Plan By Trial

About the Book

Plan By Trial teaches organizations of all sizes and missions how to conduct strategic planning sessions in a format that is creative, competitive, exciting, and outright fun -- the jury trial. Co-authored by a seasoned entrepreneur and an experienced trial attorney, Plan By Trial brings all of the versatility and drama of the jury trial, perhaps the world's most powerful decision-making tool, to the boardroom or conference room. Planning participants are assigned the roles of prosecution or defense counsel, witnesses, or jurors as they conduct a series of brief "trials" on the key issues facing the organization. The trials are carried out under standard procedural and evidentiary rules, under the guidance of a neutral "judge", and are recorded by a certified court reporter who produces a verbatim transcript of the entire proceeding. Each trial results in a "verdict" that is ultimately translated, through post-trial discussions, into an element of the company's strategic plan. Building upon the widespread familiarity and facination with the legal system (as shown by the enormous popularity of courtroom dramas on TV and in films) Plan By Trial will help any organization enjoy more focused, fun, passionate and creative planning sessions, and produce plans that receive unified commitment and support.

About the Author

Both authors have a real-world experience that led directly to the Plan By Trial concept, and have field-tested the system with great success in Dean Richards' own manufacturing company.

Dean Richards is a career entrepreneur, having built up and sold multi-million dollar businesses in three diverse markets (retail food, insurance and securities brokerage, and manufacturing) over the past 30 years. A passionate devotee of wrestling, Dean brings the same blunt aggressiveness to business that he has taught to hundreds of wrestlers in his coaching career. When with Implus, which manufactures shoe accessories for sale in retail sporting goods stores, shoe stores, drug stores, and mass merchants, he was forced to launch lawsuits against two U.S. Fortune 500 companies that absorbed his entire attention for almost two years. This experience gave Dean the first-hand familiarity with the jury trial system that ultimately led to the concept behind Plan By Trial, which he developed and used during planning sessions in his own company. The direct, conversational style of the manucsript is attributable to Dean and his practical but humorous approach to business. Dean is a 1967 graduate of Juaniata College and a veteran of the United States Army. Having sold a majority interest in Implus Corporation to an investment group in 2001, he now lives in Key West, Florida.

Craig Mills is an attorney who specializes in complex commercial litigation. He has won cases in virtually every type of forum, from county traffic courts to the United States Supreme Court, and before U.S. and international arbitration panels. He acted as counsel to Implus Corporation during the two Fortune 500 lawsuits filed in the mid-90s, and has been a facilitator at Implus' annual planning sessions ever since, including acting as the "judge" during the original Plan By Trial session. Craig is responsible for those portions of the book that deal with legal issues, such as the Pre-Trial Order, Glossary, and matters of trial procedure. Craig is a 1984 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and received his law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC in 1991. Before beginning his legal career, he served as an infantry reconnaissance officer with the United States Marine Corps in the Mediterranean, Far East, and Persian Gulf. He is currently a partner in the firm of Buchanan Ingersoll in Philadelphia.