1. Managing the Planning Process
Chapter 5
Managing the Planning Process

2. Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
Identify the different elements of an effective plan.
Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of planning, and identify how planning pitfalls can be avoided.
Distinguish between formal and informal planning.
Recognize the features of well-designed objectives.
Identify the various types of action plans that managers can use to accomplish stated objectives.

3. What is planning? The management function that:
assesses the management environment to set future objectives; and
maps out activities necessary to achieve those objectives.
Planned actions require careful resource allocation.
Plans must be accompanied by implementation guidelines.

4. Key Elements to a Plan
Objectives
Actions
Resource
Implementation

5. Benefits of Planning Assessment of external forces
Develop a sense of direction and purpose
Identifying the factors that affect the organization
Encouraging participation
Coordination of efforts
Establishment of priorities
Focusing attention on different time horizons

6. Benefits of planning (continued)
Understanding circumstances contributing to past success or failure
Ensuring the availability of adequate resources
Establishing performance standards
Supporting organizational control systems
Developing “what if” scenarios
Management development

7. The Pitfalls of Planning
Poor forecasts of future conditions
Plans imposed from above
Planning as a self-contained activity
Extensive bureaucratization
Inflexible adherence to objectives and processes

8. Keys to Successful Planning
Decentralizing the planning powers
Using both numerical and judgmental methods
Viewing planning as continuous and capable of adapting to change
Avoiding paralysis of the analysis
Concentrating on a manageable set of issues

9. Good and Bad Planning GOOD BAD Decentralize planning process
Use numerical and judgmental methods
Assess external forces
Develop a sense of direction and purpose
Identify factors that affect the organization
Encourage participation
Coordinate efforts
Establish priorities
BAD
Poor forecast of future conditions
Plans imposed from poor forecasts
Planning as self-contained activity

10. Formal Planning and Opportunistic Planning
Formal planning systems are designed to:
Identify objectives; and to
Structure the major tasks of the organization to accomplish them.
Opportunistic planning involves:
Programmatic actions triggered by unforeseen circumstances.
It can coexist with formal planning and can help the formal plan function more smoothly.

11. The Formal Planning Process Involves
Setting objectives
Charting a course of action to meet the objectives
Implementation

12. Setting Objectives
Objectives are more general at the top and become more specific at the lower level
Overall objectives of the organization reflect its mission
Objectives should be specific and measurable.
Objectives should be challenging and achievable
Objectives should specify a timetable or deadline for accomplishment.
Objectives should be prioritized.

13. Charting a Course of Action
Strategic Action Plans
Tactical Action Plans
Operational Action Plans

14. To be effective, a strategic action plan should meet the following criteria:
Proactivity – The degree to which the strategic action plan takes a long-term view of the future.
Congruency – The extent to which the strategic action plan fits with organizational characteristics and the external environment.
Synergy – The integration of the efforts of various organizational subunits to better accomplish corporate-wide business objectives.

15. Two important aspects of tactical action plans:
Division of Labor – The formal assignment of authority and responsibility to job holders.
Helps ensure that tasks of jobholders are appropriate for accomplishing the department’s tactical action plan, which in turn should support the organization’s strategic action plan.
Budgeting – Controlling and allocating funds.
Variable budgeting
Moving budgeting

16. A Typical Operating System
Control
Inputs
Transformation
Outcome
Feedback Loop

17. Benefits of Operational Planning
The opportunity to use feedback for continued incremental learning.
The ability to visualize alternative types of operations – that is, alternative ways to use resources to create a product or service.
The ability to predict the effects of modifications in operations on the efficiency of operations.
The ability to evaluate the effectiveness of operations.

18. Implementation Means of implementation: Authority Persuasion Policy
Feedback mechanism

19. A Six-Stage Approach to Facilitate Organizational Problem Solving
Identify performance gaps.
Identify tasks and work processes necessary for accomplishing the plan.
Check for organizational congruence.
If any in-congruencies or inconsistencies are found, intervene to create alignment in order to effectively implement the plan.
Execute the plan.
Learn from the consequences.

20. Mechanisms to Deal with Organizational Change
Deal with power and politics
Reduce individual anxiety and resistance
Maintaining control during the transition period

21. As a Manager Engaged in Planning You Should:
Keep a pulse for what customers want and be on the lookout for changing consumer desires.
Ensure that planning in your area of responsibility is closely linked with the rest of the organization.
Establish an effective goal-driven plan.
Ensure that planning does not become a straightjacket.
Engage others in plan design and implementation.