THE 7 MOST IMPORTANT PLANNING STAGES - JOB - 2024

The planning stages include obtaining information on the possible scenarios and anticipating the action plan to be followed in each one. Planning is the first step that must be taken in the administration and / or management of any organization.

In this sense, planning is reasoning about the different aspects of the operation of a business idea. In planning, the organizational culture that exists or that you want to cultivate in the company must be taken into account, because that will determine whether one or another strategy is chosen.

Likewise, business objectives must be kept in mind because these are the ones that will guide the actions to be carried out.

Planning characteristics

Unit

Each unit of the company may have an action plan, but it must always be linked to the general plan so that it contributes to the achievement of the proposed objectives.

Continuity

Planning is a permanent task.

Precision

It must be clearly defined and target specific aspects of the organization.

Penetrability

It is an activity that affects all hierarchical levels of the company.

The 7 main stages of planning

1- Environmental research

A very important stage is that of investigation, because it allows gathering valuable information about the past and present of the company, to predict possible future scenarios.

One of the most popular methodologies to carry out this approach to the internal and external environment of the company is the SWOT matrix. It is a useful tool to identify the weaknesses (D), opportunities (O), strengths (F) and threats (A) of a business.

Identifying these elements will allow executives to leverage strengths to take advantage of opportunities and to mitigate threats.

It is also useful to know the weaknesses to work on these in order to eliminate them as much as possible.

In this investigation, internal or external factors that can positively or negatively affect the operation of the organization must also be identified.

2- Set goals

With the information collected in the investigation stage, there are elements to establish the business objectives.

This means that the results that are expected to be obtained in a given time are defined and outlined. Human and material efforts and resources will be invested in those goals of their choosing.

3- Define strategies

Once the arrival point is decided, it is time to define the way in which that point will be reached.

The strategy is fundamental to the achievement of the objectives. It must be agreed between managers and must take into account all possible factors.

The strategy must be firm and at the same time flexible, so that there is an opportunity to adjust it to the conditions of the environment.

Another key aspect at this point is the communication of the selected strategy to all the company's collaborators, so that everyone knows their role on the way to the goal.

Alternative strategies should be considered to deal with different scenarios.

4- Develop institutional policies

With the selected strategy and clear objectives, it is possible to decide which are the criteria that will govern the action.

Determining specific policies allows delegating authority and clearly delimits procedures. In addition, they embody business values ​​and streamline processes.

Institutional policies provide objectivity, continuity, and stability in decision-making, while making it easier for new staff to get involved.

5- Define a schedule

Having clear objectives and a defined strategy, it is time to assign a deadline to the action. This is accomplished with a schedule; a date is set for the achievement of objectives.

It is a kind of calendar of activities. Ideally, this should be a prudent but realistic estimate of the time it will take to complete each task. This chart should integrate the large and small tasks in a chronological order.

There is a matrix devised in the twentieth century by Henry Laurence Gantt, which allows the different phases of a project to be visualized clearly on a timeline. The starting and ending point of each task is appreciated.

6- Estimate or calculate the budget

In this planning phase, the objective is to know the cost involved in carrying out the selected strategy. The cost per activity is added to the schedule of activities.

All the resources that will be invested and everything that must be produced to meet the objectives must also be detailed.

At this time, the price of the good or service to be offered is also decided, as well as the estimated earnings. In this case there must also be some flexibility to deal with possible deviations and / or losses.

7- Define control mechanisms

Each of the phases of the planning process requires an indicator that allows qualifying the fulfillment or not of such phase. It is necessary to have parameters for evaluating compliance with each of these.

Importance of planning

Only planning is guaranteed the rational and efficient use of resources when you want to develop a business. Likewise, improvisation and subjectivity when making decisions are reduced.

References

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4. San, Luís (2008). Stages of planning. Recovered from: admluisfernando.blogspot.com
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7. University of Barcelona. 5 key steps in the planning stage. Recovered from: obs-edu.com