1. Does Cold Stone Creamery represent a high performance approach to planning? Why or why not?
2. Cold Stone’s Pyramid of Success 2010 represents an example of a single use plan. What might be a standing plan for a procedure for a staff ‘on the stone’?
3. Locate Cold Stone’s Pyramid of Success 2010 on their website and explain how it provides each of the benefits listed under “Purposes of Goals and Plans”.

From the company-wide goal to the organizational goals, each one is numerically defined and measurable. The marketing team can track its progress towards increasing sales by $100,000 over the next three years, the developers know how close they are to opening another 600 stores, and the front-line staff can count how many customers they brought in that day. Besides being measurable, each of these goals is meaningful to the employee and speaks to their area of focus. They are also within a defined time period, which helps in planning and resource allocation. The management of Cold Stone conducted large amounts of research and market analysis in determining these goals. They are a challenge to the company as a whole, but realistic and reachable. And further, the goals are linked to rewards, so every employee knows what waits for them on the other side of success.