What is Planning

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What is Planning

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. What is Planning?

A plan is a determined course of action for achieving a specific objective. An individual may prepare a plan for his journey or tour or for a family function. Similarly, a business unit may prepare a plan to achieve a particular objective. It is called a business plan which includes production plan, sales plan, and so on. A business unit prepares a master plan for the whole unit. Such master plan is again divided into departmental plans for actual e ecution. Planning is a process of than!ing to action. It is a means to achieve well defined objectives. "usiness plan and business planning move together. Planning is the primary function of management and occupies the first position in the management process. It is the starting point of the whole management process as other management functions are related to planning function. Planning, in simple words, means to decide the objectives clearly and to prepare a plan. #hereafter to ta!e suitable steps for the e ecution of the plan. Planning function is performed by managers at all levels. It is deciding the objective to be achieved and ta!ing suitable follow$up steps for achieving the same. Planning Planning is, now, universally accepted as a !ey%passport to success, progress and prosperity in business as well as in all other aspects of life. It acts as a base of all purposeful human activities. #he concept of planning is old enough. Planning was advocated by &onfucius almost '()) years ago. *e said +A man who does not thin! and plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door+. #hus, planning is the centre around which all business activities move. In planning, various business problems are studied, decisions are ta!en regarding the future course of action and business activities are adjusted accordingly. #hus, planning means deciding in advance the objectives to be achieved and preparing plans%programmes for achieving them. In other words, planning is the process of foreseeing

desired objectives $ anticipating problems and developing solutions. It serves as a core of the whole management process. Planning bridges the gap from where we are to where we want to go. In the absence of planning, events are left to chance. A plan is to$day,s projection for tomorrow,s activity.

s-uare'. .efinitions of Planning According to /oont0 and 1,.onnell, +Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who is to do it. Planning bridges the gap between where we are and where we want to go. It ma!es it possible for things to occur which would not otherwise happen2. According to 3eorge 4 #erry, +Planning is the selecting and relating of facts and the ma!ing and using of assumptions regarding the future in the visuali0ation and formulation of purposed activities believed necessary to achieve desired results+. According to Philip /otler, +Planning is deciding in the present what to do in the future. It is the process whereby companies reconcile their resources with their objectives and opportunities+.

s-uare5. 6eed of Planning

#he need of planning is universally accepted in the business as well as in other aspects of life. #he following points justify the need of business planning%planning in business7 Planning is needed for survival and growth of a business unit in an orderly manner.

Planning is needed in order to face new problems%difficulties developed due to growth of mar!ets, mar!et competition, changes in consumer e pectations and so on. Planning is needed in order to face challenges created by changing environmental factors%forces. Planning is needed as it acts as a pre$re-uisite to good management. It is needed as it is the core of the whole management process. Planning is needed in order to achieve the objectives decided by the management. It is also needed as it ensures accuracy, economy and operational efficiency in busin8s management.

s-uare9. Importance of Planning in "usiness :anagement

#he importance of planning as an element in the management process is universally accepted. It plays a positive role in the management of a business unit. Planning brings stability and prosperity to a business unit. It brings unity of purpose and diverts all efforts in one direction for the achievement of certain well defined objectives. Planning also improves the performance of a business unit. In fact, in the absence of planning there will be disorder, confusion, inefficiency, wastage of human efforts and material resources. Planning is rightly treated as the pre$re-uisite to efficient management. #he fact that large majority of business units use planning as a tool of management indicates its utility and importance. Planning brings safety to business operations. It is the only way for survival in the competitive business world. Planning is important as it is more than a mere theoretical e ercise or paperwor!. It has practical utility and creative value. Planning is also a rational and intelligent activity. It is, now, rightly treated as a highly professionali0ed aspect of business management. Planning is important but planning alone is not ade-uate. It should be supplemented by suitable follow$up actions on the part of managers.

Planning may not be able to solve all managerial problems, but it certainly helps the thoughtful managers in overcoming various managerial problems. A plan will remain on paper if suitable follow$up steps are not ta!en at different levels for its e ecution. #hus, planning is a means and not the end in itself

s-uare(. Advantages of Planning

;acilitates -uic! achievement of objectives7 Planning facilitates -uic! achievement of business objectives. In the planning process, the objectives to be achieved are clearly decided % finalised and plans are prepared and e ecuted for achieving such well defined objectives. Planning ensures achievement of objectives in an orderly and -uic! manner. "rings unity of purpose and direction7 Planning brings unity of purpose and direction before the entire organisation as it is for achieving certain well defined goals. Planning diverts all resources in one direction for achieving well defined objectives. <nsures full utilisation of resources7 Planning ensures effective%ma imum utilisation of available human and material resources. It eliminates wastages of all !inds =of material resources and human efforts> and this ensures fuller utilisation of available resources. Avoids inconsistency in efforts7 Planning avoids inconsistency in efforts and also avoids possible frictions and duplications. It ensures economy in business operations. 4aises competitive capacity%strength7 Planning raises competitive potentialities of a business unit. It enables a business unit to stand with confidence in a competitive mar!et. It !eeps ready solutions for possible problems and enables a business unit to function with confidence. Promotes managerial efficiency7 Planning promotes managerial efficiency. It covers all managerial functions and helps management to

e ecute future programmes in a systematic manner. It ma!es managerial direction and control effective. Avoids hasty decisions and actions7 .ue to planning, hasty decisions and hapha0ard actions by managers are avoided. It also encourages systematic thin!ing by the managers. Planning facilitates effective delegation of authority, removes communication gaps and thereby raises overall efficiency. It even encourages innovative thin!ing among managers. <nsures effective control on the 1rganisation7 Planning ensures effective control on the whole organisation. It fi es targets in clear terms and draws plans and programmes for achieving them. #his facilitates effective control on the functioning of the business unit. Acts as an insurance against future uncertainties7 Planning acts as an insurance against future uncertainties. It ta!es care of all business uncertainties. In fact, in planning, future problems and situations are studied in advance and alternative solutions are !ept ready. #his enables management to face any type of critical situation with ease and confidence. ;acilitates other managerial functions7 Planning facilitates other managerial functions. It is the basic managerial function and other managerial functions such as organising, etc. move as per the plans prepared. It acts as a motivating force behind other managerial functions. Improves motivation7 Planning facilitates participation of managers and wor!ers in the normal functioning of an enterprise. It develops team spirit and raises morale and motivation of employees. Wor!ers !now what is e pected from them. #his ensures high degree of efficiency from them. Planning also provides training to managers. It serves as a tool for manpower development in an 1rganisation.

Planning ensures survival, stability and progress of a business unit.

<nsures uniform decision$ma!ing. Acts as a !ey to solve problems and challenges faced by a business unit. Sets performance standards for functional departments. Planning enables a business unit to adjust itself with ever changing business environment.

s-uare8. ?imitations of Planning

#ime$consuming and costly7 It is argued that planning is a lengthy process as it involves collection of data, forecast, research and analysis. Similarly, planning is essentially the job of highly paid e perts. As a result, planning is a time$consuming and costly activity. 1nly large firms can underta!e planning due to heavy cost and lengthy procedure involved in it. Ineffective due to environmental changes7 "usiness environment changes fre-uently and plans are re-uired to be adjusted as per the changes in the situation through suitable modifications. *owever, such revision%modification creates a number of problems. Such adjustments in the operational plan are always costly, time$consuming. .angers of unreliable data7 Planning needs accurate data from internal and e ternal sources. #he -uality of planning depends on such accurate feedbac!. If the information supplied by various departments is unreliable, the planning process will be adversely affected. Planning based on incomplete information may prove to be even dangerous. In brief, plans based on unreliable data are not useful %effective. Securing reliable information is always difficult and this brings deficiencies in the entire planning process. <ncroachment on individual freedom and initiative7 Planning is a centrali0ed process. At the lower levels, plans are to be e ecuted as per

the directives issued. #his affects individual freedom and initiative at the lower levels. <mployees at the lower levels act as instruments for the e ecution of plan prepared by the top level managers. People are as!ed to become cogs in the machine with little scope for initiative or independent thin!ing. .elays actions7 Planning is a lengthy process. As a result, the actions to be ta!en for e ecution are delayed. Planning is not useful when -uic! decisions and actions are re-uired. @nsuitable to small firms7 Small firms prefer to function without long term comprehensive planning as they find planning rather costly and time$consuming. #hey prefer to face the situations as they come. Similarly, -uic! decisions and prompt actions are necessary in the case of certain business activities. *ere, long term planning is not suitable. ?imited practical value7 It is argued that planning is too theoretical and has limited practical utility. Planning ta!es long time for preparation and the situation changes when such plans are ready for e ecution. Planning for e ample, is not suitable in the case of speculative business. It is also not useful for ta!ing -uic! benefits of business opportunities. In brief, planning has limited practical value. 6o guarantee of e pected results7 Planning is for achieving certain well defined objectives. *owever, there is no guarantee that the objectives will be achieved within the specific time limit by using planning as a tool. Actual performance may not be as per the e pectation due to various reasons. #hus planning has an element of uncertainty. Planning leads to probable results and not the e pected results. It gives benefits but may not be e actly as per the e pectation. #hus, there is no guarantee that planning will give A)) per cent positive%e pected results. 3enerates frustration7 At the lower levels, plans are imposed on the employees. 6o consideration is given to their difficulties, views and opinions. #he targets may be too ambitious and the employees may not be able to achieve them in spite of best efforts. #his leads to frustration among employees at lower levels.

Involves huge paper wor!7 Planning involves huge paper wor! in the preparation of master plan and departmental plans. .anger of overdoing7 Sometimes, planners overload the wor!. <laborate reports are prepared without practical utility. #he advantages of planning are more important%significant while its limitations are few and also not of serious nature. :oreover, these limitations can be minimi0ed. #he practical utility of planning is universally accepted. It is not fair to give up the concept of planning due to certain limitations. #he better alternative is to ma!e it more effective, purposeful and result oriented.

s-uareB. Steps in Planning Process

Planning is a lengthy process which moves gradually and step by step approach is usually adopted. #hese steps are li!e stations in the journey of planning process. @sual steps in the planning process are as briefly e plained below7 &lassifying the problems7 #he planning process starts with clear understanding and classifying business problems faced by a business unit. Identification of problems or opportunities by managers justifies the need for action. It is li!e the diagnosis of the health problem of a patient by his doctor. Planners have to understand the problems of the 1rganisation first and, then, prepare a plan to deal with the problems in the light of the prevailing business environment. .etermining the objectives7 In this second stage in the planning process, the planners decide the overall objectives to be achieved. Planning is always for achieving certain well defined objectives and naturally objectives must be spelt out precisely. 1bjectives act as pillars of the entire planning process. "usiness objectives may be decided in terms of profit, sales, production or mar!et reputation. 1bjectives may be defined in -uantitative or -ualitative terms.

&ollecting complete information and data7 #he planners have to collect information relating to problems facing the business unit. Such information is necessary and useful for analy0ing the problems in depth and also for accuracy in planning. Information can be collected from internal and e ternal sources. 4eliable, updated and ade-uate data ma!e planning process result$oriented. Analy0ing and classifying the information7 At this stage, the information collected is analy0ed and interpreted systematically for drawing specific conclusions. #his facilitates purposeful use of information, while preparing alternative plans. Irrelevant information can be discarded through such analysis. <stablishing planning premises7 Planning premises are various assumptions and predictions about the future business situation. Such premises act as bac!ground for planning activities. #he planning premises are e pected to supply relevant facts, information and data on the basis of which forecasts are prepared and future trends are indicated. Planning premises reduce uncertainties in the planning process. Planning premises are three in number vi0., =a> &ontrollable permises, =b> Semi$controllable permises, and =c> @ncontrollable premises. .etermining alternative plans7 *ere, the planners prepare and !eep ready alternative plans suitable for use under different situations. #he best among the available alternative plans is used for actual e ecution. #he preparation of alternative plans is essential as one plan is normally not ade-uate under all types of situations. It is a type of stand$by arrangement useful for meeting any emergency situation. Selecting operating plan and preparing derivative plans7 After study of the business environment and the alternative plans available, the planners select the best plan for actual e ecution. #his decision is a delicate one and must be made with proper care. After the selection of operating plan, the planners have to prepare derivative plans. Such plans are related to different departments%activities and constitute sub$ sections of the operating plan. #he division of overall plan into derivative plans is necessary for effective e ecution.

Arranging timing and se-uence of operations7 #iming involves fi ation of starting and finishing time for each job or piece of wor!. Se-uence of operations ensures proper flow of wor!. #his step in planning process is important as it brings coordination in the activities of different departments. #he timings and se-uence of operations must be communicated to concerned departments, managers and staff for implementation of the plan. Securing participation of employees7 Planning needs willing participation of all employees and departments. ;or this, information regarding the operative plan should be given to employees well in advance. *ere, the internal communication system should be used e tensively. ;or such participation, employees should be associated with the planning process. ;ollow$up of the proposed plan7 #he purpose of follow$up is to ma!e periodical review of the e ecution process. It is useful for understanding actual progress and deficiencies in the process of e ecution of the plan. #his also facilitates adoption of suitable remedial measures as and when re-uired.

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