The Planning Process

The following 6 steps are useful in the process of planning:

Step One - Develop a Vision and Broad Goals to Achieve

Develop a personal sense of what your team/department should look and be like at some point in the future. In other words, develop a vision for your department or group of people you may be leading or supervising.

This vision should support the broader organisational goals of your section or division. In determining your vision, pay close attention to the purpose of your team. Focus on things that will have the greatest impact. After you have defined your vision, communicate this with your team so that they can participate in developing objectives, ways and means to achieve the vision.

Step Two - Setting Goals and Objectives

With the active participation of your Department or team, establish goals that are stated in measurable, focused terms.

Goals and objectives are intentions and contain descriptions of situations or conditions that are to be achieved within a specific period. They contain a clear indication of what we want to achieve and how to go about it. It is important to write down our goals and objectives as well as to develop a well set-out plan, detailing how we intend to realise them. This will enable us to experience a measure of accomplishment now for goals that will only be fully realised in the future. Such a process will stimulate action and will keep us motivated, leading to unbelievable results.

Ensure that GOALS are SMARTER

If we think of this exercise as enabling us to act more decisively with a better chance of putting ideas into action, it is a process that makes us SMARTER.

A well-formulated objective statement is:

Specific – It clearly states the desired outcome.

Measurable – The objective must be quantified to be measurable.

Achievable – It falls within the realm of the possible, and can, realistically, be attained.

Results-oriented – Through taking specific actions, outcomes can be realized.

Time-bound – It contains a clear deadline.

Exciting – The objectives must excite participants.

Recognized – Objectives must grow from a process of participation and must be in line with vision, motivators and purpose (individual/Organisational).

Click here to learn more about establishing SMARTER goals.

Step Three - Determine the Tasks Through Which the Stated Goals will be Achieved

Tasks should be concrete, measurable actions, that must be affected at a specific, stated time.

Action plans provide a method for identifying who needs to do what and when in what order to accomplish an objective. In other words, action plans outline and sequence the steps and the resources (people, money, time, and equipment) needed to achieve the performance objective.

Action Plans

• Break complex or seemingly overwhelming objectives into manageable performance objectives.
• Help prevent delays caused by omitting important steps or failing to begin critical action steps early enough.
• Produce better estimates of how much time or money is needed to carry out a project or to attain an objective.
• Communicate and clarify the roles of people involved in meeting the objective by clearly establishing accountabilities and deadlines.
• Provide check-points to help the people monitor progress toward meeting the objective.
• Help the people to anticipate what might go wrong and to prevent potential problems from occurring.

To decide whether an action plan is needed, and how detailed the action plan should be, the manager should consider:

• How experienced, motivated, and dependable a person is.
• The difficulty and importance of the performance objective.
• How many other people are involved?
• Whether the person is new to the task or has had difficulty in performing the task in the past.
• The amount of money to be spent in achieving the performance objective.

Action plans are a valuable tool for setting up performance since they specify exactly what needs to be done by when and help both manager and employee track performance progress.

Step Four - Establish Priorities for The Required Tasks

Some tasks must be completed before others can commence, which calls for priorities that will determine the order in which tasks must be completed, as well as by what date.

Step Five - Assign Roles/Responsibilities and Set Procedure

A group’s purpose and goals should be the basis for defining and assigning roles.

We define procedures as “how the group will work together”. Some procedures, such as ground rules for behaviour, are more oriented to group interdependence. Other procedures, such as making decisions, are more oriented to completing activities. The following procedures can help groups get their work done.

Ground Rules for Behaviour: A set of ground rules is the most common procedure we encounter. Such rules call for individuals to respect one another, arrive on time, listen to other ideas, support group decisions; and so on.

Guidelines for Communication: The procedure sets guidelines for using voicemail, e-mail, computer file exchange, and written documents. Because information can be communicated in so many ways, setting standards helps groups to be more effective in using those available tools. Following standards contribute to productivity – people know that urgent messages are not buried in an unexpected place. They know what to expect from each other.

Making Decisions: Setting ground rules regarding the making of decisions assist groups in achieving their goals and completing the activities within the allocated time frame.

Experiencing Conflict: It is extremely helpful for groups to perceive conflicts as necessary for their health. As such, conflict is something to be managed well; it should not be unproductive, interpersonal problems. Provide a procedure for resolving conflict.

Introducing a New Group Member: Many groups struggle when they need to bring in a new member. Old members often feel too busy to take the time to orient the new members, although this is necessary to help the new member and the group to be fully productive.

Step Six - Finally, It Is Necessary to Follow Up

Assess and check to determine if the group/team is doing what is required. Your involvement as a leader in this process is essential in that it validates the importance of the stated goals and priorities. It is important that the leader sees the process through to its conclusion.

Why Plans Fail

Plans can fail for several reasons, including:

Badly-set Objectives: Objectives that are unclear, unrealistic or unchallenging, will likely not be met, partially met or poorly executed.

Poor Information: To base one’s plans on poor information will result in bad planning and consequential failure.

Uncontrollable Circumstances: All the planning in the world cannot force co-operation from others.

Ineffective Communication: Having plans without telling those whom they affect is as bad as having no plans at all.

Drive: A supervisor may find that his employees need to be driven to reach certain planned goals. Supervisors need to ensure that their subordinates keep planning and may have to take corrective action in time.

If you had to look for the signs that little or poor planning is taking place, the kinds of things you might notice would include:

• Objectives not being met
• Numerous crises
• Poor work distribution – some people being overworked and others idle
• Lack of resources – people not being available when you need them
• Tasks being re-done

Click here to download an example of an action plan template.