Probably everyone heard about the need to think through their affairs. It is known that people who are thoroughly preparing for the work ahead, achieve great results. But is planning easy? What are his methods, tools and principles to be aware of in order to learn how to correctly prescribe the fulfillment of assigned tasks? What is strategic planning? What is its importance? How does it differ from tactical or operational calendar? Is it necessary to master them all? Let's get acquainted with this topic together.
What is planning?
Planning is setting goals or objectives, with the optimal allocation of resources that will be required to achieve them. The more difficult the work, the higher the need for quality training. The fact is that any process needs the use of human potential and material sources, as well as time. The more correctly they are predicted before the work, the less empty losses will occur during its implementation..
The history of planning begins in ancient society. The world around us is cyclical. The man quickly learned to predict weather changes, the dynamics of populations of wild animals, the state of vegetation. This made it possible to prepare for sowing, harvesting, gathering, hunting or fishing.
With the development of society, the emergence of new professions, planning acquired more advanced forms. The appearance of writing played a huge role in this, and with it the possibility of transferring large amounts of information to external media (clay, papyrus, parchment, paper). Various types of planning have emerged, which will be discussed further.
Types of planning
Preparing for the upcoming work can take a variety of forms or manifestations. It all depends on the expected dates, areas, objects, as well as on the scope, content, depth, commitment, priority, accounting, coordination of the projected actions.
In terms of:
- Long-term - a development strategy for a period of more than five years.
- Medium term - time period from 1 year to 5 years;
- Short-term - current tasks (up to one year).
By spheres:
- Marketing - determines the global strategy of the company;
- Financial - calculates the "math" job;
- Production - distributes material and technical resources;
- Research - draws the big picture;
- Individual - helps to streamline a person's life.
By objects:
- Thinking through goals;
- Thinking through the means;
- Thinking through performers;
- Thinking through programs;
- Thinking through action.
By scope:
- General - takes into account all the components;
- Partial - takes into account significant conditions.
Content:
- Strategic - answers the question "where?";
- Tactical - gives the answer to the question "how?";
- Operational calendar - to address current issues;
- Business plan - a comprehensive assessment of the work ahead.
Depending on the depth:
- Aggregated - analyzes general parameters;
- Detailed - considers all possible details.
By obligation:
- Mandatory (directive) - involves strict adherence to the requirements;
- Optional (indicative) - is a recommendation.
Depending on the order of execution:
- Ordered - implies sequential execution;
- Extraordinary - if necessary;
- Sliding - determines the possibility of extension.
By accounting data:
- Hard - clear time frames;
- Flexible - according to the circumstances;
- Stiff-flexible - combines the two previous types.
By coordination in time:
- Simultaneous - if there is one single stage;
- Sequential - when the project can be divided into separate stages.
The presence of an extended classification does not imply differences in basic principles. They were first formed by the famous theorist and management practitioner Henri Fayol, and later supplemented by his followers and like-minded people.
Planning principles
Effective business planning relies on the following basic principles:
- Unity and consistency, which means the common goals and interconnectedness of individual elements of the company;
- The importance of horizontal coordination of actions and projects between departments;
- Commonality and unity of the motion vector, mutual integration;
- Participatoryness (involvement of all project participants in the work);
- Continuity of implementation, compliance with temporary boundaries;
- Flexibility that allows for adjustments;
- The presence of reserves, that is - opportunities for maneuvering;
- Accuracy due to concretization;
- Complexity, which is expressed in the understanding of the overall picture;
- Efficiency, determined by the excess of results over costs;
- Rationality in choosing the best option;
- Proportionality and balance of resources;
- Scientific - taking into account the achievements of modern science and technology;
- Details that determine the depth of understanding;
- Simplicity and clarity, allowing to adapt the task to the level of understanding of specific performers;
Observing these principles, it is worth knowing that they are not a far-fetched whim, but a real opportunity to increase the effectiveness of any project. Especially if the tools for preparing plans are right. Let's talk about them further.
Planning tools
In a generalized form, a plan creation tool is any storage medium that helps to save and reproduce data. For a long time, the main tools were paper and pen (pencil). The development of information technology has allowed to transfer planning to the digital world, saving time, facilitating the processing of records. Then, a large number of mobile applications installed on smartphones appeared. Phones are compact in size, are always at hand. This greatly simplifies the planning of cases, including daily tasks. Applications optimize workflow, as they are often created with the right technology for writing plans. We will talk about it in the next section.
Planning technology
Describing the very concept of "planning", the definition of this word includes a rational distribution of forces and resources. Without the introduction of the necessary technology, it is impossible to achieve this.
Preparation of the plan includes the following steps:
- Baseline analysis - assessment of resources and the external environment, understanding the company's trends, identifying problems and prospects, possible reserves;
- Definition and formation of the goal - the main landmark of the movement for the near or long term;
- Creating the concept of development - methods for achieving the goals, including the necessary technologies;
- Strategic planning - a symbiosis of basic ideas with the main ways of their implementation;
- Tactical planning - determining the necessary resources, their optimal distribution;
- Operational scheduling - phased prescription of all actions;
- Approval of the plan - final approval, acceptance for execution.
Planning begins with the analysis and understanding of their capabilities, further goal-setting and identification of ways to implement. Many people have confusion in the definition of tactical and strategic planning, so we will pay attention to them.
What is the difference between tactical and strategic planning?
Their differences begin with globality of decision making. From a hierarchical point of view, strategic planning is the basis of everything. Strategy implies an understanding of the direction in which to move. Most often, such decisions are made at the level of top management. Tactics is an auxiliary stage at which the middle link of the company is involved. The main task of tactical planning is to identify ways to achieve the goals.
Strategic thinking encompasses a long-term perspective, while tactical thinking is applicable for mid-term or near-term tasks. They differ in the degree of detail. The strategist can look at things globally, while the tactician should pay attention to all the details of the idea.
The main thing is to stick to the work of just such a direction - from large-scale to particular. Working time planning should come from a global understanding of the mission and goals. But these principles apply in everyday life.
Day planning
For a harmonious life, a person needs to maintain a balance between work, domestic issues and leisure. If many people think of working time, then everything that happens outside of work often becomes chaotic. This is wrong, because harmony is achieved only in the ordering of the surrounding space and your thoughts. It is difficult to be diligent in work, with a lack of integrity in general. Time management is a very useful skill that helps save your strength and conserve resources. If a person has a mess in his head and on the desktop, he loses too much energy in finding the necessary information. Success is mainly achieved by those who could streamline all their affairs.
Planning a day is desirable to start from the moment of awakening., while taking into account their physiological features. In general, it can be said that the peak of intellectual activity falls on the period from 10.00 to 12.00. The second time interval begins at 14.00 and lasts approximately 2 hours. Physical abilities significantly increased after 17.00. But it is desirable to stop the load until 18.30-19.00. This is true if we talk about the daily routine.
But man also has to plan a week, month, year, etc. This is strategic planning, which goes into tactical planning and ends daily. If there is a global strategy, it should be broken down into small daily tasks that are performed according to a certain daily routine.
You should not regard planning as a waste of time. On the contrary, it allows you to save this resource, since it clearly defines the time frame for the implementation of individual tasks. Preliminary training makes it easier to do the job, thus freeing up additional time for success and development.
