is useful in putting together a strategic plan for your tech business. In addition to the Chief Information Officer, you and your employees can look at whether you need to upgrade any part of your infrastructure to meet the goals and objectives you’ve outlined in your strategic plan.

Because of the rapidly changing circumstances, you may be reviewing your IT strategic plan more frequently than with other businesses. Adjust your plan as necessary to put your business on the best path to success. The plan also should include details on how to make a decision when it comes to investing in new equipment or technology.

Marketing Strategic Plans

A marketing strategic plan’s goal should be to generate sales for the business. Whether it’s increasing sales numbers by 15% or increasing the number of customers in the next quarter, a marketing strategic plan helps businesses generate more revenue and increase their customer base.

A marketing strategic plan can include marketing technology, software, or web-based platforms to help track your business’s progress toward its goals. The plan also could address the specific types of marketing the business will pursue—for example, whether your business will pursue traditional print advertising or digital ads.

Because a marketing strategic plan aims to increase your business’s exposure and numbers through different techniques and methods, it’s a good idea to include the budget in the document. This way, you and your employees will work toward the marketing goals and objectives you want to achieve without spending too much money.

Here’s an example of a sample marketing strategic plan for a retail clothing company that details the reasoning behind the company’s goals.

Focusing on the long-term strategy of your business is essential. Strategic planning is as important as having a business plan and can lead to the success of your business. You and your employees will understand the current status of the company, productivity will increase as everyone works toward achieving the business goals, and you’ll put yourself in a better position to address any potential issues that may come up in the future.

“Malasnya nak ke ofis, kan syok kalau boleh duduk rumah goyang kaki. Tak payah nak menghadap bos yang kepala angin 24 jam, tak sakit mata dan hati dengan kaki gossip, kaki ampu. Makin tak seronok nak kerja situ, tapi nak buat macam mana tak kerja tak ada duit. Aku pun bukan muda lagi nak lompat-lompat kerja. Apa tips bekerja untuk lebih seronok ya…?”

Bukan anda sahaja, malah ramai di luar sana menghadapi dilema yang sama.

Bekerja hanya untuk kelangsungan hidup. Gembira atau tidak dengan suasana di ofis, ‘belakang kira’.

Memang syok kalau dapat persekitaran kerja yang seronok, ‘fun’ dan tidak stres.

Kalau seronok, kerja tujuh hari seminggu pun tak mengapa! Makan free dan suasana kerja stress-free.

Tapi tidak semestinya persekitaran kerja yang teruk bermakna kita tidak boleh berseronok. Bukankah keseronokan itu boleh dicari?

Di sini ingin saya kongsikan beberapa tips bekerja dengan ceria!

7 TIPS BEKERJA DENGAN SERONOK, HILANGKAN STRESS DI TEMPAT KERJA

Cuba amalkan beberapa tips bekerja supaya kita boleh meninggalkan segala perkara negatif, ceria, dan tetap fokus!

1. CARI KAWAN YANG RAPAT

Mungkin kita rapat dengan staf yang kebetulan satu kepala dan sama minat.

Jadi berada bersama mereka sedikit sebanyak menceriakan hari-hari kita sepanjang di ofis.

Stres kerja pun dapat dikurangkan apabila dikongsi bersama.

2. HIAS MEJA KERJA

Ofis menjadi rumah kedua kerana kita di situlah kita berada seharian.

Jadi hias meja kerja mengikut cita rasa, jadi setiap kali anda berada di tempat duduk, anda rasa gembira.

Tapi jangan over sangat sampai penuh hiasan di meja.

Foto Kredit: ujnemzedek.hu

3. LAKUKAN SESUATU YANG ANDA SUKAI

Tidak semestinya berada di ofis sepanjang hari, anda tidak boleh melakukan apa yang minat misalnya pada waktu ‘break’, anda boleh mencari resipi-resipi menarik yang boleh dicuba malam nanti atau pada hujung minggu.

Cuma ingat, tips bekerja ini jangan pula dilakukan sampai leka hingga tidak membuat kerja!

4. BUAT BENDA BARU

Kesibukan kerja ada kalanya membuatkan kita tidak mengambil tahu apa yang terjadi di persekitaran.

Sesekali berkomunikasi dengan staf di luar jabatan dan anda akan seronok mengenali ramai orang dan mengetahui pelbagai info yang berlaku di ofis.

5. ELAK SEMUA YANG NEGATIF

Semua yang negatif memang boleh ‘membunuh’ keseronokan ketika di ofis, jadi elak mereka yang suka menimbulkan kontroversi, gosip dan mereka yang membawa aura negatif.

Dengan tips bekerja ini, anda akan sentiasa berada dalam keadaan positif.

6. ‘BUANG’ MASALAH PERIBADI

Biasanya apabila tertekan dengan isu peribadi, secara tak langsung boleh mempengaruhi emosi ketika berada di ofis.

Sebab itu, sebaik masuk di ofis, ‘buang’ semua masalah peribadi di luar.

Lupakan segala masalah di rumah dan fokuskan pada kerja. Baru semangat!

7. SELALU BERGERAK

Duduk sepanjang masa pun bukannya sihat, jadi sesekali bangun dan bergerak.

Mungkin berjalan keluar sekejap sambil merasai angin luar, bersenam ringan atau sebagainya.

BERI GANJARAN KEPADA DIRI SENDIRI

‘Reward’ diri anda atas apa jua peningkatan yang anda lakukan.

Tidak perlu tunggu bos atau rakan sekerja memberi pujian, cukuplah anda seorang yang tahu.

Jadi dengan tips bekerja ini anda akan sentiasa bersemangat dan gembira berada di ofis.

What is Blockchain Technology?

Blockchain, sometimes referred to as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), makes the history of any digital asset unalterable and transparent through the use of decentralization and cryptographic hashing.  

A simple analogy for understanding blockchain technology is a Google Doc. When we create a document and share it with a group of people, the document is distributed instead of copied or transferred. This creates a decentralized distribution chain that gives everyone access to the document at the same time. No one is locked out awaiting changes from another party, while all modifications to the doc are being recorded in real-time, making changes completely transparent.

Of course, blockchain is more complicated than a Google Doc, but the analogy is apt because it illustrates three critical ideas of the technology:

BLOCKCHAIN EXPLAINED: A QUICK OVERVIEW

1. Digital assets are distributed instead of copied or transferred.
2. The asset is decentralized, allowing full real-time access.
3. A transparent ledger of changes preserves integrity of the document, which creates trust in the asset.

Blockchain is an especially promising and revolutionary technology because it helps reduce risk, stamps out fraud and brings transparency in a scaleable way for myriad uses. https://www.youtube.com/embed/lD9KAnkZUjU?autoplay=0&start=0&rel=0

How Does Blockchain Work?

The whole point of using a blockchain is to let people — in particular, people who don’t trust one another — share valuable data in a secure, tamperproof way.
— MIT Technology Review

Blockchain consists of three important concepts: blocks, nodes and miners.

Blocks

Every chain consists of multiple blocks and each block has three basic elements:

• The data in the block.
• A 32-bit whole number called a nonce. The nonce is randomly generated when a block is created, which then generates a block header hash. 
• The hash is a 256-bit number wedded to the nonce. It must start with a huge number of zeroes (i.e., be extremely small).

When the first block of a chain is created, a nonce generates the cryptographic hash. The data in the block is considered signed and forever tied to the nonce and hash unless it is mined.  

Miners

Miners create new blocks on the chain through a process called mining.

In a blockchain every block has its own unique nonce and hash, but also references the hash of the previous block in the chain, so mining a block isn’t easy, especially on large chains.

Miners use special software to solve the incredibly complex math problem of finding a nonce that generates an accepted hash. Because the nonce is only 32 bits and the hash is 256, there are roughly four billion possible nonce-hash combinations that must be mined before the right one is found. When that happens miners are said to have found the “golden nonce” and their block is added to the chain. 

Making a change to any block earlier in the chain requires re-mining not just the block with the change, but all of the blocks that come after. This is why it’s extremely difficult to manipulate blockchain technology. Think of it is as “safety in math” since finding golden nonces requires an enormous amount of time and computing power.

When a block is successfully mined, the change is accepted by all of the nodes on the network and the miner is rewarded financially.View All JobsFind out who’s hiring.See jobs at top tech companies & startupsVIEW ALL JOBS

Nodes

One of the most important concepts in blockchain technology is decentralization. No one computer or organization can own the chain. Instead, it is a distributed ledger via the nodes connected to the chain. Nodes can be any kind of electronic device that maintains copies of the blockchain and keeps the network functioning. 

Every node has its own copy of the blockchain and the network must algorithmically approve any newly mined block for the chain to be updated, trusted and verified. Since blockchains are transparent, every action in the ledger can be easily checked and viewed. Each participant is given a unique alphanumeric identification number that shows their transactions.

Combining public information with a system of checks-and-balances helps the blockchain maintain integrity and creates trust among users. Essentially, blockchains can be thought of as the scaleability of trust via technology. 

Stres adalah tindak balas emosi, fizikal dan mental akibat perubahan dalam sesuatu keadaan yang berlaku dalam kehidupan harian manusia. Stres merangkumi beban, tekanan, kebimbangan, keletihan, konflik, panik, kemurungan dan tidak bermaya. Secara umumnya, stres terbahagi kepada stres jangka pendek dan stres jangka panjang.

Stres jangka pendek merupakan tindak balas spontan tubuh badan terhadap apa-apa situasi yang mencabar, bahaya atau menakutkan. Tahap stres biasanya bergantung kepada beberapa faktor seperti tempoh stres yang dialami dan bagaimana individu tersebut menangani stres tersebut. Stres jangka panjang pula selalunya dialami oleh mereka yang menghidapi stres yang berpanjangan. Stres seperti ini selalunya disebabkan oleh penyakit berbahaya atau masalah yang berpanjangan. 

Punca utama stres seringkali dikaitkan dengan masalah kehidupan yang terjadi seperti masalah peribadi, masalah di tempat kerja dan lain-lain. Bahayanya stres ini ia bukan sahaja boleh menjejaskan kualiti kehidupan kita, malahan orang sekeliling seperti keluarga dan kawan rapat kita juga boleh terkena tempiasnya.

Stres jika tidak ditangani dengan betul boleh menyebabkan pelbagai jenis penyakit dan memberi kesan buruk terhadap tubuh badan kita. Kita sering memandang ringan tentang stres namun tahukah anda ada jenis penyakit yang boleh disebabkan oleh stres hingga membawa maut? Berikut adalah antara kesan-kesan stres terhadap fizikal dan mental jika kita tidak pandai mengurus stres dengan baik:

1. SERING LUPA DAN SUSAH FOKUS

Stres boleh menyebabkan kita sering lupa dan susah untuk fokus. Ini kerana apabila stres, kita sering hilang fokus untuk memberi tumpuan terhadap perkara lain yang terjadi di sekeliling. Masalah ini bukan sahaja memberi impak negatif terhadap kehidupan seharian, malahan prestasi kerja juga boleh merosot jika kita susah fokus untuk menyiapkan tugasan yang telah diberikan. 

2. INSOMNIA

Insomnia adalah masalah ketidakupayaan manusia untuk tidur pada waktu malam. Penghidap insomnia seringkali menghadapi masalah tidak dapat tidur pada waktu malam, dan akan mengalami keletihan pada hari berikutnya. Terdapat pelbagai faktor yang menyumbang kepada insomnia, namun salah satu punca insomnia adalah stres. Apabila stres, otak manusia akan lebih aktif daripada biasa. Mereka yang menghadapi stres tidak boleh berhenti untuk berfikir walaupun pada waktu di mana tubuh badan mereka sepatutnya rehat, apabila tubuh kurang mendapat rehat, maka ia akan menjadi lesu pada hari berikutnya. 

3. SAKIT KEPALA

Sakit kepala yang berpunca daripada stres juga dikenali sebagai sakit kepala akibat pengecutan otot yang berlaku daripada tekanan emosi atau ketegangan fizikal. Sakit kepala ini boleh berlaku sekali atau berulang-ulang dalam seminggu bergantung kepada tahap emosi mereka yang stres. 

4. PENYAKIT JANTUNG

Hormon berperanan penting untuk memastikan keremajaan dan kualiti kesihatan seseorang.  Hormon juga adalah bahan kimia yang dihasilkan oleh kalenjar endokrin yang memiliki kesan tertentu kepada aktiviti organ lain dalam tubuh.

Terdapat pelbagai kajian yang menunjukkan kaitan antara ketidakseimbangan hormon dan kanser payudara.

Walaubagaimanapun, ketidakseimbangan hormon boleh diatasi dengan menjaga pemakanan anda.

Oleh itu, hidangan makanan perlu diiringi protein, karbohidrat dan lemak yang seimbang. Antara amalan pemakanan yang boleh anda lakukan adalah makan ikan yang tinggi dengan lemak Omega-3 seperti salmon dan sardin, minum teh hijau yang tinggi anti-oksida, dan gunakan lemak sihat seperti minyak kelapa dan minyak kelapa sawit semasa memasak.  

5. SISTEM PENGHADAMAN TERGANGGU

Stres yang kronik boleh mengganggu sistem penghadaman manusia. Simptom seperti mual, perut berangin, makanan susah untuk dihadam boleh jadi berpunca daripada stres. Sekiranya kita menghadapi simptom ini, pastinya kualiti kehidupan dan kesihatan terjejas. 

6. EMOSI TIDAK STABIL

Emosi yang tidak stabil adalah salah satu kesan negatif yang terjadi disebabkan stres. Mereka yang menderita akibat stres tidak mampu menyelesaikan masalah walaupun ia hanyalah masalah kecil. Selain itu penderita juga akan sering rasa cemas dan mudah risau tentang perkara-perkara kecil. Mereka yang menghadapi stres akan mudah berasa kecewa, cepat naik darah dan mudah marah. Kesan ini bukan sahaja boleh memberi impak negatif dalam pekerjaan, malahan hubungan dengan rakan dan keluarga juga boleh terjejas disebabkan emosi yang tidak stabil. 

Konsep bekerja dari rumah mula dilaksanakan secara meluas ketika Pelaksanaan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) di Malaysia berikutan wabak COVID-19.

Bagi sektor kerajaan, amalan bekerja dari rumah menimbulkan beberapa persoalan dan tanda tanya berikutan ramai yang tidak jelas tentang konsep ini.

Bekerja dari rumah

Konsep bekerja dari rumah semasa COVID-19 tidak sama ketika dilaksanakan dalam amalan biasa. Dalam konteks amalan biasa, wujud aspek keluwesan (flexibility) yang tinggi antara majikan dan pekerja dan terdapat unsur sukarela untuk melakukannya. Konsep ini boleh diaplikasikan dalam pelbagai jenis pekerjaan. Bentuk dan mekanisme pelaksanaannya adalah pelbagai dan persetujuan dicapai antara pihak-pihak yang terlibat. Bagi sektor awam, secara umum terdapat pekeliling am untuk perkara ini. Kumpulan pekerja yang terlibat adalah satu kelompok tertentu sahaja dan amalannya tidak meluas. Bagi pekerja sektor swasta, kerja dari rumah boleh dirujuk kepada kerja-kerja yang ditawarkan oleh syarikat sama ada secara langsung atau melalui pihak ketiga yang dijalankan secara individu atau kumpulan di premis tertentu yang digunakan.

Mengapa perlu bekerja dari rumah?

Arahan bekerja dari rumah mempunyai kelebihan dan kelemahan yang tersendiri. Secara umumnya, bekerja dari rumah mempunyai pelbagai kelebihan seperti masa yang fleksibel, persekitaran ruang tempat kerja yang tenang, keseimbangan lebih baik antara rumah dengan pejabat serta tidak perlu terbabit dalam kesesakan lalu lintas. Beberapa hasil penyelidikan menunjukkan bekerja dari rumah dalam keadaan santai dapat menurunkan tekanan, membantu untuk berehat dan menenangkan fikiran.

Ketika penularan COVID-19, bekerja dari rumah membantu mengurangkan risiko jangkitan melalui kurangnya kontak langsung antara pekerja dengan mereka yang berpotensi menjadi pembawa virus. Keadaan ini ditambah dengan penyebaran wabak ini yang juga boleh berlaku bagi mereka yang tidak mempunyai tanda-tanda awal jangkitan. Penjarakan sosial (social distancing) dapat dijalankan dan hal ini akan dapat memutuskan rangkaian COVID-19 dan menjadi antara mekanisma kawalan.

Cabaran

Terdapat pelbagai cabaran untuk menjayakan konsep bekerja dari rumah sepanjang tempoh COVID-19. Beberapa cabaran dan rintangan termasuklah ketiadaan sumber fizikal dan kewangan seperti tiada ruang kerja lebih besar, berada di luar struktur organisasi pejabat, kurang sumber inspirasi, tiada sokongan rakan sekerja dan rasa terasing. Cabaran paling besar adalah untuk menjadi lebih produktif di luar daripada struktur organisasi pejabat.

Pastinya terdapat beberapa faktor yang boleh mengganggu produktiviti pekerja apabila bekerja dari rumah. Antara yang utama berkaitan dengan konsentrasi atau fokus terhadap tugas hakiki yang dijalankan. Terdapat tugas hakiki yang melibatkan interaksi antara pekerja dan sasaran atau khalayak ramai seperti aktiviti pembelajaran dan pengajaran. Aktiviti sebegini mengalami kesan langsung.

Cabaran yang tidak kurang pentingnya adalah tahap kefahaman pekerja terhadap konsep bekerja dari rumah. Tahap pengetahuan dan kefahaman pekerja adalah rendah apatah lagi apabila mereka diminta untuk mengaplikasikan konsep itu secara serta-merta. Ini menyebabkan mereka tidak mengetahui apa yang patut dilakukan. Ada yang mengambil sikap tunggu dan lihat dan menganggap ini adalah cuti yang diberikan oleh pihak kerajaan dan majikan. Ini ditambah pula tiada prosedur operasi standard (SOP) yang jelas tentang perkara ini. Hal ini menyebabkan timbulnya banyak persoalan. Tanpa pengetahuan, pemahaman dan kaedah pelaksanaan konsep ini yang jelas, sudah pasti pekerja mengalami masalah yang besar untuk melaksanakan konsep ini dengan berkesan dan secara terbaik.

Konsep bekerja dari rumah memerlukan aspek disiplin kerja dan penjadualan yang sistematik. Justeru, penting untuk mempunyai jadual jelas dan berpegang teguh dengan ketetapannya. Bekerja dari rumah sepanjang PKP memerlukan disiplin tinggi untuk mencapai tahap keberkesanan yang terbaik. Sokongan daripada ahli keluarga adalah sangat diperlukan. Kemungkinan untuk bekerja secara sambil lewa atau tidak secara berfokus adalah sangat tinggi.

Keadaan persekitaran rumah adalah berbeza dengan suasana di tempat kerja dan terdapat pendedahan yang tinggi kepada pelbagai gangguan. Gangguan boleh datang dari karenah anak-anak, suhu serta persekitaran, faktor kesediaan teknologi dan perhubungan, dan perkara-perkara lain yang sukar dikawal. Gangguan bunyi, keadaan yang hingar bingar dan persekitaran yang tidak kondusif boleh menyebabkan wujud rasa tidak selesa dan wujudnyaa suasana tidak seronok untuk bekerja dari rumah.

Faktor perbezaan antara individu juga perlu diambil kira. Sesetengahnya boleh bekerja dengan lebih baik dalam keadaan yang hingar-bingar, sementara ada yang tidak dapat menumpukan perhatian dan memerlukan ruang kerja yang kemas. Produktiviti perlu diutamakan dalam apa juga keadaan. Teknologi juga menjadi kekangan kepada mutu kerjaya yang berkualiti.

Refleksi

Arahan agar semua pegawai bekerja dari rumah menimbulkan pelbagai reaksi. Kepada yang berfikiran positif, arahan ini dilihat sebagai sesuatu yang flesibel, menjadi lebih kreatif serta menyesuaikan diri dengan pantas dengan perubahan baharu atau kebiasaan baharu (new normal). Kebiasaan baharu sepatutnya diterima dengan hati terbuka tetapi hal ini tidaklah berlaku dengan mudah. Pekerja, dalam hal ini perlu mengadaptasi arahan yang diberi dengan pantas dan cepat.

Terdapat juga pekerja yang menyatakan ketidakpuasan hati apabila perlu bekerja dari rumah. Hal ini berlaku kerana garis panduan bekerja dari rumah yang dikeluarkan longgar dan membuka kepada pelbagai bentuk interpretasi. Ada pekerja yang mula bertanya apakah bentuk pekerjaan yang dapat dijalankan dari rumah kerana fail dan keperluan kerja yang lain terdapat di pejabat. Pejabat pula tidak dapat dikunjungi kerana batasan PKP.

Ada juga pekerja yang mengambil sikap agar pihak Ketua Jabatan menghubungi mereka untuk mengetahui bentuk tugas yang perlu dilaksanakan. Hal ini bertambah parah apabila sesetengah Ketua Jabatan pula tidak tahu perkara yang perlu dan mampu dilakukan. Ada juga yang menganggap arahan duduk di rumah sebagai peluang untuk bercuti dan melakukan pekerjaan lain. Tiada siapa pun yang dapat disalahkan dalam hal ini atas salah tanggap dan atas kekeliruan yang timbul.

Mungkin di peringkat global, satu perincian mendalam dan satu jawatan kuasa perlu dibentuk pada masa hadapan untuk menentukan tahap wabak agar tindakan pantas dapat dibuat bagi merancang dan mengambil tindakan atas apa yang berlaku. Bagi kerajaan Malaysia sendiri, pada masa akan datang satu pelan kontigensi yang lebih rapi perlu disediakan sebelum wabak ini menjadi parah. Rakyat perlu diberi penjelasan tentang keadaan yang berlaku dan peranan mereka untuk menanganinya. Pastinya pekerja, perlu disedarkan tentang tugas dan peranan yang dilakukan. Diharap konsep bekerja dari rumah yang diperkenalkan dapat difahami dan barulah tindakan terhadapnya dapat dilakukan secara sistematik dan terkawal. Tidak dinafikan penguatkuasaan konsep bekerja dari rumah yang diambil oleh kerajaan adalah sebagai satu langkah serta- merta yang sesuai. Namun demikian, perlu diingati tanpa pengetahuan dan kefahaman tentang konsep bekerja dari rumah, hal ini akan membawa suasana panik.

Kajian menggunakan soal selidik oleh firma penyelidikan pengguna dalam talian Vase.ai terhadap 1,100 responden tentang cara rakyat Malaysia menyesuaikan diri dengan bekerja dari rumah semasa PKP menunjukkan dapatan kajian yang sangat menarik untuk direnungkan. Kajian mendapati 35 peratus memberitahu bahawa sambungan internet tidak stabil adalah cabaran yang dihadapi ketika bekerja dari rumah. Didapati bahawa 77 peratus daripada responden mengakui menghadapi kesukaran untuk bekerja dari rumah. Hanya sembilan peratus rakyat Malaysia menyatakan penerimaan yang lebih produktif untuk bekerja dari rumah.

Assalamualaikum…

Terukir dibintang di CICT

Tarikh 12/12/2019

Masa 2;30 ptg

Tempat Hotel Impiana

Agile software development comprises various approaches to software development under which requirements and solutions evolve through the collaborative effort of self-organizing and cross-functional teams and their customer(s)/end user(s).^[1] It advocates adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery, and continual improvement, and it encourages rapid and flexible response to change.^{[2][further explanation needed]}

The term agile (sometimes written Agile)^[3] was popularized, in this context, by the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.^[4] The values and principles espoused in this manifesto were derived from and underpin a broad range of software development frameworks, including Scrum and Kanban.^[5][6]

While there is much anecdotal evidence that adopting agile practices and values improves the agility of software professionals, teams and organizations, some empirical studies have disputed that evidence.^[7][8]

Assalamualaikum…

Training MyAIMS yang latest..baru selesai.
Alhamdulillah..dapat ilmu baru. Apa yang penting, kita dapat ilmu baru.

Belajar
1.  Authentication  dan Authorization dalam PHP Laravel
2. Unit test
3. Profiling
4. Debugging
5. Hacking system
6. Konsep ACL dan SSO MyUTM
7.Role And Permissions dalam sistem

Pembangunan Sistem MyAIMS

1. Sistem MyAIMS akan dibangunkan semula untuk menggantikan Sistem AIMS client.
2. Alhamdulillah ada progress walaupun banyak halangan dan rintangan. Dikurnikan ahli team teknikal yang hebat.