Sometimes, plans can benefit from having the contributions of a wide range of viewpoints. Different people are able to envision different problems, which allow possible solutions or even alternative plans to be built directly into the plan. In other cases, however, to make cooks spoil the broth. While there are times a wide range of viewpoints can help make plans more comprehensive, there are also times when plans are better-made solo. Here are three times when strategic planning should not be a team effort.

When everyone has a competing agenda

There are times when everyone genuinely wants to make a plan better, but in other cases, they just want to get something for themselves. In that case, team planning meetings have a tendency to simply devolve into chaos. If you need to make strategic plans for something the team itself has a direct stake in, it is far better to make those plans yourself or to leave them to a single individual.

When the plans are for yourself

It does not matter what you are planning, there are always going to be people that have an opinion about what you should do. From going on vacation to planning a wedding, everyone will have an opinion and some will share it whether you ask for it or not. Some people can even get quite pushy about taking their advice. In some cases, it is better to keep it to yourself that you are even making plans at all and only ask a few qualified individuals for their input.

When you are first starting to make plans

Strategic planning is an ongoing process, not a singular event. The first step in the process is to develop at least some idea of what you want the end result to be. Then you can slowly begin letting people in on the plan that can help you flesh it out and make it more comprehensive. The stronger your plan grows, the more it can handle the weight of the mass of conflicting opinions that are sure to come. The more people that are involved, the more ideas, opinions, and agendas your idea will have to stand up to, so make sure it is as solid as possible before making it public.