The Business Plan Review—the Heartbeat of Our Organization

The authors have first‐hand experience working with Alan Mulally's Our “Working Together”© Leadership and Management System (Mulally is the former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Ford Motor Company). The authors describe the Business Plan Review (BPR), one of the five elements of the system, and note that the other elements are the principles and practices, the governance process, the leadership team, and the creating value roadmap. They describe what the BPR is, how it is used, and “how a typical BPR looks and works.” While the system, and the BPR itself, is probably best known through the two major companies led by Mulally, the authors write that “the BPR approach and structure works in any setting and has been integral to our own business since the beginning. We started as a team of two and have grown to include two more team members. The BPR helps our small team stay on track, focused on our mission, aligned with our values and operating principles, and reinforces our culture.” In the conclusion, they note that “by encouraging open communication, shared objectives, and strong leadership, BPR cultivates a culture of respect where everyone feels valued, empowered, and motivated to contribute to success.”