Planning

Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of

creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the
activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental
property of intelligent behavior. This thought process is essential to the creation and
refinement of a plan, or integration of it with other plans, that is, it
combines forecasting of developments with the preparation of scenarios of how to
react to them. An important, albeit often ignored aspect of planning, is the
relationship it holds with forecasting. Forecasting can be described as predicting
what the future will look like, whereas planning predicts what the future should look
like.[1]

The term is also used to describe the formal procedures used in such an endeavor,
such as the creation of documents, diagrams, or meetings to discuss the important
issues to be addressed, the objectives to be met, and the strategy to be followed.
Beyond this, planning has a different meaning depending on the political or
economic context in which it is used.

Two attitudes to planning need to be held in tension: on the one hand we need to be
prepared for what may lie ahead, which may mean contingencies and flexible
processes. On the other hand, our future is shaped by consequences of our own
planning and actions.

In the weeks prior to an important milestone, computer consultants give up on

automated scheduling and resort to an old fashioned planboard to agree on who
does what when. Such impromtu gatherings promote creativity and exchange of
information that works positively towards an on-time result. Automated scheduling
works well for the bigger picture, but often the detailed tasks must be discussed live
with the whole team.

Overview

Planning is a process for accomplishing purpose. It is a blue print of business growth

and a road map of development. It helps in deciding objectives both in quantitative
and qualitative terms. It is setting of goals on the basis of objectives and keeping in
view the resources.
What should a plan be?
A plan should be a realistic view of the expectations. Depending upon the activities, a
plan can be long range, intermediate range or short range. It is the framework within
which it must operate. For management seeking external support, the plan is the
most important document and key to growth. Preparation of a comprehensive plan
will not guarantee success, but lack of a sound plan will almost certainly ensure
failure.

Purpose of a plan
Just as no two organizations are alike, so also their plans. It is therefore important to
prepare a plan keeping in view the necessities of the enterprise. A plan is an
important aspect of business. It serves the following three critical functions:

 Helps management to clarify, focus, and research their business's or project's

development and prospects.
 Provides a considered and logical framework within which a business can
develop and pursue business strategies over the next three to five years.
 Offers a benchmark against which actual performance can be measured and
reviewed.

Importance of the planning process

A plan can play a vital role in helping to avoid mistakes or recognize hidden
opportunities. Preparing a satisfactory plan of the organization is essential. The
planning know the business and that they have thought through its development in
terms of products, management, finances, and most importantly, markets and
competition.
Planning helps in forecasting the future, makes the future visible to some extent. It
bridges between where we are and where we want to go. Planning is looking ahead.
Types of plans or planning

 Architectural planning
 Business plan
 Comprehensive planning
 Enterprise Architecture Planning
 Event Planning and Production
 Family planning
 Financial planning
 Land use planning
 Life planning
 Marketing plan
 Network resource planning
 Strategic planning
 Urban planning
 Operational planning

Objectives and policies

The objectives
The objectives are general parts of the planning process. They are the end-results
towards which all business activities are directed. They are needed in every aspect
where performance and result directly and vitally affect the survival and success of
the firm. In other words, the objective of the firm justifies its existence.

Newman and Summer stated, "For managerial purposes, it is useful to think of

objectives as the results we want to achieve. Objective covers firm's long-range plans
specific departmental goals and short-term individual assignment also."

The policies
Policies are specific guidelines and constraints for managerial thinking on decision-
making and action. Policies provide the framework within which decision-makers
are expected to operate while making organizational decisions. They are the basic
guides to be consistent in decision-making.

Planning basics

Essentials of planning
Planning is not done off hand. It is prepared after careful and extensive research. For
a comprehensive business plan, management has to:

1. Clearly define the target/goal in writing.

1. It should be set by a person having authority.
2. The goal should be realistic.
3. It should be specific.
4. Acceptability
5. Easily measurable
2. Identify all the main issues which need to be addressed.
3. Review past performance.
4. Decide budgetary requirement.
5. Focus on matters of strategic importance.
6. What are requirements and how will they be met?
7. What will be the likely length of the plan and its structure?
8. Identify shortcomings in the concept and gaps.
9. Strategies for implementation.
10.Review periodically.

Applications

In organizations
Planning is also a management process, concerned with defining goals for
future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and resources to be
used in order to attain those goals. To meet the goals, managers may develop plans
such as a business plan or a marketing plan. Planning always has a purpose. The
purpose may be achievement of certain goals or targets. The planning helps to
achieve these goals or target by using the available time and resources. To minimize
the timing and resources also require proper planning. The concept of planning is to
identify what the organization wants to do by using the four questions which are
"where are we today in terms of our business or strategy planning? Where are we
going? Where do we want to go? How are we going to get there?..." [2]

In public policy
Planning refers to the practice and the profession associated with the idea of
planning an idea yourself (land use planning, urban planning orspatial planning). In
many countries, the operation of a town and country planning system is often
referred to as "planning" and the professionals which operate the system are known
as "planners".

It is a conscious as well as sub-conscious activity. It is "an anticipatory decision

making process" that helps in coping with complexities. It is deciding future course
of action from amongst alternatives. It is a process that involves making and
evaluating each set of interrelated decisions. It is selection of missions, objectives
and "translation of knowledge into action." A planned performance brings better
results compared to an unplanned one. A manager's job is planning, monitoring and
controlling. Planning and goal setting are important traits of an organization. It is
done at all levels of the organization. Planning includes the plan, the thought
process, action, and implementation.Planning gives more power over the future.
Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who
should do it. It bridges the gap from where the organization is to where it wants to
be. The planning function involves establishing goals and arranging them in logical
order.

Plan
A plan is typically any procedure used to achieve an objective. It is a set of intended
actions, through which one expects to achieve a goal.

Plans can be formal or informal:

 Structured and formal plans, used by multiple people, are more likely to occur
in projects, diplomacy, careers, economic
development,military campaigns, combat, or in the conduct of other business. In
 most cases, the absence of a well-laid plan can have adverse effects: for example,
a non-robust project plan can cost the organization time and money.[1]
 Informal or ad-hoc plans are created by individuals in all of their pursuits.
The most popular ways to describe plans are by their breadth, time frame, and
specificity; however, these planning classifications are not independent of one
another. For instance, there is a close relationship between the short- and long-term
categories and the strategic and operational categories.

It is common for less formal plans to be created as abstract ideas, and remain in that
form as they are maintained and put to use. More formal plans as used for business
and military purposes, while initially created with and as an abstract thought, are
likely to be written down, drawn up or otherwise stored in a form that is accessible
to multiple people across time and space. This allows more reliable collaboration in
the execution of the plan.
Planning
The term planning implies the working out of sub-components in some degree of
elaborate detail. Broader-brush enunciations of objectives may qualify as
metaphorical roadmaps. Planning literally just means the creation of a plan; it can be
as simple as making a list. It has acquired a technical meaning, however, to cover the
area of government legislation and regulations related to the use of resources.

Planning can refer to the planned use of any and all resources, as in the succession
of Five-Year Plans through which the government of theSoviet Union sought to
develop the country. However, the term is most frequently used in relation to
planning for the use of land and related resources, for example in urban
planning, transportation planning, etc.

Thus, in a governmental context, "planning" without any qualification is most likely

to mean the regulation of land use. See also zoning.

Methodology
The discipline of planning has occupied great minds and theoreticians. Concepts
such as top-down planning (as opposed to bottom-up planning) reveal similarities
with the systems thinking behind the top-down model.
The subject touches such broad fields as psychology, game
theory, communications and information theory, which inform the planning
methods that people seek to use and refine; as well as logic and science (i.e.
methodological naturalism) which serve as a means of testing different parts of a
plan for reliability or consistency.

The specific methods used to create and refine plans depends on who is to make it,
who is to put it to use, and what resources are available for the task. The methods
used by an individual in their mind or personal organizer, may be very different
from the collection of planning techniques found in a corporate board-room, and the
planning done by a project manager has different priorities and uses different tools
to the planning done by an engineer or industrial designer.

Forecasting
Forecasting is the process of making statements about events whose actual outcomes
(typically) have not yet been observed. A commonplace example might
be estimation of theexpected value for some variable of interest at some specified
future date. Prediction is a similar, but more general term. Both might refer to
formal statistical methods employing time series,cross-
sectional or longitudinal data, or alternatively to less formal judgemental methods.
Usage can differ between areas of application: for example in hydrology, the terms
"forecast" and "forecasting" are sometimes reserved for estimates of values at
certain specific future times, while the term "prediction" is used for more general
estimates, such as the number of times floods will occur over a long
period. Risk anduncertainty are central to forecasting and prediction; it is generally
considered good practice to indicate the degree of uncertainty attaching to forecasts.
The process of climate change and increasing energy prices has led to the usage
of Egain Forecasting of buildings. The method uses Forecasting to reduce the energy
needed to heat the building, thus reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.
Forecasting is used in the practice of Customer Demand Planning in every day
business forecasting for manufacturing companies. The discipline of demand
planning, also sometimes referred to as supply chain forecasting, embraces both
statistical forecasting and a consensus process. An important, albeit often ignored
aspect of forecasting, is the relationship it holds with planning. Forecasting can be
described as predicting what the future will look like, whereas planning predicts
what the future should look like.[1] There is no single right forecasting method to use.
Selection of a method should be based on your objectives and your conditions (data
etc.).[2] A good place to find a method, is by visiting a selection tree. An example of a
selection tress can be found here.[3].