After a few years of riding the wave of record economic growth, corporate Ireland is now struggling with the stress of success - the problems of labour shortage and congestion.

And so the Taoiseach's tale of the Pollardstown snail struck a chord with the business leaders gathered here for the annual IMI management conference.

Fears about the future of the beast, which lives on a fen on which a new road is due to be built, are threatening the development of the Kildare by-pass; as the Taoiseach said, the snail is probably making faster progress these days than the beleaguered motorist.

Referring to road development in general, Mr Ahern said public objections and environmental demands had to be considered. But the message was clear - a faster way needs to be found to develop road and other major infrastructure projects.

In drawing up the new national development plan, getting the money is not the main problem.

Despite the run-down in EU funds, the Exchequer is awash with money - for the moment, at least - and the private sector is lining up to participate in jointly funded public/private partnership projects.

The issue is how to get things done quickly and overcome the huge bureaucratic delays which mean that moving a road project from the drawing board to reality can take at least five to six years and often as long as a decade.

Given the demands of business and the public for the political system to do something about this, legislation is likely as part of the new programme to speed up the planning process.

While the Taoiseach was circumspect about what precisely might be done, Government officials are believed to be examining what happens in countries such as France, where planning proceeds much more quickly.

The Taoiseach also signalled that he hopes to involve the social partners in drawing up the national development plan, which will outline the economy's investment needs for the years ahead.

This is a move to co-ordinate the development of the plan with the talks on a new national economic programme to replace Partnership 2000 and to give a new impetus to the social partnership process.

So the Government's strategy for the year is becoming clearer.

Try to get the trade unions and business on board by giving them a say in the spending of the billions planned under the national development plan, in the process start to deal with key political headaches of road congestion and housing prices.

And then secure agreement on a reasonable level of wage increase by also offering employees profit sharing and lower taxes. It remains to be seen whether it can be pulled off.

Judging by the reaction to Mr Ahern's speech - and particularly his strong commitment on roads and infrastructure - business would support such a strategy.

Business will also look for an acceleration of the measures starting to fall into place to ensure a continued supply of labour.

The concern of industry with the availability and supply of employees shown in the IMI survey presented here was striking.

Despite increasing concern on these issues, however, the business leaders here remain generally upbeat about prospects. And amid all the analysis of business strategy, one of the most compelling presentations was from Glen Dimplex deputy chairman Mr Lochlann Quinn.

Telling the extraordinary story of its growth into a leading multinational, building on several opportunistic acquisitions, he drew the lesson that "the real strategy is to stay wide open to opportunity" and when it presents itself "to move faster than the competition".

The best five-year strategic plans would be written at the end of year five, he suggested, only slightly tongue in cheek.

Good advice for business, no doubt, though the Government will hope that the maxim does not apply to the new national development plan now in preparation.