By Mohit CSE
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.
The term is also used for
describing 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.
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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.
Planning - a result-oriented
process - can be summarized in 3 easy steps:
1. choosing a destination, 2.
evaluating alternative routes, and 3. deciding the specific course of your
plan.[2]
Purpose of a plan
Just as no two organizations are
alike, neither are 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
• Contingency
planning
• Economic
planning
• Enterprise
architecture planning
• Environmental
planning
• Event
planning and production
• Family
planning
• Financial
planning
• Land
use planning
• Life
planning
• Marketing
plan
• Network
resource planning
• Operational
planning
• Strategic
planning
• Succession
planning
• Urban
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 that
"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: Clearly define the target/goal in writing. It should
be set by a person having authority. The goal should be realistic, specific,
acceptable to the organization, and easily measurable. Identify all the main
issues which need to be addressed. Review past performance. Decide budgetary
requirement. Focus on matters of strategic importance. What are requirements
and how will they be met? What will be the likely length of the plan and its
structure? Identify shortcomings in the concept and gaps. Strategies for
implementation. Review periodically. Define strategies and activities.
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
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 or spatial 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. This
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.
The dark side of planning
The "dark side of
planning" is a term used by planning scholars to distinguish actual
planning from ideal planning. The term was coined by Oxford professor Bent
Flyvbjerg (1996: 383) based on research of how political power influences
rationality in planning (Flyvbjerg 1991, 1998). Flyvbjerg defined the dark side
of planning as the real rationalities that planners employ in planning
practice, as opposed to the ideal rationalities of the benevolent planners that
often inhabit planning textbooks. Yiftachel (1995) similarly talked about a
"dark side of modernism" in his studies of how planning is used for
control and oppression of minorities. Taken together, and independently of each
other, these works introduced the "dark side" as a concept and an
empirical phenomenon in planning theory and planning research. Later works have
further developed the concept in efforts to better understand what actual
planners do when they plan (Allmendinger and Gunder 2005; Flyvbjerg and
Richardson 2002; Gunder 2003; Pløger 2001; Roy 2008; Tang 2000; Yiftachel 1998,
2006).
Flyvbjerg's definition of the dark
side of planning draws and expands upon Ludwig von Rochau's distinction between
politics and Realpolitik (real, practical politics), made famous by Otto von
Bismarck and signaling the advent of modern political science. Flyvbjerg (1996)
argues that distinguishing between rationality and real rationality is as
important for the understanding of planning as distinguishing between politics
and Realpolitik is for the understanding of politics. The real rationalities of
planners are called "dark" because it turns out that what planners do
in actual practice often does not stand the light of day, i.e., actual planning
practice often violates generally accepted norms of democracy, efficiency, and
equity and thus of planning ethics.
