planning

Y-Negocios

2022

We explain what planning is in an organization, its principles and other characteristics. Also, differences with planning.

Planning is one of the initial stages of the administrative process.

What is planning?

In the organizational and business field, planning, planning or planning is one of the initial stages of administrative process, in which the fundamental features of the organization (the mission and the objectives, usually). In other words, it is the stage in which the basic plans to be undertaken with the organization are established.

Planning is a stage of decision making essential to be able to trace the desired path towards the organization goals. For this, internal and external factors capable of influencing the achievement of the objectives are taken into account. goals traced, the elements of the current situation and the values that will govern the organization throughout the productive activity.

There are different forms of planning, depending on the specific area to which the activities will be dedicated.

Planning Principles

Planning is done according to the following fundamental steps:

  • Exploration of opportunities. It involves an evaluation of context and of the means possessed, as a starting point to be able to start the planning of any type of process.
  • Establishment of objectives. Nothing can be planned without first knowing what the goals are that we must achieve, which is perhaps the most important point of all planning, since the following will depend on it.
  • Establishment of the premises.This means the evaluation of the available resources, the possible paths and the eventual mechanisms to be used to obtain the objectives already outlined. At this stage it is essential to take note of possible setbacks and eventualities.
  • Evaluation of alternatives. Once the paths to be taken and the resources to be used have been considered, it is important to evaluate the possible alternatives, even those that do not come to mind at first glance, in order to have as complete and comprehensive a picture as possible.
  • Selection of the path to follow. After a total evaluation of the possibilities, it is time to make decisions, that is, to adopt the plan established in the previous steps and begin to implement it, taking note of unforeseen events and providing feedback for decision-making in order to have mechanisms for control.
  • Formulation of derived plans. The prepared plan will inevitably require other smaller or parallel plans, which will emerge from the activity itself and which must be evaluated individually, repeating the scheme so far detailed and whose resolution will bring us closer to the objectives of our main plan.

Importance of planning

Careful planning is no guarantee of success, but it is a solid starting point.

Planning is a key stage in the developing of any project, since it allows laying the foundations and designing the strategies necessary. It is the very foundation of Project: the determination of its fundamental elements, such as procedures, values, objectives, etc., which constitute the very skeleton of the organization's activity.

Thorough planning is not necessarily a guarantee of success, but it is a solid starting point from which to anticipate problems and avoid excessive improvisation, with all the risks what the latter implies.

Planning Characteristics

Planning is characterized by four fundamental features:

  • Unit. That is, being organic, addressing all the organization's plans at the same time and orchestrating them within a general plan that reflects the spirit and objectives of the organization. Coherence and cohesion between specific plans is essential for success.
  • Continuity. Planning is not something that is carried out only once, although many things will be defined after a first stage of organizational planning. But it will be continually planning, since new activities will be continually being developed, solving problems, expanding areas, etc. All activity must always respond to a plan.
  • Precision. The plans must always be precise, that is, be as vague and diffuse as possible, so that when putting them into practice there are no gaps and holes that give room for improvisation and error.
  • Penetrability. Plans should not be seen as a straitjacket for the organization, but should have room to incorporate information gained along the way and must be flexible enough to face unexpected situations without completely losing their spirit and direction. This includes consideration of non-hierarchical staff in decision making.

Planning Types

There are many ways to classify an organization's plans. For example, if we look at its development in the weather, we will distinguish short, medium and long term plans, depending on how much time they require to be carried out: little, more or a lot.

In a similar way, we can attend to the frequency of use of the plans, thus distinguishing between specific plans, of punctual application; technical, linked to the resolution of problems or the improvement of basic aspects; or permanent, which are those that constitute the core of the organization and are constantly being carried out.

On the other hand, considering its nature, we can distinguish between:

  • Missions. The plans to complete the basic tasks of any company or organization.
  • Objectives. Goals and purposes that are sought to achieve in order to fulfill the missions.
  • Strategies. Action programs detailing the organization's way of managing resources and efforts to achieve its particular goals.
  • Policies. Organizational premises that define the company's way of understanding itself, which in turn guides decision-making and management of the resources.
  • Procedures. Plans that determine the ideal way to face a situation or solve a problem, through chronological sequences of required actions.
  • Programs. It is a set of rules, policies, procedures and steps to follow that guarantee the fulfillment of certain actions, generally when they have already been carried out previously.
  • Budgets. Is about financial plans that detail the specific way in which the resources of the organization will be used, always with a certain projective or ideal margin.

Planning and planning

Some authors of the matter distinguish between:

  • Planning. It points to the future and is much more general.
  • Planning. It is much more specific.

However, there is much discrepancy on the matter and the Spanish language does not distinguish similar nuances in the use of both words, so they are practically synonyms.

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