Failing to plan is planning to fail. That&8217;s one of those management clich/s often repeated by college professors and high-paid management consultants.

But clich/s become clich/s only because they&8217;re true.

The more complex the task, the more critical having a good plan, or a good road map, is.

Imagine trying to hop in your car and drive to California without planning the trip.

Most of us could probably get there, eventually. It&8217;s easy, right? Just head west and keep driving.

But imagine how much time might be wasted as we meander around and get off track following road with uncertain destinations.

Think how much more smooth the trip would be if you knew exactly which Interstates would get you there in the shortest time possible.

The City of Natchez is well aware of the need for having a road map to help drive the city&8217;s future.

Now, thanks to a little help from the federal government, Natchez is 100,000 steps closer to having that map.

Mayor Phillip West announced on Monday that the city had received $100,000 in funds earmarked for long-range community planning.

While the figure sounds like a great deal of money, in terms of developing a comprehensive plan for Natchez, it&8217;s not.

Now the challenge is to use those funds wisely, so we are planning to succeed.