Management Planning

Management Planning

Planning is essential for any business that wants to succeed because failing to have a plan is planning to fail. For a manager it is vital that they be able to run their department efficiently and effectively to keep up with the plans that have been established from upper management. Planning is the only way that one can ensure that all goals are meet in a timely manner and that departments within an organization are up to par with the vision and mission that an organization stands for. In this paper I will discuss planning along with the different levels of planning at the different levels of management and why managers should be prepared for all aspects of the ups and downs that a business may face.

Planning is the ongoing process of developing the business' mission and objectives and determining how they will be accomplished. Planning includes both the broadest view of the organization, e.g., its mission, and the narrowest, e.g., a tactic for accomplishing a specific goal. (Erven, 1994). Planning allows managers the ability to identify the goals of an organization and take the appropriate steps toward achieving those goals. There are three steps in the planning process that managers should take to ensure that they are using the planning process correctly. These steps are determining which goals to pursue, how to go about attaining these goals, and what resources need to be allocated to attain the goals that have been set. The planning function of management determines how effective and efficient an organization operates.

There are different levels of planning for the different levels of management in every organization. Most organization have three levels of management, they are first line managers, middle managers, and top managers. The first line managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of an organization. They are also responsible for supervising the employees and making sure they are producing quality work. The middle managers are responsible for supervising the first line mangers and making sure they are doing their job as well as making sure that all resources within a department are being used to achieve departmental goals and the goals of the organization. Top managers are responsible for all departments within an organization; they also set the goals for an organization and monitor the work of the middle mangers.

Managers should have short-term plans, intermediate plans, and long-term plans. Normally the first level supervisor will handle the short-term plans, which are goals that can be accomplished within one year. A short-term plan normally reflects the daily activities of a department and monthly schedules. The middle mangers handle intermediate plans and these plans include all tactical aspects of an organization and should relate to goals that can be completed within a two-year time frame. The top managers handle the long-term plans of an organization. Normally the long-term plan pertains to goals that the organization wants to achieve between two to five years. These goals are normally focused on all aspects of the organization.

"Tornadoes, fires, floods, hail storms, power failures and even corporate theft can affect companies and a business" (Dalin, 2005), since these things are beyond our control all organizations should have a back up plan. An organization without a back up plan has about a 20 percent to 30 percent survival rate after a disaster" (Dalin, 2005). With the risk being so great it is imperative that companies have a contingency plan. A contingency plan addresses the course of action that would be necessary to carry on with normal business or to modify the original plans in the event that an organization could not run as it normally would.

"Strategic planning is a management tool and as with any management tool, it is used for one purpose which is to help an organization do a better job by focusing its energy to ensure that members of the organization are working toward the same goals as well as to assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment" (The Nonprofit FAQ, 1999). Strategic planning is all about planning because specific goals are set and then everyone in the company works toward achieving those goals for the better of the company. A strategic plan has to be productive and focused so the process raises questions about information about the present, and information about the environment in which the organization will be