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Achieving business goals starts with planning. Planning is the process of setting goals and defining the actions required to achieve the goals. Planning begins with goals. Goals are derived from the vision and mission statements, but these statements describe what the organization wants to achieve, not necessarily what it can achieve. The organization is affected both by conditions in its external environment—competitors, laws, availability of resources, etc.—and its internal conditions—the skills and experience of its workforce, its equipment and resources, and the abilities of its management. These conditions are examined through a process called a SWOT analysis. (SWOT will be discussed in greater detail in another module.) Together, the vision and mission statements and the results of the situation analysis determine the goals of the organization. This idea is illustrated by the figure that follows. Using the mission, vision, and values of a company, along with situation analysis, can help the company set goals. The rest of the planning process outlines how the goals are to be met. This includes determining what resources will be needed and how they can be obtained, defining tasks that need to be done, creating a schedule for completing the tasks, and providing milestones to indicate progress toward meeting goals. The planning process will be discussed in more detail in the following section. Benefits of PlanningIn today’s chaotic environment, planning more than a few months in advance may seem futile. Progress, however, is rarely made through random activity. Planning does provide benefits that facilitate progress even when faced with uncertainty and a constantly changing environment. Some of the benefits include the following:
Practice QuestionDrawbacks to PlanningPlanning provides clear benefits to organizations, but planning can also harm organizations if is not implemented properly. The following are some drawbacks to planning that can occur:
Practice QuestionKey PointsGoals and plans do not have to be formal documents. In small organizations, they may exist only in the minds of the manager. But research and experience have shown that planning brings clear advantages to an organization, whether through formal procedures or informal intuition. However, when plans become the object instead of a means to an objective, they can have negative consequences for the organization. For example, General Motors missed the opportunity to become the first American automaker to produce an electric car because it was committed to its plan rather than its goals. GM had EV-1 prototypes designed and produced in the 1990s and literally destroyed the cars rather than sell them. Contribute!Did you have an idea for improving this content? We’d love your input. Improve this pageLearn More Why is an organized plan needed in planning a business?Organizational planning is important because it lets companies develop effective planning and achieve their stated goals. Having an organizational plan is also helpful because a prepared company responds better to changes in the workplace.
How planning is carried out in the organization?Planning is the function of management that involves setting objectives and determining a course of action for achieving those objectives. Planning requires that managers be aware of environmental conditions facing their organization and forecast future conditions.
How can strategic planning help improve the performance of an organization?Having a strategic plan in place can enable you to track progress toward goals. When each department and team understands your company's larger strategy, their progress can directly impact its success, creating a top-down approach to tracking key performance indicators (KPIs).
What are the four steps to effective planning?The 4 Steps of Strategic Planning Process. Environmental Scanning. Environmental scanning is the process of gathering, organizing and analyzing information. ... . Strategy Formulation. ... . Strategy Implementation. ... . Strategy Evaluation.. |