A parenting plan is your family's version of an effective business plan. (You wouldn't think of running a successful business without having a plan, right?)
In the same way, you need to have a written plan for how you're going to collaborate with your co-parent on raising your kids. This is as true for divorced parents as it is for never-married moms and dads who wish to collaborate on raising their kids.
Whether you're working out a system for regular visits, or you already share physical custody, legal custody, or both, having a written plan in place will help each of you to best plan for and meet your parenting obligations.
And just like a business plan, it's important to review your parenting plan at least once a year and tweak it. Are there aspects of the plan that need to be changed? Take some time to read it over again, take notes on the areas you'd like to change, and talk with your co-parent about it.
In fact, if it's at all possible, I'd recommend that you plan an in-person or over-the-phone co-parenting meeting just for this purpose. That way, you can work some of the kinks out in advance, which will make working together that much easier in the coming year.
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“Work together to always get what you both need; or recognize your incompatability and move ahead honestly with good communication.” – from “Clarity Uncovered” at http://champagnedivorce.com/stories/collaboration/ Share your true divorce story here too