For the effective work of any organization, a clear definition of the goals and objectives of the activity is required. Based on them, a program is drawn up that helps the company follow the intended path and rationally spend resources. Plans can be long-term and current, for the entire organization and for its structural divisions. To understand this topic, it’s worth understanding what the term “planning” means.
This is a certain type of activity that is associated with setting goals, tasks that will be implemented by certain actions in the future. This concept can also be attributed to one of the most important management functions. But the implementation of this function is impossible without defining the basic levels of planning.
Stages of Planning Characteristics
In total, there are four levels on which this concept is based:
- Setting the main goals and objectives.
- Drawing up a program to achieve the goals, as well as determining the levels of process planning.
- Identification of all necessary resources and their sources that will be necessary in the process of achieving a goal or completing a task.
- Appointment of performers and bringing plans to them.
These are the planning levels that exist. The main function is the development and adoption of a specific resolution, which is intended for the one who is the object of management, and a specific task or goal will be set for him. This decision is called (no matter oral or written) - a management decision.
Planning can be defined as one of the methods by which management can direct the efforts of the entire team towards common goals. It is with this function that any management process begins, and the final result of the work depends on the quality of the tasks.
Planning tasks
The essence of this management function is to provide answers to primary questions, without which it is impossible to move on:
- Where are we now? When answering this question, one should evaluate all the strengths and weaknesses of the organization in the main areas of its functioning. This is primarily the financial side, marketing, staff. After analyzing these areas, we can already talk about what prospects the organization has.
- What do we need to achieve? At this stage, you should evaluate the organization’s capabilities, determine the planning management levels, as well as the disadvantages. Based on them, the main goals for a given period of time should be determined, and what could become a threat that would hinder their achievement.
- How do we achieve the intended results? This stage determines the list and algorithm of actions by which members of the organization realize their goals.
Only by answering these questions, you can build a clear planning system.
Implementation problem
As practice shows, many managers with systematic planning responsibilities are reluctant to do this. The thing is the tendency to act, and not to sit in one place and analyze. Many people think that planning is boring and tiring, so you can not develop any strategies, but immediately proceed with immediate actions.
Another problem faced by those who have to improve management systems, whether entrepreneurs or managers, is the issue of the inconsistency of the company's development program and the mechanism for its implementation. This is called a strategic gap. A considerable amount of research has been devoted to solving this problem, so there are specific methods that can bridge the gap. For example, you can refer to the book by M. Coveney entitled "Strategic gap: Technologies for translating corporate strategy into reality."
The author in his work describes a multi-stage process, which is precisely aimed at implementing the organization’s development program by integrating the best business management techniques with the latest information technologies. The main task is to create such a mechanism that combines the strategic performance indicators of its activities through a system of causal relationships with initiatives and specific actions aimed at implementing this program.
Support for global IT planning is also growing. The number of software products is growing daily. New systems are constantly appearing both by domestic developers and foreign applications are localized.
What is the role of planning in management?
The organization’s task in this process is to determine its actions for a certain period of time, and also to take into account their nature and sequence. Specialists note that management and planning work in close connection with each other. Effective work of one is impossible without the other. The main management function is aimed at achieving the set goals, which, in turn, are determined by planning.
Moreover, this process should be constantly monitored in order to ensure maximum efficiency. To summarize, planning is intended to accurately formulate the main goals and objectives of any organization, enterprise, and so on. And also to distribute them between units and performers and determine a clear sequence of actions to address them.
What levels of planning system exist?
In any organization, the goals program has a certain number of mandatory levels. There are three of them. This is a strategic, operational and business planning. We will analyze each of the levels in more detail, because on their basis the successful achievement of goals is built.
Strategic
What could be the level of strategic planning? This is the initial stage in which the long-term goals that the organization will strive for are determined. In order to correctly install them, you must first identify the company's mission. It is in the process of determining it that the most important issues are raised, because you need to understand the meaning of the organization, its necessity and benefit to society. Strategic goals precisely determine what needs to be achieved on a global scale and how this can be done.
The program does not affect the details, but reveals only the general method of achieving the desired result. A set of strategies focuses on the dynamic nature of the processes that occur in society. Usually one of the ways is the basic one, but the rest are realized only in certain situations. The main objective of the strategy is to set the direction and indicate the boundaries of the implementation of the main activities of a certain business planning, and we can also talk about creating a basis for everyday task setting.
Business level
We pass to the second stage. The objective of this level of planning is to link activities aimed at achieving certain results with the resources obtained. The first thing worth mentioning is the competent distribution of finances. In parallel, a plan for the use of human, informational, and intellectual resources should be evaluated and created. At this stage, you can already see whether it is possible to achieve the intended result. Also, in the process of implementing the program, common ideas are transformed into clear indicators.
Operational level planning
We move on to the third stage, where the generalized vision of goals and prospects moves to the stage of solving daily tasks. The basis of operational planning is to specify actions, procedures, deadlines, and real costs. The difference between this level and others is that program indicators are measurable and easier to control and manage.
Here, the human factor plays a large role. At this stage, the work done is being actively analyzed and plans are being adjusted. Only a comparison of the operational program, analysis of its implementation gives the correct picture of the management of the organization.