In order of definition, we can see planning as the group of strategies that must be implemented in order to reach an established goal. It is important that these strategies are developed following a broad style of work in which several elements coexist. First you must analyze a specific situation in order to then go on to look for the objectives you want to achieve to reach that goal.
If we take as an example a person who wants head somewhereYou must first decide which site you want to go to; Once you have decided, you must take the necessary steps to get there.
Thanks to planning, people are able to achieve the objectives that are set. The time it takes them to achieve these objectives may vary depending on the person, their specific skills and knowledge that can move them towards that characteristic objective. They also come into play and the resources available to each person to achieve what they want must be taken into account.
Planning is divided into two essential aspects. It can be classified in different ways, but the most important turn out to be tactical and strategic. Tactical planning is one that is carried out in a short time, and it generally occurs when you have to overcome an unexpected event as soon as possible.
Strategic planning is the one that takes more time and occurs when you want to carry out much greater analysis of the things that are needed, and that are known to require time. For either of the two these principles are required, but it is the strategic one that allows you to cover them with more time available and in a more elaborate way.
Why do we plan?
Many people over time have asked this same question. On many occasions we could come to think that the things we achieve, either in the medium and long term, are given to us only by the goodness of the universe or by actions that we carry out without prior planning. However, this is not entirely true, because Even the smallest detail requires planning.
Example: If you prepare a simple cup of cereal in the morning, you may think that you have not planned anything, but the simple fact of getting up and knowing what you are going to have for breakfast it is already a plan in itself, and taking the implements and using them is part of planning. Human beings plan all the time to avoid taking unnecessary risks and to get the things we do done in the most efficient way in the shortest possible time.
When it comes to administrative planning, things take a slightly more complex turn and we must refer to certain principles known as planning principles to make things not only more bearable, but also more efficient. Here we will analyze what these principles are, to use them when carrying out our companies and projects.
Planning principles
Each stage of the administrative process must be governed by a series of principles that become indispensable if what is desired is to achieve a rational administration.
For efficient planning, it is important to follow the following principles.
- Feasibility
- Objectivity and quantification
- Flexibility
- Unit
- Of the change of strategies
- Commitment
- Limiting factor
- inherence
Feasibility
At this stage it is important to define that the plan is achievable. It may sound like something that people already know, but there are many people who set goals that are practically impossible and in the long run, unfeasible.
The plan we make has to be viable; You should not have too high your sights or that are too optimistic, because the planning process is also linked to the facts and the information and resources that you have. Planning must conform to the objective conditions that act in our environment.
Objectivity and quantification
It establishes the need to use objective data, such as statistics, probability tables, numerical data quantifications and mathematical calculations so that there is no risk when making plans.
When you are planning something it is essential that the things you plan are based on real data and not on speculation, poor data, which will not allow your projects to advance, since planning is subject to the information that is handled. If the information is bad, the rest of the planning will be in jeopardy.
Flexibility
This is one of the most important planning principles. When planning is carried out, it is very important to maintain or have certain levels of slack that allow facing unforeseen situations. One of the important parts of planning something is always thinking that things could be turned upside down and always having a “Plan B” in our hands that will avoid wasting time when continuing if we have an unforeseen event.
Failure to establish a safety cushion in our plan that does not allow us to remain completely inactive if something happens could be fatal for our projects, since we would lose resources and damage the plans so far.
Unit
This part explains that all the specific plans managed by the company must also adhere to a general plan. They must be directed and worked together so that they are related in the same approach, and that by working on one of them the company is allowed to improve the system to fulfill the general objective.
So unity in the planning principle tells us that you cannot reach a general objective without first meeting the specific objectives that lead us to this.
To cite one example, you cannot have a car without wheels. If your overall goal is to build or rebuild a motor vehicle, you can't meet that overall goal if you don't meet the specific goal of getting tires first.
Of the change of strategies
When a plan is extended in relation to time, that is, when a plan becomes medium to long term, either due to setbacks or simply because there was a calculation failure in terms of duration, parameters must be modified and strategies changed that were used before, in order to improve the performance of what is being done.
This does not mean that the project or its planning is abandoned, but that the company must change the data, the parameters used, the budgets and resources in order to improve what needs to be improved.
Commitment
The principle of commitment tells us that the company's royalties must be directed towards the medium term, since medium-term planning is the most convenient. This It is so because this type of planning is what allows the company's commitments to fit in the future, and allow time for them to think about how to make policies and trends change in anticipation of the unforeseen.
Also the members of said company must be one hundred percent committed to meeting the goals and objectives that the company sets, and one hundred percent committed to the principles of planning, so that they are useful in achieving them. .
Limiting factor
This principle tells us that the company in question must have competent means that allow it to detect those factors that can limit or slow down the achievements of its organization. If there is any failure in the plan to follow, this department must be able to locate it with efficiency and speed, and also to work accordingly to stir or sauté it if necessary.
This principle is the one that raises and emphasizes the importance of objectivity in selecting a course of action between different alternatives to achieve the proposed objectives. In other words, this principle will allow us to choose which is the best option to follow to reach the goal more quickly and efficiently.
Inherence
This principle reveals to us that planning is integrated into the human condition, and that regardless of whether it is within an organization, or alone, only through planning can the projects we carry out be successful, because in this way we can determine a target response time and get to meet them in the stipulated space.
Some common planning mistakes
According to research carried out in the business environment, there are some mistakes that many people or organizations make when planning the projects of their companies.
- Not taking into consideration the macro-economic environment
- Do not perform the SWOT analysis correspondent; understand the analysis of strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats that every company must carry out conscientiously.
- Ignore the human factor and its importance when working on the project.
- Minimize the importance of communication to in order to make everyone aware of the project they are working on
- Not harnessing the power of business alliances.
- Not correctly clarifying the goals, making them diffuse and not very understandable.
Although planning is something that we can do even without being aware that we are doing it, it is something that is born with the ability to think, we must still be able to use planning principles in order to make our plans much more organized and our goals much easier to achieve. We must use this scheme and be aware of not making mistakes, because that way we will be able to take our projects to the next level.